Iowa Old Press
Alton Democrat
May 16, 1891
NEWS FROM LE MARS.
SUICIDE AND ATTEMPTED MURDER
A very exciting time was witnessed Monday, when the news came to the ears of
the inhabitants of the city that Thos. Saunders shot his mother-in-law and
then committed suicide. There seems to have been considerable rangling and
dissatisfaction in the Saunders family for a long time caused by the ever
dreaded mother-in-law, as this end leads us to believe. Mr. Saunders’s wife
has lately been living in town with her mother and from all indications, was
on the eve of applying for a divorce. Saunders, as a man with common sense,
knew that it didn’t take long to go through a small fortune when a person
goes fooling with the law. He came to town Monday with the intention of
making a settlement. He attended to some other business and then proceeded
to the house of his mother-in-law, Mrs. Lidster, in the south part of town.
There was where the trouble commenced by a quarrel and in his passion he
pulled a 38 caliber revolver from his pocket and opened fire on Mrs.
Lidster. He shot three times. The first shot missed the target, the second
hit Mrs. Lidster in the shoulder, when she staggered and fell. He, thinking
she was dead, put the revolver in his mouth and fired, the ball coming out
at the top of his head. The coroner was sent for, then the body was removed
to Beely & Fissel’s undertaking rooms, where an inquest was held. The
verdict was as follows:
STATE OF IOWA, Plymouth County
An inquisition holden at LeMars in Plymouth County, Iowa, on this 11th day
of May, 1891, before J. C. McMahan, coroner of said county, upon the body of
said Thomas Saunders lying here dead by the jurors whose names are hereto
subscribed. The said jurors upon their oathe do say that Thomas Saunders
came to his death from a pistol shot fired by his own hand on the 11th day
of May, at LeMars, Iowa, while temporarily insane. In testimony whereof the
said jurors have here unto set their hands the day of the year aforesaid.
~B. Love, James McCartney, James Mohan.
J.C. McMahan, Coroner.
The deceased was one of Stanton township’s most enterprising farmers and was
in good financial circumstances and has many warm friends in that
neighborhood, who were grieved to hear of such a death. He has relatives
living in this county and his father lives in Union county, S.D., near
Calliope. The funeral took place Wednesday.
~Samuel Albright, Supt. of the Gas Works, passed from our midst last Sunday
morning. The Masons had charge of the funeral and his remains were shipped
back to Grafta, West Virginia, Monday evening.