Swin CLAY attempts suicide, 1908

CLAY, COONTZ

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 4/21/2015 at 16:33:32

Lineville Tribune
Lineville, Wayne County, Iowa
December 10, 1908

Attempted Suicide -- Mr. Swin Clay, of Decatur County

Cuts His Throat With a Razor

On last Tuesday morning Mr. Swin Clay, lessee of the Bellows farm near Bracewell over in Decatur County attempted to end his life by cutting his throat with a razor. He had returned the night before from a trip to Colo., where he went in search of a location with the view of moving to that state, arriving at Lineville in the afternoon train from the west. He remained in town until about 9 o'clock, drinking heavily in the meantime, and when he started for home in company with a neighbor, was considerably under the influence of liquor. His wife called him, just before daylight the following morning and he arose and made the fires, none of the other members of the family being yet out of bed.

Taking a razor in his hand he stepped outside the door and in a moment after staggered into the house with the blood gushing from a ghastly wound on the side of his throat. He made his way thru the room to the kitchen when he fell to the floor in a dead faint from loss of blood. His actions had aroused the family and he was carried to a cot and Dr. Coontz, of Woodland, telephone for. Upon his arrival the physician found that the jugular vein had been partly severed and that had the man not fainted shortly after committing the act thus lessening the force of circulation he would have died in a few moments from loss of blood. The wound was dressed and sewed up by the physician and at last accounts the patient was doing well and will probably recover.

He made no explanation and gave no reasons for committing the rash act, but it was apparent that he was very despondent from not finding conditions in Colorado as promising and flattering as he expected and from drinking to excess the night before. He has a wife and several grown children and is about 60 years of age.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, April of 2015