OSCAR J BARTER

 

April 26, 1955

Oscar J. Barter, 40, prominent Marrs township farmer, was found dead in a locked tool shed at his home on R. R. 1 Mt. Vernon late yesterday afternoon, the victim of a 22 Winchester single shot rifle bullet fire into his brain.

 

Deputy Coroner James H. Tygart today returned a verdict of suicide.  The deceased had been despondent since the death of his brother, Richard F. Barter, 48, on April 3.

 

The bachelor brothers resided with their aged mother, Mrs. Mathilde Schreiber Barter.  Their father William Barter, died in 1930.

 

The late deceased and his uncle Sam Schreiber, spent the early part of yesterday afternoon fishing in a pond on the Barter farm.

 

The nephew returned home while his uncle continued fishing and when Mr. Schreiber arrived at the Barter home shortly after 5 o'clock and started to enter the tool shed to put away a hatchet he had used while fishing he found doors of the tool shed locked from inside.  He forced an entrance to the building and found his nephew's body.

 

The bullet from the rifle had entered Barter's head in the center of the forehead.

 

The body is at the Short-Niehaus Funeral Home where the funeral service will be conducted in the Short-Niehaus chapel at 2 p.m. Thursday by Rev. Theodore M. Haefele, pastor of Immanuel Evangelical and Reformed Church, of which the deceased was a member.  Burial will be in Bellefontaine cemetery.

 

The tragedy victim was a veteran of World War II and a member of Owen Dunn post, No. 5, American Legion.  He was graduated from Mt. Vernon High school in 1932.

*-old scrapbook

 

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Originally submitted by Betty Sellers