Decatur County Journal
December 8, l904

Chariton, Ia., Dec. 5.--ROSE DIXON, the pretty eighteen-year-old
daughter of JOE DIXON, a huckster living at Russell, Iowa, was
mysteriously shot at 2 o'clock this morning at Russell and the coroner
has summoned the girl's sweetheart, CHARLES ATHA, to give an explanation
of the tragedy.

The girl, who has been working as a domestic in Chariton about seven
months, went to her home in Russell which is seven miles east of
Chariton, Saturday evening on the train, and ATHA of Chariton, drove to
Russell yesterday afternoon to call upon the girl. He remained with her
during the afternoon and evening at her home and the family retired,
leaving the two together in the sitting room. ATHA declares that he was
lying upon the couch with his head in the girl's lap and that he fell
asleep. He says that he was suddenly awakened by a shot and sat upright
in time to see the girl fall back dead, with a bullet hole through the
right eye.

CHARLES ATHA is nineteen years old and is the son of WILL ATHA of
Chariton, who until six months ago, was foreman of a bridge gang on the
"Q" when he resigned to take charge of a dray line. The young man has
been employed on the bridge gang and his family have always been held in
esteem by the people of Chariton. Young ATHA and the DIXON girl have
been sweethearts for about a year and a half. Her father is a huckster
at Russell and the mother has been in the insane asylum twice.

The coroner's inquest adjourned late this afternoon with the verdict of
suicide and no apparent motive. MR. and MRS. JOE DIXON, father and
mother of the girl, were on the stand, and stated that they were
sleeping upstairs when the shooting occurred. They were aroused by the
explosion and came down, where they found CHARLES ATHA and the room full
of smoke. The revolver was on the floor and ATHA acted as one dazed.
He declared to them that he was asleep on the lounge with his head in
her lap when he was aroused by the explosion of the shot. The mother
declared that ROSA had been acting strangely of late and that she
disappeared for an entire day some times. When questioned by her father
as to where she had been, she declared that she had been in the haymow
all day. When asked what she was doing, she replied, "just thinking."
It developed in the cross examination of the witness that MRS. DIXON had
been twice an inmate of the insane asylum.

GLADYS DIXON, a sister, also testified that ROSA had been acting queerly
of late and was frequently found talking to herself.

CHARLES ATHA, the lover of the girl, went upon the stand and said that
the revolver was his and that he had brought it with him from Chariton.
He had kept it in his pocket and in some manner he believed that ROSA
had taken it from its place. He said that ROSA and himself were engaged
to be married; that they had never quarreled, and that so far as he
knew, everything was as pleasant as it could be. He had come to Russell
to take the girl back to Chariton in the buggy.

Letters were read which were found in the house, from ATHA to the girl,
and they all breathed the love he bore for her and no intimation of a
difference was found. The general sentiment in the community is to the
effect that the girl shot herself.
--DAILY CAPITAL.
___________________________________________

WILLIAM ATHA and family resided in this county for many years and will
be remembered by many JOURNAL readers, and the young man, CHARLEY, was
born in Leon.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
August 20, 200l