Ommen, Mense (Died 1899)

OMMEN, DORING, DOHRING

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, volunteer (email)
Date: 7/12/2013 at 19:41:03

LeMars Semi-Weekly Post
February 24, 1899

TOOK HIS OWN LIFE.
Mense Ommen, of Grant Township, Ends His Life With a Shot Gun.

Mense Ommen, who resided with his son-in-law, Geo. Doring, in Grant
township, ended his life last Tuesday by committing suicide.

Coroner Mammen was called out to hold an inquest and investigate the matter.
A jury composed of J. H. Hagel, O. H. Doring and Chas. Schultz was selected
and the evidence elicited the facts to be about as follows:

The deceased was the father-in-law of Geo. Doring, for whom he had been
working. On Monday he called for his time and said he was going to LeMars,
but after receiving his check he changed his mind and said he would not go
until morning. In the morning he got up at his usual time and about 9
o’clock changed his clothes, putting on his best. When asked where he was
going, he said he was going away. He took down a single barrel shot gun
from a nail on the wall and started out down to the public highway. George
Dohring followed him a short distance and then returned to the house and
presently heard a shot and turning around saw Ommen lying in the road near a
clump of willows and saw smoke rising. He ran to the body and found the
clothes were on fire and blood was oozing from a wound in the breast. It
was discovered that he had fastened the gun to a tree and fired it off by
tying a string to the trigger.

Ommen was a native of Germany and was sixty-five years old. He had a wife
and daughter in the old country and two children in this country, Mrs. Geo.
Doring and a son, Henry Ommen, living west of Merrill. The old gentleman was
of a peculiar disposition and had often threatened to kill himself and once
made the attempt by hanging. The jury found that the deceased had come to
his death by his own hand and rendered the verdict accordingly.

The remains were brought to LeMars Wednesday and buried in the City
cemetery, Rev. Horney, of the German Methodist church conducting the
service.
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Alton Democrat
February 25, 1899

WAS TIRED OF LIFE.
Mense Ommen Ends His Existence by Means of a Shotgun.

From the LeMars Sentinel.
Mense Ommen, who resided on the farm of his son-in-law, Geo. Dohring, in
Grant township, about six miles northwest of LeMars, shot and killed himself
about nine o’clock Tuesday morning. The circumstances as told at the
coroner’s inquest which was held there are briefly as follows: Mr. Ommen,
who was of an erratic and high strung temperament, has often threatened to
take his life. He rose at his usual time Tuesday morning and about nine
o’clock changed his clothes, putting on his best. When asked where he was
going, he said he was going away. Geo. Dohring followed him a short
distance, but was afraid to bother the old man much as he said he was afraid
he might shoot him. He went towards the house and presently heard a shot
and turning round saw Ommen lying in the road near a clump of willows and
saw smoke rising. He ran to the body and found the clothes were on fire and
the blood was oozing out of a wound in the breast. The dead man was picked
up and taken to the house, and word sent to LeMars to notify the coroner,
Dr. Mammen, who went out immediately and held an inquest. He impaneled as a
jury: J. H. Hagel, O. H. Dohring and Chas. Schultze, who after hearing the
evidence returned a verdict to the effect that the man had come to his death
by his own hands.

The deceased was the father of Henry Ommen and Mrs. Geo. Dohring, of this
city. He was at one time employed as hostler at the Western Hotel in this
city. He has a wife living in Germany.

Mr. Geo. Dohring was in town this afternoon and in talking to a Sentinel
reporter said that Ommen had been working for him and on Monday asked for
his time. Mr. Dohring gave him a check and thought the old man would come
back again as he had one on former occasions when he got ready.

The old man was going to start for town on Monday evening and then said he
would wait till morning. When Mr. Dohring followed him down the road, after
seeing him take the gun and asked him what he was going to do, the deceased
asked him if it were any of his d---d business, so he left him and went back
to the house. When he heard the shot fired he thought the old man was just
firing for a bluff, but went down the road to see and found Ommen had killed
himself.