Herbert Hugh Mathews (1898-1937) & Anna Marie (Cook) Mathews (1904-1937)

MATTHEWS, MATHEWS, COOK, HOSTETTLER, KENISON, KENNISON

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 9/14/2019 at 11:50:28

From Nevada Evening Journal December 7, 1937 (page 1)

Young Wife Shoots Husband, Then Turns Gun on Herself, Early This Morning

His father and mother both at Iowa sanitarium suffering from possibly mortal gunshot wounds, little Bobby Matthews, 14, is today the only one able to tell the story of the tragedy of an apparent attempt of the mother, Anne Matthews, 31, to wipe out the entire family--her husband Herb Matthews, 39, the son Bobby, 14, and herself.

It was 6:00 a. m. today when the grandfather, W. R. Matthews, had gotten up and went out to look after the chores, that the wife said "Lie still, Herb, I'll build the fire the morning."

She arose, dressed, left the room and just as the husband arose from the bed, she returned, with a shotgun in her hand, point at him, pulled the trigger and the charge from the 4-10 gauge gun tore through his abdomen, entering below the ribs on the right side and passing through the liver.

The apparently demented woman then left the bedroom and started toward her son Bobby, who had aroused from his sleep on the couch where he had spent the night.

Hearing the father groan, "She got me," Bobby jumped up and made an ineffectual attempt to wrest the yet smoking but unloaded gun from his mother, as the father staggered up the stairs, where Bobby soon followed him to safety.

This afternoon word from Iowa sanitarium indicates that while both are in very critical condition, there is a faint hope for the wife to live but little or no hope for the husband.

After the first few incoherent words from both the wife and the husband, the story is told by the plucky little son Bobby, who had always been beloved by his parents and the grandfather, in whose home the family lived, as well.

According to the statement of Bobby, the 14-year-old on, who had bee sleeping on a davenport in the dining room, across the room from the door to the room in which his parents had slept, he was awakened by the first shot.

As he started to arise from the davenport, the father staggered out of the bedroom, holding his right side fro which blood was spurting and moaned "She got me."

Just then the mother approached Bobby holding the 4-10 gauge single barrel shotgun, which was broken at the breech, and in which she was endeavoring to insert another shell.

As the husband and father staggered up the nearby stairway, the boy made an ineffectual attempt to wrest the gun from his mother.

Failing in this and before she had managed to insert a shell in the gun, the plucky little lad rushed up the stairway and joint his father in a bedroom, slammed the door shut and barricaded it with a chair under the door knob.

This had barely been accomplished when the mother was heard at the door making every effort to open it. After some time her efforts ceased and the silence for a moment.

Next, another blast from the gun and the sound of the body of the young wife and mother as it fell to the floor at the head of the stairs.

The boy hesitated for a moment as a measure of safely, then went out and found his mother, apparently mortally wounded and blood spurting from a wound just over the heart.

Making a hasty examination of the mother, Bobby rushed down stairs and called his grandfather, W. R. Matthews, who was at the barn looking after the morning chores. He next called Dr. H. W. Bowers from Nevada and Clark Belcher a neighbor. Upon the arrival of the neighbors, Dr. Sperow was called and later the sheriff.

Mr. Matthews was hurried to Iowa sanitarium for treatment and later the wife was brought to the same institution.

Both remained semi-conscious and were able in a way to relate some of the facts of the tragedy.

Sheriff McGriff and Deputy Mills were at the place within a short time, before the wife was taken away from the farm.

Asked why she had did the deed, she moaned "God only can tell why I did it."

According to the story as found by the sheriff, Mr. and Mrs. Will Matthews, Jr., Clark Belcher and Bud Fry had spent the early part of Monday evening as guests at the Matthews home. Shortly after 8:00, they left and the Matthews family retired for the night.

There had been no trouble either between Mr. and Mrs. Herb Mathews or among other present during the evening and the cause of the rash act on the part of Anna Matthews is unknown.

Herb Matthews -- ------ -- had been married for about 15 years and have the one son, Bobby, age 14. They had lived on a farm over in Polk county for a few years prior to moving upon the home farm with the elder Mr. Matthews, following the death of Mrs. Matthews Sr.

Realizing the very serious condition of the patients after they were taken to the sanitarium, every effort is being made to save their lives; blood transfusions have been given and other expediencies taken.

The charge from the gun entered Mr. Matthews just below the ribs on the right side, puncturing the liver and making a wound that it is feared may prove fatal.

The wound of Mrs. Matthews is above the heart, the charge entering the chest above the heart and ranging backward, coming out under the left shoulder.

Mrs. Matthew had not been well for the past several months and had spent time in a Des Moines sanitarium taking treatments.

A year or so before, she had submitted to an operation for the removal of a cancerous growth which had apparently been successful.

According to the family and friends there had been no trouble between the couple of any serious consequence and the motive for the tragedy is a complete mystery.

Mrs. Matthews had been known as a woman of fine character and a faithful and loving wife and mother, little given to complaining even under circumstances that might have justified complaint at times.

From Nevada Evening Journal December 13, 1937 (page 3)

Final Rites for Mr. and Mrs. Matthews Were Held Friday

Final rites for Herbert Matthews and his wife Anne Cook-Matthews held at the Evangelical church here Friday afternoon, were concluded late in the afternoon when the bodies were laid side by side in the family lot in the Evergreen cemetery at Iowa Center.

The church was crowded with relatives and friends of the couple whose lives had so suddenly been wiped out by tragedy.

The following obituary of the couple and account of the funeral service was by their pastor, Rev. Klooz:

The death of this couple and the circumstances connected with their death, have been given in the Journal the past days.

Herbert Hugh Matthews was born south of Nevada, Sept. 9, 1898 and died Dec. 7, 1937 at the age of 39 years and 3 months.

Anne Marie Cook Matthews was born July 12, 1904 south of Maxwell and died Dec. 8, 1937 at the age of 33 years and 5 months.

Both received their public training in youth. Herbert grew up to manhood in the home of his parents, while Anne early in life found a home with her grandparents, the Hostettlers, neighbors of the Lookingbill family. Both in their earlier years received religious instruction and training, Herbert in the Evangelical Sunday school and Anne in the Dunkard church; this training very strongly is manifesting itself in their only living child, Bobby now 14 year of age.

Some 15 years ago love brought the hearts of these two young people together, which not even death could separate. United they lived, worked and built their home. They farmed for some years south of Maxwell, and when Herbert's mother died Oct. 4, 1935, Herbert and Anne moved in with his father, William, to make him a home. But alas, the mother's love and care persistently and graciously given, was unable to cope with the circumstances and destructive obstacles continuously thrown into her path and life--circumstances that might have justified complaint at times, and she gives up the unequal struggle against the monster, which had destroyed her happy home, and broken in body from overwork, and in mind from worry and grief she decides to end it all and tries to take her little family into eternity.

"God only knows why I did it," is her only statement and justification, and God, who is just and merciful, will also be just and merciful to Herbert and Anne. But woe to a nation and woe to men who persist in causing such sorrow and grief. To their feet we lay the awfulness of this deed.

Bobby Matthews, the plucky boy who escaped and survives his parents, largely planned the funeral services for his parents which were conducted in the Evangelical church of the pastor, Rev. J. D. Klooz. The scripture read was from John 14:1-3 and other passages. Rev. C. E. Lookingbill gave a brief talk on the life of Mrs. Matthews while the pastor preached from the words in James 4:14. A quartet composed of Mrs. Hazel Reitz, Mrs. Junia Swain, Floyd Alderman and Basil Grimes, sang the following numbers "Rock of Ages," "There's a Land that is Fairer than Day" and "Somewhere the Sun is Shining" with Mrs. Basil Grimes at the piano.

Mr. Matthews leaves to mourn, his aged father William, two brothers Wm. James and Burl Clark, and one sister Mrs. Rhoda C. Matters and many friends, all of this community and Mrs. Matthews leaves to mourn, two brothers Keith Cook of Des Moines and Harold Cook of Marshalltown and one half sister Mrs. Coleen Kennison of New York and a stepfather, J. C. Kenniston of Denison, Iowa, besides a host of friends.

The church was filled with attentive and sympathetic neighbors and friends. Interment was made in the Iowa Center cemetery.

Relatives from a distance in Nevada, Friday afternoon in attendance at the double funeral service included: Mr. and Mrs. Bert Kirk, Mr. and Mrs. George Jones, Miss Edith Pritchard, Alva, Roscoe and Flavis Pritchard of Maxwell, Orpheus Pritchard of Longmont, Colo., Mrs. Matthews's stepfather Kenneth Kennison of Denison; Nick Hostettler of Des Moines, her uncle; Lew Hostettler of Des Moines, an uncle, her brothers, Keith Cook and wife of Des Moines and Harold Cook of Marshalltown.

Friends from a distance included Mr. and Mrs. Russell Mishler, Ella Mischler, and Frank Mishler of Maxwell; Mr. and Mrs. LaVerne Witmer, George Carnes, Leonard Jacobson, Ed Wickard and Mr. and Mrs. Randall of Maxwell; Mr. and Mrs. Sam Akins of Ames, Vern Venneman of Des Moines, Mr. and Mrs. Edd Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. Bamsoff, Mrs. Lulu Spratt, Mrs. Edith Fry of Marshalltown, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Tripp of Colo and friends from Dallas Center.

A large group of other friends met the funeral cortege at the Iowa Center cemetery where the double interment was held.