Murphy, Peter 1859-1906

MURPHY, DELANEY

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, Volunteer (email)
Date: 9/22/2012 at 15:20:13

LeMars Globe-Post
May 30, 1906

TOOK PARIS GREEN
Peter Murphy, a Prominent Stanton Township Farmer, Took His Own Life
Large Funeral Held on Monday From St. James Catholic Church

The story that Peter Murphy, one of the old residents of Stanton township,
had attempted to take his life on Friday morning by taking a large dose of
paris green, which was brought to LeMars at an early hour on Friday morning,
could not be given credence by those who first heard it, but the shocking
story was verified later in the day.

While the members of the family were engaged in milking on Friday morning,
Mr. Murphy went to the barn, and procured the paris green from a package
that had been there for a year and going to the well some distance from the
house, he coolly pumped some water in the cup and stirred up the poison
which was so soon to end his life and then raised the deadly poison to his
lips and drank it.

He walked back to the house and laid down on the bed and when members of the
family came to the house, he told them that he had taken poison, but they
could not believe it, although he had threatened, it is said, to take his
life that morning at a prior time. The members of the family went out to
the well and were horror stricken to find such abundance of evidence that he
had taken poison.

A member of the family hastened to the nearest telephone and a message was
sent to Drs. Reeves and Kueny and they went to the Murphy home with all the
dispatch possible, reaching there shortly after ten o’clock. They made
vigorous use of the stomach pump and emptied the stomach of a large quantity
of the poison and used every ingenuity that human skill is heir to, but
could not save his life as the poison had gotten so thoroughly into his
system that their efforts and skill were futile.

He retained consciousness for about seventeen hours during which he suffered
untold agony until he lapsed into a state of unconsciousness in which estate
he remained for another four hours before his life went out at about 11
o’clock.

Mr. and Mrs. Murphy came to LeMars together on Thursday, Ascension Day, and
attended early mass, after which they went up town together. He was
accustomed to taking a few drinks of liquor when he came to town, but they
affected him quickly as he was not a daily drinker. On Thursday he had
taken two or three drinks and Mrs. Murphy urged him to go home with her, but
he would not do so. She started to go out home as she had frequently done
expecting him to follow. On the road Mr. and Mrs. Gannon overtook Mrs.
Murphy and she got into the buggy and rode with them and when they got to
their home they took Mrs. Murphy home, Mr. Murphy having already reached
home and was about his work. They had no unpleasant words over the
incidents of the day during the day or evening.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Murphy are very highly thought of in that community and
have been hard workers on their farm, having one of the finest quarter
section farms in the township. They are most excellent neighbors and highly
esteemed and all are at a loss to account for the rash act which Mr. Murphy
committed. Some of the neighbors thought that they had discovered periods
of despondency in Mr. Murphy as he was injured about three years ago and
attribute his act to some mental derangement.

The funeral was held on Monday morning at 10 o’clock from St. James Catholic
church and was largely attended by his old friends, the services being
conducted by Rev. Father E. O’Farrell.

He was a member of a large family of children, his father and mother having
died about eighteen and three years ago, respectively. He was born at
Peotsa, near Dubuque, on April 25, 1859, and was united in marriage with
Miss Anna Delaney at Peotsa, in December 1888. Immediately after the
marriage they came to this county and leased a farm for a few years after
which they bought a fine quarter section farm where they now reside.
Besides the heartbroken wife, he leaves three children, John, 17 years of
age; Mina, 15; and Elsie, 6 years of age. He leaves four brothers and five
or six sisters. His brothers are Frank, Joe, Henry and a younger brother,
all living at Peotsa. Frank, Joe and Henry and one sister, Mrs. Daherty, of
Peotsa, were here to attend the funeral. He has one sister who is a Sister
in the convent at Sinsinawa Mound, Wis., and three or four married sisters
living in eastern Iowa. A sister-in-law, who lives at Marcus, was also here
to attend the funeral.
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The Alton Democrat, June 2, 1906
Wayside Gleanings:
Worried over frequent family quarrels, Peter Murphy, a well-to-do Plymouth county farmer killed himself with paris green.