Joseph Farrell died 1875

FARRELL

Posted By: cheryl Locher moonen (email)
Date: 8/16/2020 at 19:28:36

Dubuque Daily Times, Friday, Dec 31, 1875, Dubuque, IA, Page: 3
STATE NEWS
On Christmas Eve Joseph Farrell, 70 years old, living near Neola, purchased strychnine at that place, swallowed it, and went to bed. in the morning he was found dead. No cause is assigned.

Avoca Delta, Avoca, Iowa, Thurs., Jan 6, 1876, p.3
A distressing case of suicide took place near Neola on Christmas Eve, Jas. Farrell had been working for Tim Foley who discharged him on the 22nd. He went to the house of one Jack’s on Friday afternoon and in the evening went to Neola and bought a drachm of arsenic of Grimes, the druggist, telling him he wanted to mix some medicine for a horse. He then returned to Jack’s house. Shortly after his return, the family all went to the Minden dance, leaving him in the house alone, and while they were gone he took the arsenic, probably about 10 o’clock. About two o’clock one of the Jack boys came home and found Farrell vomiting and rallied him considerably on having had a little too much Christmas, then laid down beside him and went to sleep. When he woke up in the morning, to his horror, Farrell was lying beside him stone cold and dead. Dr. Borton of Neola was summoned and immediately telegraphed Dr. Carman of this place to come and help make a post mortem, but before Carman got the telegram Barton had discovered enough to satisfy himself that the deceased had come to his death by an overdose of arsenic, and telegraphed Dr. Carman not to come. There is not the slightest clue by which the reason for this rash act on the part of Farrell can be determined.