J. Clyde Haines

HAINES, CUNNINGHAM

Posted By: Sherry Duval (email)
Date: 8/20/2007 at 16:24:00

Ill health was blamed for the suicide of J. Clyde HAINES, former Oskaloosa [Mahaska Co., IA] resident and prominent Denver automobile dealer, at Denver, CO, March 9, according to the following article from the Denver Post:

Less than one hour before he was to have left Denver for Detroit, MI to attend an automobile sales meeting, J. Clyde Haines, 41, a widely known Denver automobile man, shot himself through the head Saturday afternoon in the bathroom of his apartment at 1235 East 12th Avenue. He died a half hour after being taken to the Denver General Hospital.

Police classified the shooting as a suicide but other than the fact that Haines had been ill of influenza during the last two weeks, they were unable to establish a positive motive.

Haines, sales manager for the Hall-Davis Motor Car Company, was to have departed for Detroit at 5 p.m. with H. T. McClure and L.F. Sparkman, who are connected with the same firm.

When he failed to appear at the automobile concern’s office to meet McClure and Sparkman as scheduled, R.R. Hall, one of the owners of the company, telephoned Haines at his home, according to information obtained by police.

Haines, police said, advised Hall that he would be unable to make the trip to Detroit because of his ill health.

Shortly after the telephone conversation, Haines obtained a revolver, went into the bathroom, locked the door and shot himself, according to detectives.

Haines’ wife, Mrs. Wilma Haines who was in the kitchen, heard the shot. She ran to the apartment of Mrs. Edward McFarland across the hall and with several other neighbors they broke down the bathroom door, where they discovered Haines lying and a smoking revolver on the floor within a few inches of his right hand.

Mrs. Haines told police her husband had been sick for several weeks, but that she did not consider the illness serious.

Haines’ stepdaughter, Phyllis Cunningham, 16, an East high school student, was absent from the apartment at the time. She returned home shortly after the police arrived and did not know of the tragedy until informed by her mother.

Haines came to Denver eight years ago from Oskaloosa, IA where he formerly owned an automobile agency. He married his present wife less than a year ago, shortly after she obtained a divorce from J. H. Cunningham, a former telephone company employee.

Besides his wife and stepdaughter, Haines is survived by a sister in Oskaloosa.

Source Description: Newspaper clipping found in papers of Zella (KARSTETTER) FOX (deceased) of Cedar, IA.