Alice May "May" Berry (1908-1939)

BERRY, BYERS

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 5/17/2021 at 16:53:12

From Nevada Evening Journal February 25, 1939 (page 1)

Nevada Man Shoots Former Bookkeeper; Then Suicides

Two people are dead here today as a result of a shocking tragedy which occurred on the street in the business district of Nevada Friday about 6:30, when Blaine Corbin, 54, manager of the local grain elevator, shot and killed Helen Mae Berry [should be Alice May Berry], former bookkeeper at his office and more recently employed at the Nevada National Bank.

Corbin died at Iowa sanitarium at 3:30 a. m. today from the effects of drinking a lye solution at his home about 6:45 last night, immediately after he had sent to gun slugs through the body of Miss Berry, when he accosted her on the south side of K avenue, a short distance west of Main street.

The man was recognized as he jumped into his car and drove away from the scene of the accident and Deputy Sheriff Harry Mills, accompanied by one of Corbin's sons and City Marshall Dickenson hurried to the home, where they found him on the floor of the kitchen, after he had staggered up from the basement, where he had drank a quantity of lye solution and slashed one of his wrists with a knife.

An ambulance was called and he was hurried to Iowa sanitarium where efforts were made to save his life, but without avail.

Miss Berry, 31, died within thirty or forty feet of where she was shot, falling on the walk between the Freland building and Frank Holmes pop-corn booth which stands between the curbing and sidewalk. Her death was almost instantaneous from the effects of the two lead slugs which had entered her body just below the left shoulder blade and lodged above the heart. A third shot from Corbin's gun missed Miss Berry and slug flattened out against the brick wall.

According to the story as told by little Shirley Nelson, 9-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. Fred Nelson who was with Miss Berry at the time, they had eaten their luncheon at the Wolfe cafe and were starting for the Marie Beauty shop, corner Fifth and K, when Corbin jumped from his car which he had parked on the north side of the street and accosted Miss Berry at a point about even with the entrance to the Carl Stone office.

Making some remarks about her not being able to tell any more stories about him, he whipped out an old .32 calibre revolver and pointed it at the woman. Miss Berry started to run back east and he poured the slugs into her back. She staggered on to near the corner, where she dropped over and died almost instantly. The little Nelson girl first ran west to the alley where she hid until she saw Corbin drive away and then returned to her dying companion and after finding the condition she was in hurried on to phone to notify her mother.

Several people nearby heard the shots and witnessed the get-away of Corbin among them Ross Shipley and a man named Winters, who where in the Shipley barber shop at the time, heard the shots and rushed out just as Corbin was running from the scene of the tragedy to his car.

Among others near the scene of the shooting at the time and partial witnesses were Dick Van Pelt, an insurance man who lives in the apartment at 225 J avenue and a man named Long, who with his wife were nearby at the time.

Deputy Sheriff Mills was at the scene of the shooting early and after directing the taking care of the body of the dead woman, started out and found Corbin.

The officers found the gun in Corbin's car, minus the cylinder. There were also a number of cartridges and one or two empty shells in the seat of the car. There was indication that he had made an ineffectual attempt to reload the gun. The missing cylinder was found early today on ground nearby where he had parked the car upon his return home.

According to word from the sheriff's office it was learned this morning that the shells, a dozen of the .32 calibre variety, were purchased at the Christiansen hardware store but a few minutes before the fatal shooting. Men from the store, after closing the door, noticed Corbin seated in the car, which was parked in front of the Wolfe cafe, where Miss Berry and Shirley were eating.

Miss Berry had worked for Corbin about three years, but resigned her job at the grain elevator a few weeks ago to go to work in the Nevada National bank. Corbin had seen her frequently since that time, but only at the bank or on downtown streets.

Deputy Mills said Corbin went home after the shooting, and asked his wife for a can of lye. Mrs. Corbin ran out of the home to her son Lester on Lincoln. Corbin apparently found the lye himself.

According to Mills, Corbin drank the lye in the basement and returned upstairs. He fell in the kitchen. There were deep marks on his throat as though, in agony, he had torn the flesh with fingers.

From Nevada Evening Journal February 27, 1939 (page 3)

Funeral Rites Held Sunday for Tragedy Victim

Hundreds of friends--a sufficient number to fill the auditorium and balcony of Central Presbyterian church--gathered Sunday afternoon to attend the final rites for Alice May Berry, 31, victim of Friday night's double tragedy.

A brother, Russell Berry of Fulton, Mo., accompanied by his wife and an aunt, Mrs. Mary Byers, the latter of Columbia, Mo., arrived early Sunday morning and were present at the funeral.

The body had been taken to the young lady's home, the Mr. and Mrs. R. Fred Nelson residence on Tenth street, on Sunday forenoon where it was viewed by many friends.

Beautiful floral offerings banked the casket in the church, a silent testimony of the high regard in which she had been held in Nevada.

Members of the Alpha Upsilon chapter of Beta Sigma Phi sorority of which she was an active member, attended in a body as did the members of the Rebekah and Odd Fellows lodges. During her residence here Miss Berry had been a member of the Music division of the Nevada Woman's club; had attended Central Presbyterian church where she was a member and occasionally sang in the choir and also was a frequent attendant at Memorial Lutheran church with the Nelson family.

Following the organ postlude by Mrs. Armstrong, the pastor read an opening scripture from Isaiah. Next was read the life sketch of the deceased and poem. An organ prelude was followed by the reading of the scripture lesson from Matthew upon the lesson "Forgiveness of Trespasses." The talk of Rev. Kennedy was a touching and appropriate one on the "charitable" understanding way of life.

The life sketch of Miss Berry, as read by the minister follows:

Alice May Berry daughter of Alex and Maude Berry was born in Calloway county, near Fulton, Mo., on May 18, 1908. She grew to womanhood in her native state of Missouri, completing her education in Synodical College at Chillicothe, Mo.

May came to Nevada in 1929 as employee of the Donnelly Corporation. Later she secured a position as bookkeeper for the Federal North Iowa Grain Company where she worked for about three years. She was recently engaged as a bookkeeper at Nevada National Bank and was rendering good service in that position.

During her stay in Nevada she has lived for the most part of the time with but three families, the Slocums, the W. L. Tiptons and the R. F. Nelsons. For the last five years she has been at the home with the Nelson family.

She became a member of the Mt. Olivet Presbyterian church at Fulton, Missouri, when she was about twelve years of age and after coming to Nevada she transferred her membership to the Central Presbyterian church uniting there on April 5, 1931. She enjoyed participating in the church fellowship and endeavored to live a conscientious, helpful and cheerful life.

She made many friends and was especially considerate of her friends. She became a member of the local chapter of Beta Sigma Phi and enjoyed her sorority activities. She was also an active member of the Rebekah lodge.

Death came to her without warning of the evening of February 24th, she being but thirty years of age.

Her ties to her home and family were very strong and she is mourned by her parents who live on the home farm in Missouri and by her two brothers, Raymond and Russel Berry. These with other relatives and friends sorrow deeply because of her untimely passing.

The funeral party left Nevada shortly after the services for Des Moines, where the relatives would take a Rock Island train, accompanying the body to the old home at Fulton, Mo., where burial will probably take place today.

Among those here from out of the city were Mr. and Mrs. H. K. Slocum and son, with whom she had made her home for several years.