The Mena weekly star., 1921-09-22
NEEDLESS WORRY
 CAUSED A DEATH
Had K. 0. Owen Received Letter From Mrs. Hunter, Whom He Had Left for Another, He Probably Would
 Be Alive Today.

Had Robert o. Owen, who ended his life Sunday evening at his country home near Rainbow Springs, waited until Monday mornings mail brought him letter, it is probable he would be alive and enjoying life today.
 The letter that Mir. Owen did not receive was one written by Mrs. M. J. Hunter, and it's contents were made public for the first time to members of the coroner's jury at the inquest Monday afternoon.
 It is generally believed that Mir. Owen ended his life because of worry, occasioned by his failure to keep a promise to marry Mrs. Hunter, whom he had asked to come from Texas to Mena for matrimonial purposes.
 After sending for Mrs. Hunter, Mir. Owen evidently had change of heart, for he later wired her not to come. The woman says she did not receive the message, and she came on to Mena unaware of the fact that Mir. Owen had already welded Mrs. Sarah Dalton. Mrs. Hunter told the coron- er's jury that she and MT. Owen had been good friends for several years, and that when she left Mena for Texas some weeks ago, he had asked her to write to him. This she neglected to do, but when a letter came, telling of his loneliness and asking her to return and become Mrs. Owen, she responded.
 Upon returning to Mena Sunday af- ternoon and finding her intended hus- band already married, Mrs. Hunter acted in a manner that does her cred it. Instead of endeavoring to create trouble she simply wrote a letter to Mir. Owen, and while not exactly com plimenting him on his treatment of her, did not censure him unduly. She announced her intention of returning to Texas, and suggested to Mir Owen that in view of their friendship of previous days, the least he could do to right the wrong done her, was to pay her travelling expenses back to Rox- ton.
 The letter was written Sunday night, not knowing that Owen had al- ready ended his life. Monday morn ing while on her way to mail the let ter, Mrs. Hunter was told of Owens death and she did not mail the missive. When the letter was read at the cor oner's inquest, members of the jury praised Mrs. Hunter for her spirit of forgiveness.
 After hearing from Mrs. Hunter and J. P. Payne, former partner of the dead man, regarding the matri- monial mixup, the jury decided furth- CT witnesses were unnecessary and rendered formal verdict of death at his own hand. Tho not voicing it off, cially, it was the belief of the jurymen that had Mir. Owen waited to receive Mrs. Hunters letter and learned that she held no ill feeling against him, he would not have sought relief in death.
 At the suggestion of the jury, Mrs. Owen, who was welded and widowed in AS hours, has offered to pay Mrs. Hunters expenses back to Texas.
 Funeral services for Mir. Owen were held Tuesday morning at Frazier's parlors. The service was conducted by the Rev. M. l.. Anthony and was attended by close friends and ac- quaintances of the former real estate dealer. Burial was at Odd Fellows cemetery.
 Mrs. Owen has filed in probate court the ante-mortem statement of her husband regarding the disposal of his personal property. She is the mother of four small children by a former marriage and also provides a home for niece, making a family of five the little woman has been supporting by manual labor, chiefly washing, during her, residence in Mena. The property left her by Mir. Owen will not come amiss in her struggle for existence