Lula Compton (1915)

COMPTON

Posted By: Kent Transier
Date: 11/8/2023 at 18:03:13

The Winterset News
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, July 21, 1915
Page 1, Column 2

ENDS LIFE BY DROWNING

Lulu Compton, Aged Forty-four Years, Suicides While Suffering From Melancholia

Lulu Compton, while suffering from an attack of melancholia, ended her life by drowning in the Belle Fourche river last Saturday morning between the hours of seven and eight o’clock.

On account of domestic troubles years ago, Mrs. Compton had always been of a rather morose disposition, and for a period every year she would act very much discouraged. At these times her father and other friends would watch her closely and endeavor to cheer her, and after a time the melancholia would pass away and she would again be normal.

For a few days prior to her death she had acted rather strange, but on Saturday morning, when she prepared her father’s breakfast at about seven o’clock, he did not notice any unusual symptoms and shortly afterward left the house to attend to some work.

Mrs. Compton’s daughter, May, arose about eight o’clock and, not finding her mother in the house, which is located on the river bank near the Butts and Bloomfield ice house, stepped outside to investigate, accompanied by another tenant. In a few moments they found Mrs. Compton’s shoes near the river’s edge and footprints leading into the water. The great distance between the footprints indicated that the woman had been running and had jumped headlong into the stream.

An alarm was soon given and an a number of people dragged the river with grappling hooks and poles down as far as Belle View bridge, but on account of the high condition of the stream they were unable to locate the body of the unfortunate woman. The search was continued throughout the day and all day Sunday, and a number of charges of dynamite were set off in the hope that the body might be raised.

The gates of the diversion dam were then opened, and the water lowered, and on Monday morning at about eleven o’clock Charles Martin, Tom Moseley, Jeff Arnold, and several others were dragging the river, when the former succeeded in locating the body about twenty-five yards below the footprints on the bank, and it was brought to shore.

The deceased was aged forty-four years, and was born in Winterset, Madison county, Iowa. She came to this county about five years ago and filed on a homestead near Castle Rock, adjoining that of her brother, who now lives in Nebraska. After proving up, she removed to this city about two years ago, since which time she made her home with her father, Granville Compton, and daughter, May, aged sixteen years. She was a hard working woman, doing family washing for a number of people, and was always very careful and conscientious about her duties – South Dakota paper.
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Transcriber's note: Transcribed as published. The South Dakota Death Index and her daughter's Iowa Delayed Certificate of Birth both have her first name as "Lula". The daughter was born in Glenwood, Mills County, Iowa and no father is listed. Place of death is Butte County, South Dakota.