MARION SMITH

SMITH

Posted By: Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert (email)
Date: 7/29/2002 at 22:43:11

Leon Reporter, Leon, Iowa
Thursday, April l9, l923

Sheriff Scott, Deputy Sheriff Lorey and Coroner, Dr. C.H. Mitchell, were called down in Morgan Township last Wednesday afternoon to investigate the finding of a dead man in the woods pasture a few hundred yards north of the barn on the farm of Marlowe Belvel. When they arrived on the scene, there was a big crowd there. They found the body lying in a pile of leaves, which had blown over and almost completely covered it. Beside the body was an empty bottle labeled carbolic acid, and it was found that the dead man was MARION SMITH, father of OREL and OTIS SMITH, a well-known old time resident of that locality.

He had disappeared from the home of his son, OREL SMITH, with whom he made his home about three weeks before, and notwithstanding a thorough search had been made for him, no trace could be found. The next morning after he disappeared, when OREL SMITH went to his mail box he found some money, a pocket knife, a plug of tobacco and a note written by his father, which stated in substance that on account of his ill health, he contemplated making away with himself, and in case he did not show up shortly, for them to make no effort to find him and not to go to any bother in case his body was found. His sons did not know whether their father had taken his life or had taken a sudden notion to go to Oklahoma where he had lived for the past several years.

After viewing the body and learning the circumstances, Coroner Mitchell decided there was no necessity of holding an inquest as it was clearly a case of suicide.

Short funeral services were held on Thursday and his body interred in Evergreen Cemetery at Lineville.

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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
List Administrator; Decatur County, Iowa GenWeb
"With permission from the Leon Journal Reporter"
July 28, 2002