One week, three suicides: Southern Iowa in 1884

Find a Grave photo

The deaths by suicide of two high-profile people were in the news last week, a public reminder that despair remains an active element in the human condition at a time when such occurrences rarely are reported upon --- other than in the cases of celebrities or other limited sets of circumstance.

I'm not qualified to speculate about cause, what we're generally told is an accelerating rate or preventive measures, but I can tell you --- after years of roaming the fields of archived newpapers --- that while suicide always has been with us, the reticence about reporting upon it has not.

I plugged the word "suicide" into the search engine of a Chariton newspaper database that I use frequently and that notes "hits" by decade. These are not reliable results --- the numbers of newspapers available per decade vary and there are many alternative terms for suicide. But the peak years for reports containing the word "suicide" were 1880-1910 --- 454 in the 1880s, 677 in the 1890s and 590 between 1900 and 1910. After 1910, the number of reports drops sharply; after 1940, into the double digits.

In at least one sense we might be grateful --- many of these reports were highly sensational, extremely detailed and generally ended with a paragraph of pontificating.

I pulled the 1880s up from that database yesterday and one of the first reports I came to was a full column of type on the local news page of The Chariton Democrat-Leader of Jan. 2, 1884, headlined "Self Destruction." It contained sub-headed reports of the deaths at Belinda on the Lucas-Marion county line of Benjamin Franklin "Frank" Byers, age 19; of Frank Fee, age 20, the son of a prominent Centerville family; and of Humilda "Milla" Hibbets, age 18, in northwest Monroe County's Cedar Township.

Here are those reports --- and if reading the extreme detail some of them contain will cause you distress, please don't.

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SELF DESTRUCTION

Suicide at Belinda

BELINDA, IOWA, Dec. 26 --- The most shocking tragedy that ever occurred in this community was enacted at the residence of Mr. A.R. Byers on Christmas night, which resulted in the death of his son Frank, who was found on the following morning in the barn hanging by the neck, cold in death. The deed was done between the hours of 10 at night and daylight of the following morning. He left the residence of Mr. Selby, a neighbor, living some 3 miles distant from his father's, about 10 o'clock Christmas night. Nothing more was seen of him until daylight on the following morning when his youngest brother, on going to the barn to feed, discovered his body hanging in the shed of the barn. He immediately gave the alarm, and in an incredible space of time almost the entire community was present to witness the terrible spectacle. A coroner was summoned and a jury selected to hold an inquest which resulted in a verdict that death was caused by the dislocation of the neck.

The deceased was 19 years of age, a young man of temperate habits, a gentleman in every respect and a member of the Christian church. Since joining that church almost two years ago he has lived a model christian, always standing in the shadow of the cross with the whole armor of God on, assisting those who are fighting against the wiles of the wicked one, that they might cross the river of death in safety and enter that city whose maker and builder is God.

That a young man having a good home, loving parents, affectionate sister and brothers, and with bright hopes for the future, shold destroy that which God gave him, in such a way, it would be nothing more than reasonable to say he was in an abnormal state of mind when the deed was done. But we can only leave him in the hands of a wise and merciful God who doeth all things well. The parents and family have the heartfelt sympathy of the entire community in their affliction.

A second account of the suicide, which I've not transcribed, contained the additional information that Frank and his father had "been to Knoxville during the day (Christmas). As they returned home the father stopped in the village of Columbia. Without entering the house the young man took his horse and went to a neighbor's house to spend the evening. While there the conversation turned upon the suicide of Miss Tibbets, Byers expressing great surprise that a person could deliberately take his own life while in the full possession of his senses. He stayed there until a late hour and appeared as jovial and happy as anyone." A report of Milla Hibbet's suicide will be found farther along.

SUICIDE AT CENTERVILLE

A young son of Capt. T.M. Fee, of Centerville, suicided on Christmas morning. The Journal gives the following account of the matter:

Yesterday morning while many of our citizens were at the table enjoying their Christmas breakfast, the startling report was telephoned over the city and went from mouth to mouth that Frank Fee, son of Capt. T.M. Fee, lay in the agonies of death at the door of his father's law office, with a 38-calibre pistol shot in his head, the work of his own hand. With others we hastened to the scene and found the report fully verified. The body was then lying in the hall, with a bullet hole just above and back of the right ear, extending through and passing out a little higher up on the left side. The head was lying in a pool of cold clotted blood, while a heavy, labored breathing showed that life was not yet extinct. He had evidently lain there for several hours before being discovered. The body was carried into the office where the wounds were examined by Dr. Udell and pronounced mortal. About nine o'clock he was taken to his father's residence where he lingered until 8-1/2 p.m. when life departed.

He was at the Christmas tree festival of the Presbyterian Church Monday night and received several presents, and at the close of the entertainment accompanied a young lady to her home, and was on the streets soon after, with young men of his companionship. He visited Dr. Stephenson, who is a relative of his, and bid him goodbye, saying he was going to leave town in the morning never to return. Something appeared to be preying on his mind, as he was at the office of the Keystone hotel between two and three o'clock, smoking and chatting with Capt. Boyles, Marshal Stier and Daily Joiner, and related to Joiner what he termed his troubles, which in all probability were only imaginary. Joiner left him at three o'clock in the morning and went home, and young Fee left the hotel shortly afterwards and was seen no more till found as above stated. He probably committed the deed shortly after this. From the position of the body when found, he evidently lay down square on his back and deliberately fired the fatal shot. His hat was drawn tightly over his head, the revolver laid on the floor between his body and left arm, with all the chambers loaded but one.

Frank Fee would have been 21 years old next May. He was disposed to be dissolute, cultivated habits of idleness, read dime novels and Peck's Bad Boy, and seldom heeded the advice of this father.

STILL ANOTHER SUICIDE

Miss Humilda Hibbets, a daughter of Omer Hibbets, a well to do farmer of Cedar township (Monroe County), committed suicide at her home, on Wednesday last week. At about one o'clock of that day she was found hanging in the smoke house, a lifeless corpse. It is thought she committed the fearful deed at about 9 o'clock that morning. She was found hanging by a leather strap about seven feet long, one end fastened to a joist and the other looped about her neck, her feet being 2 or three feet from the floor. It is supposed that she climbed upon the joist, adjusted the strap at both ends and then jumped off. A coroner's inquest was held by Justice Swan, of Lovilla, but nothing was developed to explain why the girl took her life. Miss Hibbets was 18 years of age, and was engaged to be married to a worthy young farmer living near Eldorado. She was intelligent, and of prepossessing appearance. This is the second suicide in Monroe county for this year. --- Albia Democrat

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Frank Byers --- a photo of his tombstone found at Find a Grave introduces this article --- is buried not far from my grandparents in the Columbia Cemetery. Franklin M. "Frank" Fee is buried with his family in Centerville's Oakland Cemetery. Milla Hibbets most likely is buried with her family in the cemetery at Marysville, northwest of Lovilla, but her grave does not seem to be marked.