ROSE DIXON SHOT

DIXON, ATHA

Posted By: Volunteer (email)
Date: 3/2/2019 at 08:51:36

Decatur County Journal
December 8, l904

Chariton, Ia., Dec. 5.--ROSE DIXON, the pretty eighteen-year-old daughter of JOE DIXON, a huckster living at Russell, Iowa, was mysteriously shot at 2 o'clock this morning at Russell and the coroner has summoned the girl's sweetheart, CHARLES ATHA, to give an explanation of the tragedy.

The girl, who has been working as a domestic in Chariton about seven months, went to her home in Russell which is seven miles east of Chariton, Saturday evening on the train, and ATHA of Chariton, drove to Russell yesterday afternoon to call upon the girl. He remained with her during the afternoon and evening at her home and the family retired, leaving the two together in the sitting room. ATHA declares that he was lying upon the couch with his head in the girl's lap and that he fell asleep. He says that he was suddenly awakened by a shot and sat upright in time to see the girl fall back dead, with a bullet hole through the right eye.

CHARLES ATHA is nineteen years old and is the son of WILL ATHA of Chariton, who until six months ago, was foreman of a bridge gang on the "Q" when he resigned to take charge of a dray line. The young man has been employed on the bridge gang and his family have always been held in esteem by the people of Chariton. Young ATHA and the DIXON girl have been sweethearts for about a year and a half. Her father is a huckster at Russell and the mother has been in the insane asylum twice.

The coroner's inquest adjourned late this afternoon with the verdict of suicide and no apparent motive. MR. and MRS. JOE DIXON, father and mother of the girl, were on the stand, and stated that they were sleeping upstairs when the shooting occurred. They were aroused by the explosion and came down, where they found CHARLES ATHA and the room full of smoke. The revolver was on the floor and ATHA acted as one dazed. He declared to them that he was asleep on the lounge with his head in her lap when he was aroused by the explosion of the shot. The mother declared that ROSA had been acting strangely of late and that she disappeared for an entire day some times. When questioned by her father as to where she had been, she declared that she had been in the haymow all day. When asked what she was doing, she replied, "just thinking." It developed in the cross examination of the witness that MRS. DIXON had been twice an inmate of the insane asylum.

GLADYS DIXON, a sister, also testified that ROSA had been acting queerly of late and was frequently found talking to herself.

CHARLES ATHA, the lover of the girl, went upon the stand and said that the revolver was his and that he had brought it with him from Chariton. He had kept it in his pocket and in some manner he believed that ROSA had taken it from its place. He said that ROSA and himself were engaged to be married; that they had never quarreled, and that so far as he knew, everything was as pleasant as it could be. He had come to Russell to take the girl back to Chariton in the buggy.

Letters were read which were found in the house, from ATHA to the girl, and they all breathed the love he bore for her and no intimation of a difference was found. The general sentiment in the community is to the effect that the girl shot herself.

--DAILY CAPITAL.
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WILLIAM ATHA and family resided in this county for many years and will be remembered by many JOURNAL readers, and the young man, CHARLEY, was born in Leon.
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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
August 20, 200l