John Ogburn (1887)

OGBURN

Posted By: Pat Hochstetler (email)
Date: 11/3/2007 at 10:48:16

Winterset Madisonian - August 18, 1887
Winterset, Iowa
page 5

An Other Suicide.

An other sad chapter has been added to the history of Madison county in the suicide of John Ogburn, of Ohio township. His home was near South river, in the southeastern part of the township and of this county. For about two years he has been at times despondent on account of bad weather and other causes that caused partial failure of his crops. At those times of despondency he appeared apprehensive of suffering from starvation, although he was not in needy circumstances, but owned a small farm. On the morning of last Saturday, the 13th inst., he appeared to be in good health and spirits, giving at that time no occasion to fear a return of one of his periods of depression. On that morning he went to Murray, on the C. B. & Q. railroad, taking with him his daughter, who took the train for a trip west. When he returned home his wife could notice nothing unusual in his appearance, but he complained of not feeling well and ate no supper. He went out to the barn, took care of his team and other stock as usual, but did not return to the house. After waiting for him for some time his wife and little boy went out to look for him. They found the barn door fastened on the outside, so that at that time he could not have been in there. They went to one of the neighbors to inquire for him, and a boy went along with them to look for him. They went back home, got a lantern and went again to the barn, the door being then unfastened. The neighbor's boy went in with the light and found him hanging by the neck from a rafter. They then went and called Mr. Howe and an other neighbor, who came and took the lifeless body down and called a justice of the peace and held an inquest.

There were indications that he had taken poison, probably Paris green; but fearing that this would not be effective, he resolved to make sure work, and so hanged himself.

Mr. Ogburn was about fifty years of age, and leaves a wife and several children, all of whom are grown except the boy spoken of above. He was esteemed by all of his neighbors as an honorable and upright man, and his domestic relations are said to have been entirely happy. The only theory on which his voluntary taking of his own life can be accounted for is that he had become insane from his despondent brooding over what he imagined to be threatened poverty.

The bereaved wife and family deserve and will doubtless receive the sympathy of the community. The stroke of death is hard enough to bear at any time, but in such forms it is doubly terrible.

Note: Burial was in the King cemetery.