The Lanark Gazette
Wednesday, June 22, 1887
DAVIS' DEATH
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Full particulars of the Suicide of M.R. Davis
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He was Without Money, could get no work and so Hanged Himself
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He did everything possible to mislead the authorities. – His body given christian burial in Michigan
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The Lanark party sent to Coloma to make investigations, returned yesterday afternoon, bringing Davis' remains with them.
Soon after the news of M.R. Davis' death reached Lanark preparations were made to send a party to Coloma, Mich. to make investigation and bring the remains home. The man selected for this important task was Prof. Oldt and he was accompanied by R.M. Stover and A.H. Hawk, relatives of the deceased. They started last Sunday morning. Monday a dispatch from them stated that there was conclusive evidence of suicide. They arrived home on the 4:40 train yesterday afternoon. We are indebted to Prof. Oldt for the following particulars:
We reached Coloma at about nine o'clock on Monday morning. Soon after our arrival we found R.R. Heuson [sic], the Justice of the Peace, who sent the letter to Carroll County. After making known the purpose of our visit, Mr. Henson showed us the effects of the deceased. A glance was enough to convince us that the dead man was no other than M.R. Davis. Among the effects we found a satchel, a pair of light pants, vest, alpaca coat, some shirts, handkerchiefs, clothes brush, buttons, thread, needles, quill toothpicks, one pocket-book containing 2 postage stamps, one pocket book containing a few name cards and a prescription for boot ointment on one of Dr. J. Haller and A. Shumway's old prescription papers, 15 postals, 2 knives, watch-key marked H.S. Puterbaugh, Jeweler, Lanark, Ill, his old cane, his straw hat and a ten-cent piece. His shirt and handkerchiefs were all marked B-70, a laundry mark. This was exactly as the Misses McCoy had told me they were marked. They also said that on the lapels of his shirs were his initials, M.R.D. These lapels, however, were all cut off. All the parties to the inquest and many others were seen during the day and closely questioned and the following facts learned.
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......a few hours on the streets talking with a number of men and boys. The general impression made on the minds of the people was that he was a "very pleasant and intelligent old gentleman". At 5:45 he ate a hearty supper after which he went to Wright & Vincent's store and bought five cents worth of three-eighths inch rope. He asked to have the rope tied up in a piece of paper. Then he proceeded toward Paw Paw Lake about a mile and a half from town. About half way out he overtook the Glidden boys with whom he had the conversation given in another part of this letter. He then evidently went to the lake and took a bath, and put on a clean shirt. At about half past eight he was met the second time by Mr. G. P. Williams between the town and the spot where he was found on Sunday morning. Before leaving the hotel he asked the land lord if he kept open all night. He said he closed early. Mr. Davis then said that he might not get back very early as he had some business to transact that evening. On Sunday morning at about seven o'clock he was found hanging from a limb of a walnut tree along the public highway. The limb from which he was found suspended projected out towards the road. Adjacent to this was a convenient crotch into which he had evidently climbed, tied the rope around the limb, fastened it about his neck, and dropped off. The distance from the limb to the ground was so short that by stretching out his legs to their full length he could have rested his feet on the ground. His knees were drawn up a little and his toes just touched the ground as the base of the tree. By the side of the tree lay his stick and hat and a piece of wrapping paper in which he had carried the rope. Mr. and Mrs. Becht, who discovered the body, informed Mr. Williams who lived about 15 rods away. Mr. W. then went to town and informed Justice R.R. Henson who promptly summoned a jury, and held an inquest, the result of which was as follows:
Inquest on a man found hanging by the neck on a walnut tree standing by side of road near the northwest corner of G.P. Williams' farm. His height 5' 9 ½", sandy complexion, blue eyes, heavy eye brows, slightly bald and grey, about 60 to 65 years old. Dressed in blue flannel suit, white shirt, undershirt and drawers of cotton, suspenders, pair button shoes, paper collar, plated collar button, fine black straw hat with cost mark dec myt, 7 1/8.
STATE OF MICH., )
County of Berrien )
An inquisition taken on the farm of G.P. Williams, in Township of Watervliet, in said county, on the 12th day of June A.D. 1887, before Rowley R. Hewson, one of the Justices of the Peace of said county, upon the view of the body of a person named in his memorandum, "C.B. Smith" then and there lying dead, by the oaths of the jurors whose names are hereto subscribed, who being duly sworn to inquire in behalf of the people of this state, when and in what manner, and by what means said person came to his death, upon their oaths do say that the said C.B. Smith on the 11th day of June 1887, in the Township and County aforesaid, on a cer-
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tain tree there standing and being, the said C.B. Smith being then and there alone, with a certain rope which he then and there had, and with one end thereof put about his neck, the other end thereof tied about the tree, himself then and there with the rope aforesaid voluntarily hanged and suffocated; and so the jurors aforesaid upon their oaths aforesaid say that the said Smith in the manner aforesaid voluntarily himself killed, strangled and murdered. In witness whereof the said Justice of the Peace and the jurors of this inquest have hereunto set their hands this 12th day of June 1887.
Dr. W. Ryno, Thomas Becker, Chester W. Gilson, C.P. Williams, A.S. Miller, W.H. Ball
Sworn and subscribed to before me this 12th day of June 1887.
Rowley R. Hewson, J.P.
Frank and Allen Glidden, sworn, say they met the party on what is called Gilson Hill. They were ahead. He called them saying, "Hold on, boys." They waited for him. After coming up to them he said, "How far is it to the lake?" "About a mile?" They said it was. He then asked, "Is it very deep, and do many go there?" We answered him in the affirmative. He then asked the nearest road, and then for the name of the stream that was near the hill. They told him it was the Paw Paw river. The following dialogue then ensued. "Is it very deep?" "It is in some places." "Does it come from Paw Paw Lake?" "It does." "Where does it empty?" "Into Lake Michigan." By this time they had reached Mr. William's corner and he asked if that was the place to turn. They told him it was. He then remarked that the roads were sandy here and that they were better in the winter than in the summer. They said "yes." He then said "Good bye, boys," and went on.
G.P. Williams, sworn, says that on yesterday, June 11, 1887, between 3 and 4 o'clock p.m., the party went south past his house toward Coloma and he noticed he was a stranger, from the clothes. Thinks the party hanged was the same person. Between 8 and 9 o'clock p.m. he met the same person going north on the same highway. Said "good evening" and the stranger replied with the same words. This morning at about 7 o'clock June 12, 1887, Mr. E. Becht drove up at his house and told him there was a man hanging on his walnut tree by the public highway. In company with Mr. Becht he went across the field and saw the man hanging in the tree. Noticed from his clothes that it was the same man he saw in the afternoon and again in the evening. Noticed he was dead and then notified Justice of the Peace, Rowley R. Heuson [sic], who proceeded at once to hold an inquest.
Mr. Will Wright, sworn, says that this party "C.B. Smith" came to his store at about 6 o'clock p.m. and asked if he kept rope. He then bought about 5 cents worth and asked that he wrap it in paper which he did. He paid the five cents and walked away. Did not see him again till this morning
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Mr. Davis evidently intended that none of his friends should ever learn of his whereabouts, as indicated by his cutting off the lapels of his shirts on which were marked his initials, his erasure of his name on the outside of his pocket book, and the following letter found in a little blank book in his vest pocket:
"June 11, 1887.
I have been trying for two days to find work but have failed to find any; am out of money and never in all my life begged a meal. I got my supper at the hotel and left my satchel there. I have ten cents in my pocket, all the money that I have in this world. To beg I won't, so I have come to the conclusion this evening to end my troubles. All the friends that I have are many miles away. So you need not try to look for them.
My name is C.B. Smith; at one time lived in Buffalo, N.Y.."
But he evidently forgot that thirty-nine years ago he wrote in an inside page of one of his pocketbooks, "Mathew R. Davis, March 25, 1848. Bought of R.R. Brush in Mt. Carroll, Ill."; also that his name was written on the bottom of his satchel.
It has frequently been asked why the authorities at Colma were so slow in writing to this county. They felt certain that his name was Smith. Albert Carter and his mother living in Coloma were almost positive that the man was Abner Smith whom they had formerly known at Depauville, N.Y. An answer to a telegram however, stated that Smith was at his home in New York, alive and well. On the evening of the day on which the inquest was held, E.J. Smith, a traveling man, drove to Coloma from Watervliet and gave a description of a C.B. Smith whom he had met last January in St. Joseph and who represented himself as traveling for a Chicago paint firm. He also said that this C.B. Smith had been in California, that his wife was living in Chicago, and that he had formerly resided at Buffalo. His description corresponding in almost every particular to the actual description of the deceased led the people to believe that this was the man.
In a few days it was learned that the man described by E.J. Smith was G.B. Smith (not C.B.) and that he was alive.
On Sunday afternoon, June 12th, the people gave Mr. Davis a Christian burial. He was taken to the church which was filled with an interested and excited audience. Rev. A. Taylor, the pastor of the M.E. church preached a short excellent sermon after which they buried him in the Coloma cemetery. Too much cannot be said in praise of the Coloma people for their treatment of the remains of Mr. Davis. They acted as only good people can act. They seemed to us more like Lanark people than like strangers in their anxiety to find out all they could about the cause of the suicide and in assisting us to a full knowledge of all that happened in that neighborhood.
Now the question arises, What made Mr. Davis do this very foolish thing? We cannot tell. We know that he has been a good citizen, severe in his condemnation of wrong, gentlemanly, and honorable in his dealings. We know that not long ago he owned land in Iowa and Nebraska, and lots in Council Bluffs and Lincoln. We have reas....
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om to believe that he sold his lands three or four months ago, and that he tried to buy property in California. We believe that in this latter transaction he, like many another "tenderfoot," was "taken in" and lost all he had. Once before he lost all, but he was then young and able to redeem himself. This time however he was old, - too old to begin anew. The future seemed dark. He did not propose to be a beggar, nor would he be dependent on his friends who we know would gladly have given him a home. The strain on his mind under these circumstances must have been severe. We cannot realize how much he suffered during the last five or six weeks of his life.
Mr. Davis left this town on Thursday June 9. The day before he mowed his cemetery lot. Mr. A.H. Hawk took him to Chadwick, where he gave Mr. Davis a stock pass to Chicago. Mr. Davis arrived in the city at 3 o'clock Friday morning, remained at the Transit House by the Stock Yards till 8 o'clock, when he went to Graham Dock where he took passage in a steamer which left at 9 o'clock. To the captain he gave his name as Smith from Buffalo. He arrived in Benton Harbor, ten miles south of Coloma, on Friday at 3 p.m. From this time to 3 p.m. Saturday he was on the road between the two above named towns. He spent some time at Riverside, an intervening station. He talked with everybody he chanced to meet about the country, crops, Lake Paw Paw, etc. All considered him perfectly sane and intelligent. At 4:40 on yesterday afternoon his remains were taken to their final resting place in our cemetery. A short service was held at the residence of the Misses McCoy where Elder Dennis made a few appropriate and comforting remarks. Hundreds of people met the remains at the depot and accompanied them to the place of interment. His relatives have the sympathy of this entire community in this hour of their grief over this unfortunate and mysterious suicide.
Some one has just asked "Why did he do this at Little Coloma?" We cannot positively answer. The whole affair is mysterious but we are not without reason to believe that the mystery will yet be resolved.
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From the Gazette Extra, Lanark, Ill, Saturday, June 18, 1887 [included at the end of the above article]
This morning at 10:02 Sheriff Snyder arrived in town from Mt. Carroll bringing news of the probably death of one or our citizens, Mr. M.R. Davis, who was visiting in Michigan. Mr. Davis went to Mich. Thursday, June 9, to visit friends and the suicide occurred on Saturday night. The description of the man and the papers found on his person leave little doubt of his being our Matt. Davis. We give a copy of the letter herewith:
Coloma, Mich, June 16, 87
To the Post Master at Mt. Carroll.
Dear Sir: - There was a man hung himself here on last Saturday night and he wrote in a small book he had that his name was C.B. Smith but at the inquest held on his body I find in a pocket book the following: "Mathew R. Davis, March 25, 1848
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of H. [torn] S. Puterbaugh, Lanark, Ill; description: hight [sic] 5ft, 9 ¾ in, sandy complexion, blue eyes, heavy eye-brows, slightly bald and grey, about 60 or 65 years old, dressed in blue flannel suit. Can you help us to find his friends.
Address,
Rowley R. Hewson, J.P.
Mr. Davis has long been a respected citizen of our town, having a large circle of friends and acquaintances. He was a real estate dealer and a prominent factor in county politics. He kept his accounts at the First National Bank where it was reported that he had made $500 in a deal when on the Pacific coast this spring, but as he had not opened a new account on his return, Mr. Paley's opinion was that he had been fleeced.
Sheriff Snyder, accompanied by Mrs. E. Stover, went to the McCoy residence to break the news. There they knew of nothing that would cause Mr. David to commit the terrible deed. They thought the description left little doubt of the suicide being Mr. Davis. Since his return from California he had been very reticent. He had sold his western land but would only say that he wanted the money on another deal.
Mr. Hewson was the man that held the inquest. It would seem that Mr. Davis had not yet reached his friends, or they would certainly have known him and have telegraphed here.
Mr. Davis was undoubtedly laboring under great mental strain, as the delusion about his being C.B. Smith shows. Mr. C.B. Smith, the state's attorney, is at home in Mt. Carroll and the description does not fit him.
Mr. H.C. McDonald, of Puterbaugh's east side drug store, says he sold Mr. Davis a watch key on his return from California.
Mr. Davis was related to a large number of our citizens, the nearest being Samuel McCoy, south of town, and the Misses McCoys, in the city, with whom he lived.
Mr. Davis came to this country about 1842. He was 61 years old.
The remains will be brought to Lanark as soon as possible.