Oldham, Silas – d. 1910

MC CUNE, OLDHAM

Posted By: JCGS Volunteer
Date: 1/30/2011 at 15:12:52

Silas Oldham Takes Own Life
Wealthy Retired Farmer at Monroe Despondent over Wife’s Death Hangs Himself
At 2:30 this afternoon Silas Oldham was found hanging to the rafters of the cow shed, on his own premises in Monroe, dead. He had been very despondent since his wife died about one year ago.
He left his farm when her death occurred and was living in Monroe with His daughter, Miss Lila. He ate dinner at noon. Sometime later his daughter found that he had left the house without hat, overcoat, overshoes or gloves. She was afraid to go to the barn to look for him and went to her brother–in–law’s home and got him to come and help look for him. They found him in the cow shed by the barn where he had hung himself with a rope.
Yesterday Mr. Oldham returned from a trip to Colfax.
Altho people generally had known that he was very despondent over his wife’s death and would not stay at the farm where she died they did not think that he would take his own life.
There was no trouble in a financial way. He had recently sold a good farm and bought another and had purchased property in Monroe where he resided with a daughter.
Mr. Oldham has lived all his life near Monroe. His wife was a sister of Ed McCune formerly of this city, but who now lives at Des Moines.
Soon after the body was discovered, Dr. Smith of Monroe telephoned the suicide to Dr. J. C. Hill but Dr. Hill stated that conditions were such that it would not be necessary to hold a coroner’s inquest.
Source: Newton Daily News; Wed., Feb. 16, 1910