NEWTON JUDD

JUDD, GURNSEY

Posted By: Nancee Seifert (email)
Date: 12/29/2009 at 16:16:12

Decatur County Journal
Leon, Iowa
Thursday, February 8, 1912

NEWTON JUDD, one of the wealthiest and most prominent farmers of the county,
committed suicide by hanging at his home southeast of Garden Grove Monday
morning, the body being discovered by his son, FRED JUDD, shortly after 10 o
clock.

Mr. JUDD had been suffering mentally for many years and had twice been sent
to an asylum for treatment. At times he was seized with fits of despondency
and it had been feared that he would do himself harm while suffering under
the influence of one of those periods of aberation. During the past year he
had been more cheerful than for a long time but recently, some five or six
weeks ago, he became despondent and seemed constantly to worry fearing his
family would be impoverished. A close watch had been kept upon him by the
members of his family but on this particular morning he eluded them and
ended his life. FRED JUDD, the son, who is in charge of the farm, has been
in the habit of hauling in fodder from the fields each morning to feed the
stock and generally was accompanied by his father. Monday morning he
prepared to go to the field and asked his father if he intended going with
him. Mr. JUDD made some commonplace remark and said that he would not go
this time. The son drove on to the field and while there decided that there
had been something unusual in the conduct of his parent, so he quickly
completed loading the fodder and drove back to the barn with all haste. He
went to the residence on the west side of the road where he left the team
and hurried across to the hay barn on the east side of the road. As he
passed into the barn he discovered the body of his father hanging from one
of the beams of the barn. Some neighbors among them Kale Browning, Clarence
Bartlett and one of the Dodd boys, were passing and were summoned by the
grief stricken son. The body was taken down and carried to the house. It
seems that directly after the departure of his son for the field, Mr. JUDD
had made his way to a beam some sixteen feet above the floor of the barn
where he had attached a rope, then fastened one end about his neck, fastened
his arms with hay baling wire and then slipped from the beam. When
discovered he was hanging with his feet several feet from the barn floor.
He had been dead but a short time. The authorities were notified but an
inquest was not considered necessary. The funeral occurred Wednesday
morning from the home. The bereaved family have the sincere sympathy of all
in this sad hour.

About forty-five years ago while digging a well on the farm near Garden
Grove a bucket fell from the top of the well down upon him striking upon his
head and shoulders. His mental troubles began to appear some years
following that accident. Two weeks ago he was in Leon and while here
purchased a revolver at the Wm. Crichon & Son hardware store. His son
became aware that he had the gun in his possession and Mr. JUDD's brother,
OSCAR JUDD, was summoned from Davis City. He succeeded in getting the
revolver away from him. On the morning of the suicide Mr. JUDD had been
chopping wood near the barn having lately been giving quite a little of his
time to that work. Mr. JUDD was a close friend of A.M. Pryor, of Leon, who
at numerous times has assisted in rescuing Mr. JUDD from a period of
despondency. Mr. JUDD had been taken by Mr. Pryor to his home in this city,
at various times where he had visited for several days at a time. Mr. JUDD
was the owner of much valuable land and is known to be a wealthy man. His
affairs have always been in the best of condition. Only Mrs. JUDD and their
son, FRED, were at the home at the time of the death.

OBITUARY to follow.....
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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
December 29, 2009
iggy29@grm.net