CAUGHLAN, Willis Robert 1916 – 1947

CAUGHLAN, DUNN, UMSTED, KOONS

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 2/28/2011 at 16:06:02

“The Fairfield Daily Ledger”
Monday, August 4, 1947
Front Page, Column 6, and continued on Page 8

FORMER LOCAL RESIDENT DIES OF POISONING

CLEVELAND, Aug. 4—(UP) – Willis R. CAUGHLAN, 31, Alliance, O., and Fairfield, Iowa, died of acute wood alcohol poisoning after a week end drinking bout at the central YMCA, climxed (sic) when he shot and wounded Thomas J. Callahan, 27, Ashtabula, O., Coroneer (sic) Samuel Gerber ruled today.

Callahan, suffering a gunshot wound in the groin, was being held at City hospital ward, but Det. Lieut. David Kerr said he would be released since the coroner’s findings showed no criminality involved in CAUGHLAN’s death.

Gerbber (sic) said that a post mortem examination of CAUGHLAN also showed that he had taken a small quantity of a deadly poison which may have contributed to his death.

CAUGHLAN’s wife, Jeanne, told Kerr that her husband was a former paratrooper and that he had been treated at Crile veterans' hospital for a mental disorder and released.

CAUGHLAN collapsed as detectives were questioning him regarding the shooting of Callahan. He died Sunday in Charity hospital.

- Burial here –
Willis Robert CAUGHLAN was born May 22, 1916 in Batavia. He received his education in the Fairfield public schools, graduating from the local high school in 1936. He also attended Parsons college for a time.

He enlisted in the regular army in 1939, being placed in the Finance department. He went to officer’s training school, where he graduated as lieutenant in the infantry in 1941, later returning to Ft. Benning, Ga , for paratroop training.

He was married in Alliance, Ohio, February 2, 1942, to Jeanne DUNN, formerly of this city. Following a medical discharge, he was retired to inactive duty and he and his wife made their home in Cleveland, Ohio. He was a member of the American Legion.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Bobby and Larry; his father W. V. CAUGHLAN and six brothers, Donald, Richard, Charles, David and Tommy, all of Fairfield and Jack of San Francisco, Calif , and one sister, Marian, Mrs. Earl UMSTED of St. Louis, Mo. His grandmother, Mrs. Henry KOONS of Batavia, also survives. He was preceded in death by his mother and one brother, Larry.

The body is being returned to Fairfield, where private funeral services will be conducted by Dr. Lloyd H. Scheerer at the Mark Hoskins Funeral home, Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 o’clock Burial will be in Evergreen cemetery.

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"The Fairfield (Ia.) Daily Ledger"
Wednesday, August 6, 1947
Page EIGHT, Column 3

CAUGHLAN NOT CHARGED WITH CRIMINAL ACT

Additional information has been received regarding the death of W. Robert CAUGHLAN, former resident, who died Sunday at the St. Vincent Charity hospital in Ceveland (sic), Ohio.

GAUGHLAN's (sic) death was due to acute wood alcohol poisoning, after he and Thomas Callahan of Ashtabula, Ohio had indulged in a week end drinking bout at the Central Y M C A in Cleveland, where both men were rooming. The party was climaxed by gunfire, with injuries sustained by Callahan.

CAUGHLAN collapsed while being questioned by police in his sixth floor room about the shooting and died five hours later at the hospital where it was learned he had a large bump on his head. An autopsy failed to reveal the presence of any additional poison in his system as was first believed.

Detective Adalbert O'Hara of the Cleveland Homicide squad, said powder residue was found on the hands of both men, indicating they had struggled for possession of a .38-caliber pistol found on the third floor roof of a building beneath CAUGHLAN's window. The injured man cleared CAUGHLAN of any criminality involved in the shooting. In a statement at the hospital, he told Detective Lieutenant David Kerr, "If CAUGHLAN shot me, it was accidental" latest report from the hospital says Callahan is recovering.

CAUGHLAN had been treated at Crile veteran's hospital near Cleveland for a mental disorder and was released unimproved. Upon his discharge he was under a psychiatrist's care as an out-patient at the Lakeside Neuro-phychiatric (sic) clinic in Cleveland.

Private services were held today at the Hoskins Funeral Home here, with burial in Evergreen cemetery. Dr. Lloyd H. Scheerer of the Methodist church was in charge of the last rites.

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*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s) mentioned.

Note: Buried in Lot 3rd.186½. Wife Vesta Jeanne DUNN CAUGHLAN died in 1995 and was buried in Colma, CA.