Andrew Smith 1875-1927

SMITH, ZEEMAN

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 1/1/2011 at 15:07:57

Broker Kills Self in Parked Auto
Ontario, Cal., Feb. 24 – Andrew Smith, 50, Ontario real estate broker and former Iowa banker, today ended his life with a pistol shot, thwarting the attempt of police officers to rescue him from his first suicide try, in which he took poison.

Smith refused to open the locked doors of his enclosed automobile, parked by a roadside near here, when officers were called by a rancher. He told them he had taken poison. The two officers returned to police headquarters and were told to bring the man in for treatment. In the meantime Smith shot himself and was dead when the officers returned. (Oakland Tribune, Oakland, CA, February 24, 1927)

Andrew Smith of Old State Bank, Takes His Own Life
Word came here last week of the death of Andrew Smith, formerly of the State Bank of this city. Mr. Smith moved from here to Fort Dodge and was in the lime light there before he left. He later went to California to make his home and but little had been heard of him since.

It seems the first of last week he wrote Fred Richman a letter and also pushed a note under the door of the Cass home telling them he was intending to poison himself. A search was made for him by the police. He had taken his car and left Ontario where he was residing at the time. When the police found him they went in to notify the department they had found Mr. Smith. While they were in there Mr. Smith took his life by shooting. The bullet entered his head and he died at once.

The funeral services were held in California last Thursday we believe, and the remains laid to rest in a cemetery in Los Angeles according to reports.

Mr. Smith had written some one, it is said, that he was well insured, and that his family would not want for anything. There have been several reports about his insurance, but we have it from what we consider good authority that he had over forty thousand dollars in insurance.

At any rate the case is a sad one and especially so for the family. (Estherville Enterprise, Estherville, IA, March 2, 1927)

Andrew Smith Kills Himself in California
Former President of Defunct State Bank Here Takes Life [February 24, 1927]; Was Second Attempt at Suicide; Widow and Son Survive
Estherville was shocked last Thursday to hear of the suicide in Los Angeles, Callif., of Andrew Smith, 58 years old, and former president of the Estherville State Bank here. Mr. Smith ended his life last Wednesday because of financial difficulties, first taking poison, and later shooting himself. He is survived by Mrs. Smith [Katherine Zeeman Smith] and his son Russell. Funeral services were held in California.

This was not Mr. Smith’s first attempt to do away with himself. Following the failure of the State Bank here, the Smith family moved to Fort Dodge, and lat summer he gained statewide notoriety there with a suicide hoax.

Leaving his car near the river bank with a farewell letter and his watch inside, he disappeared.

Dragged River
For two days volunteer workers dragged the river in search of his body. Toward the end of their second day’s work Smith was found hiding in the nearby woods.

He explained that he had attempted to drown himself three different time but found the water too shallow, although it was seven and eight feet deep in places near by.

Worry over the bank closing, and subsequent financial embarrassment are believed to have caused Mr. Smith to kill himself. At one time the Smith family occupied a prominent place in Estherville. The following account of the recent suicide is taken from the Los Angeles Examiner:

Rather than face financial embarrassment, Andrew Smith, retired Ontario banker, 58, ended his life yesterday afternoon when police officers tried to take him to a hospital.

Sought 24 Hours
Smith, sought for more than twenty-four hours by police officers because of his threats of suicide, was found sitting in his automobile at San Antonio avenue and Eighth street, Ontario, by Policemen O. F. Clark and P. C. Houghton.

“Aren’t you Andrew Smith?” the officer asked.

“Yes,” the banker replied, “Everything is all right, I am going home, I took poison last night at Victorville, but I feel better now.”

The officers attempted to persuade Smith to accompany them, but he declined. They then went to a store near by to telephone his son, Russell Smith, at San Bernardino, for instructions.

As the officers entered the store they heard a shot. Running back to the automobile, they found the banker slumped in the driver’s seat. He had fired a shot through his head.

In Smith’s pocket was this note: “I am Andrew Smith of Ontario, Cal. Please phone the residence of John Frane in Ontario and ask him to tell my folks I am here. Please have local members of the Masonic lodge take care of me.”

Last Seen Tuesday
According to Deputy Sheriffs Chester Allen and Bert Amstein, who had been in charge of the search for the missing banker, Smith was last seen in Los Angeles Tuesday afternoon.

Worried over financial matters, Smith had written letters to his son and to Fred H. Richman, 702 Loew’s State Theater Building, telling them he was attempting to raise money on an insurance policy and threatened to end his life if his mission was unsuccessful.

“If I can’t raise the money on my insurance policy, I will do something to make the policy worth something,” he wrote to his son.

Becoming Disheartened
The banker, it was reported, left his home at 403 North Transit street, Ontario, last Monday to conduct the negotiations for the insurance loan in Los Angeles.

He visited the office of a business firm downtown Tuesday afternoon, but the man he wanted to see was not in. Apparently he became disheartened and drove to Victorville to carry out the suicide threat.

Police say that Smith probably swallowed a non-effective poison, and resorted to the revolver when he feared the Ontario officers were going to take him into custody. (Estherville Democrat, Estherville, IA, March 2, 1927)

The Spencer News Herald adds:
Andrew Smith, former Estherville banker and a brother of John Smith of Spencer, Committed suicide at Ontario, California, Wednesday of last week. It was his third attempt and this time was successful. Mr. Smith at Spencer received a telegram from his brother’s son Thursday stating that the body had been found and that burial would be in Englewood cemetery near Ontario Friday.

Mr Smith leaves a wife and the one son Russell. The latter has a good position with an oil company in Ontario, and it may be that Mrs. Smith and her son will remain there, but the probabilities are that they will return either to Orange City or Des Moines, Iowa. Mr. Smith also has a brother living in Holland and one in South Dakota.

Despondency is given as the cause of the act. Mr. Smith was for a number of years cashier and later president of the old Estherville State Savings bank which closed three or four years ago. Many depositors sustained losses as a result of the bank’s closing and Mr. Smith grieved over the affair almost constantly since. From Estherville the family moved to Fort Dodge and while living there Mr. Smith made his first attempt at suicide which failed. He left home the latter part of June and was gone three days. Leaving a note that “all would be over” when they found the note. Officers searched the river in the belief that the despondent man had drowned himself but late he was found in the woods asleep. (Spencer News Herald, Spencer, IA, March 3, 1927)