SMITH, Varre "Chisel" - Putnam

Varre Smith, better known here as "Chisel" committed suicide about 5 o'clock on Sunday morning at the home of his father, James Smith near Fincastle. He has been living in the tenant house on the Ollie Copeland farm south of town. On Friday he went with his wife and little son, a year and a half old to visit his parents. His body was found by his mother in the back yard. Death had been instantaneous. About six weeks ago Smith sawed the barrel of his shotgun off to make it more effective in hunting rabbits. A day or so after he took his gun when he went to milk and forgetting about the sawed off barrel, placed his hand near the muzzle and one of his fingers was blown off. This had been giving him great pain and been prevented his working and its supposed that despondency led to the deed. He was 22 and is survived by the wife, Mrs. Edna Smith, the little boy, the parents and two sisters. He worked for Webb Ewbank and other farmers in this vicinity. The family has been in very limited circumstances.