Patterson - Will
Source: Crawfordsville Sunday Star , April 1, 1901 p1
While temporarily insane Will Patterson killed himself at Anderson. His body was brought to this city for interment on Thursday and the funeral was from the home of his sister, Mrs. Henry Schenck, west side of the city. Young Patterson was about 33 years of age. His wife was Miss Greenhoit, and they were married in this city about three years ago. They had no children. Two years ago they located in Muncie, where he was employed as a bartender. Wednesday, out of employment, he pawned a $100 diamond pin for 25 cents worth of morphine. He went to a saloon, wrote a note to his wife telling her that he had been unable to find a missing spitz dog that he thought much of, then he took the morphine, laid down on a couch above the saloon and died. -- kbz
Source: same as above, p 3
Henry Schenck: "Up at Anderson the other day on the occasion of the death of Will Patterson I appreciated and understood the fraternal spirit among the Red Men as I never appreciated it before. Because I was a Red Man the boys up there could not do enough for me and I tell you I can never forget it. The spirit of those Red Men up there is something fierce. - kbz
Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Journal Friday, 22 March 1901
Will H. Patterson, recently of this city, committed suicide Tuesday afternoon over a saloon in Anderson. The fact was briefly announced in the Indianapolis papers Wednesday and after their arrival The Journal called up Wallace Campbell, editor of the Anderson Herald, who gave the following story of the tragedy:
“Patterson had been making frequent trips to Anderson from his home in Muncie for some days past looking for a snow white poodle dog which his wife had lost on the interurban car between Anderson and Pendleton. Last Saturday he hunted Anderson over for the dog and could not have shown greater distress had the animal been his child. Tuesday morning he again appeared in Anderson and was intoxicated when he arrived. He visited Charley Smelcer’s saloon and after taking a few drinks and talking with the bar keeper, Everett Michaels (both Smelcer and Michaels are Crawfordsville products) he left for Pendleton, thinking that he had a clue there. Pendleton is ten miles from Anderson and Patterson did not stay there long, returning on the first car. He went at once to Smelcer’s saloon and after writing a letter to his wife took several drinks and began to complain bitterly of the loss of his dog. Suddenly he asked Michaels for the location of a pawn shop, and Michaels took him to the Chicago loan office where he put up a valuable diamond shirt stud worth over $100 for $5. The clerk told him that he could have fifty dollars on the jewel, but Patterson answered sharply that he needed only a quarter. He then went to a nearby drug store and purchased a quarter’s worth of morphine. He then went to Smelcer’s place again and after taking a drink asked for a place to lie down. He was shown to a bedroom over the saloon and left alone. Four hours later Michaels became suspicious because of Patterson’s failure to show up and went to the room. He found him unconscious and breathing very hard. A doctor was called but Patterson died before he arrived. On his person was found a gold watch and the letter to his wife, written after his return from Pendleton. It was thought this letter would explain the suicide but it did not. It merely stated that he had been unable to find the dog and advised her to put the case in the hands of a lawyer.
The body was turned over to the coroner and Patterson’s wife was notified. A message from Muncie stated that Patterson had lost his place some time ago and had been very despondent since the loss of his dog. It is thought that he was mentally unbalanced.
Will Patterson was raised in Crawfordsville and lived here until a little over a year ago, when he married Miss Lizzie Groenheit and moved to Muncie. While here he was barkeeper for Gus Karle. He was a half brother of Mrs. George Smith, Mrs. Henry Schenck, and Mrs. Paul Larsh, and was a young man quite popular with his large acquaintance.
The body of Mr. Patterson was brought here and taken to the home of his mother, Mrs. Nancy Patterson, of Liberty Street. The funeral occurred there on Thursday afternoon at two o’clock and was private. -s