John Mills Hole (1886)

HOLE

Posted By: Pat Hochstetler
Date: 10/21/2007 at 09:20:02

Winterset Madisonian and Chronicle
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, May 13, 1886
Page 5

SUICIDE

This community was startled Saturday afternoon by the report on the streets that a man had hung himself. It was soon ascertained that the report was a correct one and the victim was John Hole, who lived in Peru, this county, but at the time was visiting at the house of his brother-in-law, M. Robinson, of this place. He accomplished the deed with a rope attached to the joist in the stable, adjusting a slip noose around his neck while standing on a saw buck, which he kicked from under him.

He had been acting queerly for several days and the suspicions of his wife and the family had been aroused who were keeping a close watch on his movements. At the time of the act he and his wife were at the house of William Brown, another brother-in-law, just a few steps from Robinson's. He remarked that he was going up town and started off, but, however, going to Robinson's instead, who were away from home, which he knew. His wife had watched him, and as he did not make his appearance again she went over to see what had become of him, but found the house locked and not seeing him, returned. After talking with Mrs. Brown she became satisfied something had happened and went over again. This time she made a thorough search of the place and found him hanging in the barn.

With wonderful pluck and presence of mind she took from his pocket his knife and cut him down. Life was not entirely extinct at that time, but he was unconscious and soon expired. He had lain off his coat and vest, which were found on the manger, before committing the rash act, and his movements and plans conclusively showed that he was determined to destroy himself, in fact he had made several previous unsuccessful attempts to accomplish the same deed.

He was a man of about fifty years of age, has a grown son and had been living with his second wife about a year. The cause which led to this self destruction is not definitely known. The families above referred to have the understanding that he feared trouble from his first wife who had a divorce, but about which there was something that had effected him to the extent of the above deed.
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Coordinator's note: Middle name unverified.

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