Kossuth Woman Takes Own Life

JAYNE, POTTER, MESSENGER

Posted By: Judy Kelley, volunteer (email)
Date: 10/8/2010 at 17:55:38

Our community was shocked yesterday to hear that Mrs. C.E. Jayne had taken her own life. She had been teaching school at Grandview, but on account of her health had to give up the work. She came home from that place Thursday evening and stayed all night at the home of Dr. and Mrs. W.W. Potter. Yesterday morning she got up, took one of her grips and a loaf of bread and went to her home at Kossuth. Neighbors thought they saw her pass, but no one talked with her yesterday. Mr. Jayne teaches near Iowa City and knew she was not well, so started to Grandview to see her. Before arriving there he found that she had come home, so he went to Wapello and got a chance to ride here with some people who were going through the country and were to go by his home. He passed through town about 1 o'clock and when he reached his home found a note on the table addressed to Miss Anna Messenger telling her of some papers and where to find them, and to keep them for Mr. Jayne. He read the note and then went to see Miss Messenger to see if she had talked to her. She had not and then Mr. Jayne suspicioned what might have happened. Going to the home the top of a well was found to be open and with the help of some of the neighbors the body was discovered in the well. The coroner was notified and he instructed them to remove the body and he would be up in the afternoon. Everything points that it was a case of suicide. On the floor near the table a butcher knife, with blood on it, was found and there were several slight gashes on the left side of the neck and a string was tied around her neck, so it seems that failing in both of these ways she decided to end it all by jumping into the well. Different things that she had said lately showed that she was very nervous and this undoubtedly had unbalanced her mind and was the cause of the act.

Source: LCHS scrapbook; Mediapolis New Era News, Oct. 7 (unknown year)