Edward Thompson (ca. 1862-1884)

THOMPSON, GRINDEM

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 1/4/2011 at 23:27:35

From Story County Watchman May 2, 1884

SUICIDE AND PROBABLE MURDER.

Wednesday morning the news of the suicide of Edward Thompson, and attempted murder of his wife was reported on our streets. They lived in Howard township near Roland. It seems some three weeks ago that Thompson's wife left him and went to Chicago. He went and brought her back home, and on the afternoon of the tragedy he went to Roland and when he returned home informed his wife that she had always been afraid he would injure her, but now he was going to frighten her in earnest. He took a bottle from his pocket and offered his wife and her sister a drink, but they refused. Then he got his revolver and the two women fled to another room, where Miss Grinckm and he had a scuffle, in which she secured the revolver and fled to the nearest neighbors for assistance. He then seized an ax and chased his wife into the orchard and over taking her crushed her skull in in several places, cut off some of her fingers and made ugly wounds on her person and when she lay apparently dead he jumped into a well near by and drowned himself.

Ed. Thompson and his wife are not more than 18 or 20 years of age and have not been married more than a year, and both are from highly respected families living in the north part of the county.

The following is the testimony of Miss Belle Grinckm, who gives the main points of the case: Deceased came home about 7 o'clock, or near that, last night and she went to meet him and she came running in and told me of it, and asked what shall we do, and he hid it in the barn and you have always been frightened at nothing and Belle came here to help you, and he ran to the barn and got the revolver and put his hand through the door. I got it away from him and he wanted me to give it back. Cora ran out and I ran to the first neighbors for help. When we came back the men looked for them and found her. He chased her from the house. I did not see him have any ax. She told me to-day that deceased did not have his right mind when he chased her with the ax. I told her Ed. was up to Thompson's, and she does not know deceased is dead. Deceased had a bottle of whisky half full, and he drank it after we refused to drink, this was before the fuss. The deceased was not drunk, and deceased laughed when he made the threat to kill her. The revolver was cocked in deceased hands when I took it from him. This is the revolver.

The coroners jury returned the followin verdict:

STATE OF IOWA,}
Story County.} ss.

Before J. I. Hostetter, county coroner: An investigation helden at the residence of Ed. Thompson, deceased, in Howard township, Story county, Iowa on the 30th day of April A. D. 1884,, before J. L. Hostetter, county coroner, in and for said county, upon the dead body of Edward Thompson, deceased now before us. We the undersigned jurors whose names are hereto subscribed do upon our oaths say that we find that Edward Thompson came to his death by his own hands, in Howard township, by drowning himself intentionally in a well on the 29th day of April 1884.

In testimony whereof the said jurors have hereunto set their hands this day and year first above mentioned.

E. R SHELDAHL,
JOHN TWEDT,
AMOND ERICKSON,
Coroner Jury.

Attested and signed on the day and year first above written.

JNO. I. HOSTETTER,
County Coroner for said county and State.

NOTE FROM SUBMITTER: Although the article repeatedly refers to Mr. Thompson's sister-in-law as Belle Grinckm, his wife's maiden name was Cora Grindem and her sister, Belle Grindem.