The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1922-03-29
DIVORCE PROCEED.
NCS STOPPED WHEN
HUSBAND SUICIDES
SWALLOWS TWO OUNCES OF
CARBOLIC eACID WHEN RE
FUSED ENTRANCE TO HOME

Unable to effect a reconciliation
with his wife, who had instituted
divorce proceedings in circuit court
at Ionia recently, Roy Hartman,
aged 35 years, well known local
man committed suicide at a late
hour Saturday night on the porch OF
his wife's home on Handbook street,
after he had been refused permission
tc enter the nome.
Hartman, together with his family
consisting of his wife and three
children, had lived in this city for a
number of years and had been en-
ployed by various people as a team
ster. While he always appeared, on
the outside, to be Of a happy and
optimistic mind, he was one of those
fellows who never seemed TO be
able to keep square with the world,
and as a consequence Mrs. Hartman
was forced to work to support her
self and children, so she alleged in
her application for divorce, in which
she also stated that she was treated
cruelty by her husband. While local
people knew but little Of the trouble
existing between the couple, it must
have been of a grevious nature, as
the court granted Mrs. Hartman her
request that her husband must not
molest her nor call at her home dur
ing the divorce proceedings, a pro-
vision which Hartman violated Sat
urday night when he called at the
home.
Mrs. Hartman stated that she had
been at Ionia on Saturday and came
home on the train reaching here at
about $50 o'clock. Hartman saw her
while in Ionia and walked down to
the train with her, asking her to
write him on Sunday. Later on
| Hartman decided to come to Belding
and he arrived in this city on the bus
which comes up from Ionia late Sat
urday night and reached here about
| 10:30 o'clock. He went directly to
the home on Handbook street and
asked for admittance, which was
| refused him. Mrs. Hartman had
| been threatened so many times that
! she became frightened and ran to
! the home of Mr.. and Mrs. Phil Bel
/ ding and from there sent word to
( Police Officer Cook, who at once
went to the house to arrest the hus-
/ band.
A search through the house failed
TO locate Hartman, but on looking on
the front porch, the officer found his
body lying by the door, face down
with his right arm thrown over his
forehead and serving as a pillow.
Although Mr.. Cook reached the
house but a few minutes after he
was called, all life had left the body
and a two ounce bottle, labeled
"Carbolic Acid" and with small
portion of the deadly acid still in it,
told the story. The inside of the
dead mans mouth was horribly
burned but there were no signs of
any of the acid having dropped on
the side of his face, fact which
man had carefully and deliberately
drank the entire contents of the
bottle, causing almost instant death,
as the body showed no signs of hav-
ing struggled. Hartman had pur-
chased the poison at an Ionia drug
store.
Justice Reed was called and after
viewing the body decided no inquest
was necessary and the body was TAX
en- in charge by Bruce. Fales, of the
Wicks-Fales Co. and taken to their
undertaking rooms, where it was
prepared for burial and his relatives
notified.
Monday morning Hartman's moth
er, an aged lady living near Vesta-
burg, called at the undertaking par
lors and said that that she would
take the matter up with three broth
ers of the dead man, who live near
Edmore, in an effort to have them
furnish the money for burial purpos-
es. AS this is written, Wednesday,
at noon, the body is still at the
morgue, unclaimed.