John O. Beeks 1937-1958

BEEKS, HASS, DELTSCH, CHRISTENSEN, SPENCER, WILLIAMS, HINTZ

Posted By: Sharon Elijah (email)
Date: 3/22/2019 at 07:41:54

6 June 1958 - The Tipton Conservative

A 21-year-old ex-service man, who had been employed as a farm laborer in Cedar county since February, apparently took his life sometime during the Memorial day week-end.

The body of John O. Beeks was found in a room at Hotel Tipton early Monday morning. An autopsy showed that the had died as the result of poison and a nearly empty bottle of strychnine was found among his clothing.

Beeks had worked at the Elvin Stiff farm, four miles south of Tipton from February until late in April when he went to Mt. Vernon, Ohio, where he stayed for nearly a month with the parents of a friend he had met while in the air force.

He returned to Cedar county May 25 and worked for several days at the Stiff farm. Memorial day he left the farm, saying he was going to Davenport. Later that day he registered at the Hotel Tipton.

He checked out of the hotel Saturday and then registered again that night. He was seen by several persons early that evening. Sunday morning he was seen laying on the bed in his room and, believing that he was asleep, he was not disturbed.

Monday morning he was seen laying in the same position and, on entering the room it was apparent he had been bleeding from the mouth. Dr. W. J. Kopsa, Cedar county coroner, was called.

The young man's body was taken to Cedar Rapids where the autopsy was made.

A letter and two notes were found in the room, but they did not indicate that he had contemplated suicide. He had not purchased the poison in Tipton.

Beeks, who was born near Lowden Oct. 5, 1937, is survived by his father, Clinton A. Beeks of Bettendorf, three sisters, Joanne, Sandra and Lois, all of Bettendorf; two half sisters, Mrs. Chris (Helen Hass) Christensen, west of Tipton and Mrs. Viola Hass Deltsch, Moline, Ill., and a brother, Clinton Beeks Jr., with the air force in South Dakota; his maternal grandmother, Mrs. John Spencer, Lowden and two aunts, Mrs. Ed Hintz, Lowden and Mrs. Neil Williams, Mechanicsville.

His mother died while he was in service in the air force.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Dye Funeral home with burial in the Masonic cemetery, The Rev. Arthur Stratememyer will be in charge.