Frank Harper 1870-1895

HARPER, KENDALL

Posted By: Volunteer - Rich Lowe
Date: 1/13/2002 at 09:54:24

Suicide –(Frank) Patterson Harper
Born 11/22/1870

Died 2/12/ 1895

Frank Harper, a young man about 25 years of age, and who had been making his home with George Kendall, a brother-in-law, living two miles west of Athens, committed suicide by hanging himself Tuesday evening of last week. The Kendall family thought the young man had gone to bed on that evening as usual and knew no better until Wednesday morning when the body was found suspended from a joist in an old cabin which stood near the dwelling house. That the young man committed the rash act with intent there is no doubt. He doubled a three-quarter inch rope, to make sure there would be no breaking, secured it fast to the joist and then stepped from a leg on which he had been standing and strangled to death—the neck was not broken. The body being frozen stiff and other incidents proved that the deed was committed in the early part of Tuesday night. Harper was a young man of good repute, in perfect health and the only cause attributed for self destruction is, that he was brooding over the refusal of a young lady to keep his company and having made up his mind that revenge was sweeter than life chose the former.

[Buried: Blackledge Cem. E of Mt Sterling, IA]