Blaine Arthur Corbin (1884-1939)

CORBIN, BIRKELAND, KEMMERER, TUCKER, BALDUS, DAVIDSON, MATTINGLY, WILKINSON, RINGGENBERG, PIERCE

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 28, 1939 (page 3)

Funeral Services Held Here Monday for Blaine Corbin

Funeral rites for Blaine Corbin, 54, Nevada business man and native son of Richland township, who died early Saturday morning, of self administered poison, following a double tragedy earlier Friday evening, were held Monday afternoon at the Bishop Funeral home, with his pastor Dr. J. O. Simon in charge.

Although the funeral was private, the rooms of the funeral home were well filled with relatives and close friends of the family. Burial was in the Nevada cemetery.

The deceased, the eldest of the sixteen children of Wilbur N. Corbin and Ella Corbin, had been a popular employee of the Federal North Iowa Grain company for many years and through his dealing with the public and efficient work for company, had made wide circle of friends who were anxious to express their profound sympathy to the bereaved family of the man who had in a moment of evident derangement committed the appalling tragedy which ended in his own death.

Mr. Corbin born in Richland township, had lived practically all of his life in Story county and the greater portion of that time in Nevada.

He was married Oct. 6, 1906 to Miss Olive Birkeland of Roland and to this union six children were born, two boys dying in infancy

For the past 13 years he has been engaged in elevator work acting as manager of the Davis and Potters elevator which was sold to the Federal North Iowa Grain company of which he was manager at the time of his death.

He is survived by the wife, three sons and a daughter, Lester Corbin, 1130 L avenue, Margaret, Mrs. Henry Kemmerer of Waterloo, Harry of Waterloo and Junior at home.

He is also survived by his mother, Mrs. W. N. Corbin of 1328 Second street, and five brothers and nine sisters. The brothers include Lloyd of Ames, Hugh, Lee and Harold of Nevada and Orville of Aems. The sisters are Mabel, Mrs Roy Tucker of Nevada; Fay, Mrs. Leo Baldus of Hayfield, Minn.; Bertha, Mrs. Albert Davidson of Waynetown, Ind., Eva, Mrs. Milford Baldus of Story City.

Lola, Mrs. Frank Mattingly of Gilbert; Hazel, Mrs. Floyd Baldus of Nevada; Ella, Mrs. Rollin Wilkinson of Nevada; Mary, Mrs. Cullen Ringgenberg of Nevada and Laura of Nevada. One sister Mrs. Clara Pierce passed away a few years ago. The father has been dead for number of years.