BALES, Francis M. - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

F. M. Bales, well known here, got tired of living and shuffled off by the morphine route last week, and was found in a shed at Clark’s Hill last Sunday morning dead. He had been dead a day or two when found. The cause of his rash act is not known.

Eleven or twelve years ago Frank Bales came here from Warren County and stayed with J. S. Bennett, the first night. He rented property, then bought a lot and built a house on it. Then his wife died. Before his wife died, he went into Wheeler Lodge I. O. G. T., and was a faithful member until he yielded to temptation and would get drunk occasionally. He was a food workman, being a plasterer by trade, and was good company when not under the influence of liquor. He and Bertha, now 15 years old, kept house and lived here awhile and when business got dull, they moved to Lebanon, where they lived until recently. Last week he bought a ticket for Clark’s Hill intending no doubt to hunt work or to come and see his mother and father. At Clark’s Hill he changed his mind and when found had some white powder by his side resembling morphine. His folks were telephoned and Wash Bales, W. C. Thomas, W. H. Keeney and undertaker A. O. Jones went after the body. Interment was at Linden Cemetery Monday at 2 p.m.  The pallbearers were Ed Wilson, Henry Lampy, V. H. Miller, John Pixley, Wm Keeney and J. K. Parker. The deceased left a father, mother, two brothers, one sister, and a nice daughter to mourn his loss.

Source: Unknown

Francis M. Bales, the Linden plasterer, who has worked at his trade much of the time in Crawfordsville, committed suicide Wednesday of last week at Clark’s Hill. His body was not found until Sunday. Bales was about 42 years of age and was a hard drinker until a year or so ago when James White of Linden, sent him to Plainfield and gave him the Keeley cure. Bales then braced up and did well. He went to Lebanon to spend the winter and there got to drinking again. He started back to Linden and stopped off at Clark’s Hill where he wandered about the streets for several days. He disappeared on Wednesday and people supposed that he had gone on to Linden. Sunday, however, his dead body was found in a deserted paint shop. By his side lay a paper which had contained morphine. His body was brought to the home of his parents, Zack Bales and wife, of Linden, and the funeral occurred there Monday. Bales leaves one daughter, a girl fifteen years of age