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Rev. Samuel Krell (1902)

KRELL, SHAW

Posted By: Pat Hochstetler
Date: 10/16/2009 at 14:28:06

The Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Thursday, April 17, 1902
Page 1, Column 1

A SAD SUICIDE

Rev. Samuel Krell Takes his own Life at his Home in Lacona

The Victim was a Resident of Madison County from Youth till a Few Years Ago—Was a Soldier in the Philippines.

The startling news came to Winterset Monday morning that Rev. Samuel Krell pastor of the Methodist circuit at Lacona, Warren county, had taken his own life. The deed was accomplished just after returning from church Sunday, the 13th inst. He had conducted the usual services and come home and lain down upon a bed, when he soon ended his life with a shot from a revolver. He was a son of the late Adam Krell, and a nephew of J. B. Krell, of this city. The Krell families came to this county from Pickaway county, Ohio, and settled in Webster township, where the subject of this notice was born in 1857. While he was still quite young his parents returned to their former home in Ohio, where he spent ten years of his boyhood. They then again made their permanent home in this county.

Samuel Krell married in 1879 a daughter of A. B. Shaw, of the same township, now of Winterset. Soon after attaining manhood he was licensed as a preacher in the Evangelical Association, which he afterwards left and entered the Methodist church. However, he spent some years in teaching and farming, and at the time of his death was the owner of 180 acres of land in Webster township. After spending some years as an active pastor, he enlisted in 51st Iowa regiment and went to the Philippines, and served through the war. While there he suffered a sunstroke, from the effects of which he never recovered fully. After his return he again took up the pastoral work, but was hardly his former self. He appeared gloomy and despondent. He imagined that his work was a failure and unappreciated, while at the same time the difficulty was all with his own weakened condition. Reports from his congregation and his presiding elder show that there was nothing wrong with the work.

That he had contemplated suicide for some time is evident. He had $3,000 insurance in one fraternal organization, of which he was the secretary, and had marked himself delinquent, when he could easily have kept up the payments. He had $1,000 in the Woodmen at Indianola, and had written the office at that place that he would allow his policy to lapse. But before getting his letter the officer in charge had advanced the payment, so that that amount is saved to his family. The other might easily have been but he appears to have acted on the conscientious idea that it would not be right to keep up the last payment with the intention of committing suicide and thus defrauding the insurance companies.

As in all such cases his death is a mystery. Let the knowledge of the upright life he lived silence criticism and secure charity for his memory and sympathy for his sorrowing wife and four sons.

The remains were brought home and taken to Oak Grove church in Webster township, where the funeral services were conducted yesterday by Rev. C. J. English, pastor of the Winterset Methodist church. The interment was in the Walker cemetery, near his former home.

Gravesite
 

Madison Obituaries maintained by Linda Griffith Smith.
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