BRANT, John W. - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

It was an awful message that came from Veedersburg by telephone SUnday evening at about 5 o'clock to Waynetown people, stating that John W. Brant had been shot and killed, and that his slayer, Charles Eckburg, had also ended his life with a bullet in his brain from the same revolver. Words cannot portray the awful gloom that settled down upon the hearts of every one. After some time, it was aranged to break the terrible news to the father and mother and sister, and this duty fell upon Dr. Hamilton and John W. Shiner, who with heavy hearts performed it as best they could. The story leading to the awful tragedy is told in a few words. Charles Eckburg had for a long time been financial secretary of the Odd Fellows Lodge of Veedersburg. At the election of officers of the lodge for the present term, he was succeeded by Hardy Songer, and as is the custom of the lodge an auditing committee was appointed to audit Eckburg's books. Eckburg was short in his accounts and knew it, and this so preyed upon his mind that suicide seemed his only relief, and as he stated in one of his letters he had "decided to take Brant with him." This committee, composed of John W. Brant, Charles Pugh and John LaBaw, had arranged with Eckburg to do this auditing of the books Sunday and it was about 10 o'clock Sunday morning when John and Eckburg met down in the city and were seen to go into Eckburg's barber shop together and this was the last seen of them until about 4 o'clock in the evening when they were found cold in death in the shop. From every appearance John had taken a seat in a barber chair and holding a Red Men's secretary book in his hands, when his murderer had simply come up behind him and under pretense of his revolver, a 32-calibre, just back of John's ear and pulled the trigger. Fearing that he was not dead, he crushed the unsuspecting victim's skull with the stovfe poker. THen turning to his desk he wrote the awful story in three letters, one to the public, one to Harry Wertz and one to his family. This done he then prepared for his own death by placingt six chairs, in a row, facing his victim. Taking his coat for a pillow, and placing the letters he had written on the coat, he lay down with his head on these, and plcaing the revolver to his temple pulled the trigger, and the awful tragedy was over, ready to carry its burden of sorrow and gloom to the hearts of the dear ones and to all the friends of both. After the coroner's inquest, the bodies of both were taken to their homes, and the awful gloom that had already settled over the town was made all the darker by the anquish that it brought to these loving hearts. Charles Eckburg and John W. Brant were at all times the best of friends and no motive other than that of a crazed mind, brought about by brooding over his financial trouble in the lodge and the fact that John was doing his duty as a member of the auditing committee can be given for the crime. It is generally accepted that the shortage will not be more than $87.25, which he could have arranged for, but the thought of his former popularity in the order and that he would suffer ignominious disgrace, turned his soul to murder the suicide. The body of John Brant was brought here on the afternoon train Tuesday and taken to his old home - the home of his aged father and mother, now stricken with an awful sorrow. On Wednesday the funeral cottege sadly wended its way to the Baptist church where the funeral service was conducted by Rev. J.P. Henson, assisted by Rev. A.W. Gehres, Rev. O.P. Warren and Rev. George H. Trinkle, who each in turn spoke of the many virtues of his life just closed in so tragic a manner. The audience was a very large one, many being unable to secure standing room in the church. A very large crowd of Veedersburg people and the members of the lodges to which he belonged, and friends from Covington, Crawfordsville and other place, were present. At the conclusion of the church services, the remains were accompanied by a solemn, sad and sorrowing multitude of friends to their final abode in the Masonic Cemetery. John W. Brant was born May 18, 1868, and would have bgeen 37 years old at his next birthday. He was married to Miss Lucy York, March 18, 1881, to which union one child, Charles W., came to bless the home and is left to comfort the heart of the sorrow stricken wife. He was a member of the Odd Fellows, K or P and Red Men's Lodges, and was always found earnestly and energetically working for their good and advancement. He carried $3,000 life insurance and had an application made and sent in for about as much more, but it is not yet known whether it had been passed upon or not. John W. Brant wa sa Waynetown boy, and only become identified with the Veedesrburg News and the interests of that city about 12 years ago, after having been for a number of years editor of the Hornet of this place. The sad ending of his life has cast its dark shadows over the hearts and live sof not only the nearest and dearest ones in his family circle, but over the hearts of the people of Veedersburg and Waynetown as well, and everyone feels the deepest and most profound sympathy for the wife and son, the father and mother and sister and the brother with whom he had labored the past 12 years in amking the Veedersburg News one of the best papers in Western Indiana. The many and gorgeous floral tributes from the friends and fraternal societies to which he belonged testified of the love and high esteem which all had for him of their sorrow in his untimely and tragic death. The funeral of Charles Eckburg, the murderer and suicide, was held Tuesday afternoon. The body was taken to the UB Church in Veedersburg and Rev. Cooper conducted a short service, reading 13 verses of the 9th chapter of Ecclesiastes. His text was the 19th verse of the 33rd chapte rof Isaiah. A very large crowd was present, all businesses being suspended in Veedersburg both on Tuesday and Wednesday. Eckburg leaves a heart-broken wife and two sorrowing children, a boy and girl.