Howard - George W.
GEORGE W. HOWARD
Source: Crawfordsville Star, June 16, 1881 p 3
Early on Tuesday morning Coroner Henry and Justice Russell were summoned to New Ross by information that George W. Howard, an exemplary young citizen of that city, had committed suicide with a revolver. At the usual Coroner's examination the following evidence was adduced:
John Inlow - "Have been acquainted with George W. Howard for 10 or 12 years. I last saw him alive on Monday afternoon, between sundown and dark at his home. He had been sawing wood. I talked with him about 15 minutes. A few weeks ago he sold his drug store and since the sale has been very restless, seeming to want to go into business again. Last Friday he said to me: "Uncle John, I have a lot of money in the bank not making me anything, suppose we buy some horses. I will furnish the money and we will divide the profits." Yesterday he proposed that we go today and buy horses and we made the arrangements to do so. When I left he seemed to be in good spirits. He was of a craving nature and was always wanting to make money. Fourteen years ago he had an attack of spotted fever, which injured his spine, causing him to stagger as he walked. He never seemed despondent on this account and aside from this disease appeared to have good health. He was about 5'7"; light complexion, medium size and when found dead was dressed in checked shirt, striped cassimere pantaloons, dark vest and heavy shoes. A little after four o'clock this morning I heard a woman's cries. My daughter looked over the fence and saw Mrs. Howard sitting by her husband's dead body crying. She told me he was dead. I found the body lying on a walk leading from the residence to a wood house, used as a summer kitchen. His head rested on one side of the board walk, his right hand was lying on his breast and grasped a four-barreled revolver. Life was wholly extinct. Mrs. Howard was the only person present. Mrs. Alice Rout, my daughter, was the first person on the ground after Mrs. Howard. I found a pistol shot wound in the right temple. The ball was of 32 calibre and had passed entirely thrugh the head of the deceased. I am satisfied he tried the shot himself. The pistol was his own property. I can assign no cause for the suicide. On his mother's side of the house he had an aunt who became insane."
Dr. B.F. Adkins testified that in company with Dr. Etter he saw the deceased shortly after the suicide was discovered. He had known Mr. Howard quite a number of years, but had never noticed any mental derangement, but thought that the spinal disease would finally attack the brain. Isaac Inlow, Joseph Routh and others testified to about the same as others given above.
Mrs. May W. Howard, wife of the deceased was completely prostrated by the sad blow, but testified that: "This morning about 4 o'clock my husband got up out of bed and dressed. I supposed he had gone to the kitchen to start a fire. About a minute after he left I heard a pistol shot and heard my husband groan. I jumped out of bed and ran to him, but he never moved. He was lying on his back on the walk. I had noticed nothing strange about his actions at any time except that he had been worrying about not being at work. The pistol belonged to him and he had owned it for several years."
Mr. Howard was only 33 years of age and had been married six of seven years. He leaves a wife and 3 children. He owned a good farm and had $2,000 in the bank to his credit. His family relations were of the pleasantest, his wife being a daughter of J.J. Inlow. Mr. Howard seemed to have been driven to the rash act by ill health and discouragement because he was not able to work, being by nature an active, money-making man. The Coroner carefully collected all the evidence bearing on the case. He found the weapon with which Mr. Howard committed self-destruction to be a four barrel pistol, containing three loaded chambers and one empty one. The Coroner's verdict was that Mr. Howard came to his death by his own hand, caused by discouragement on account of ill health. - transcribed by kbz