Frederick County MD Archives Obituaries.....Elwood A. TROUT, January 16, 1930 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/md/mdfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Mark Ault meault@yahoo.com November 12, 2008, 2:09 pm The Frederick Post, Frederick, Maryland, Friday Morning, January 17, 1930 Page 1, column 4 ELWOOD TROUT KILLS HIMSELF WITH SHOTGUN Mother of 21-Year-Old County Youth Finds Body Elwood A. Trout, 21, son of Mr. and Mrs. Grover Cleveland Trout, of Walkersville, committed suicide early Thursday morning by blowing off the top of his head with a discharge from a shotgun. His body was found about two hours later by his mother, beside a chicken-house, a short distance from the home. No motive for the act could be given by members of the family. Young Trout arose about 5.30 o’clock Thursday morning and at 6 o’clock went to the barn to milk. He was in a cheerful frame of mind, it was said, and shortly afterward left with the remark that he was going to look at his traps along the Monocacy river, which runs close to the Trout farm. It was said that Trout was an experienced trapper and had set traps for muskrats. After completing their chores, his brothers and sisters, who had gone to the bar with Elwood, returned to the house for breakfast. The missing youth did not appear and his mother, who feared that he had possibly met with some mishap along the Monocacy, instituted a general search for him. While other members of the family were scouring the river banks and other sections of the farm, Mrs. Trout looked nearby and suddenly made the gruesome discovery of her son’s body beside the chicken-house. Lying beside the body was a single-barrelled, breech loading shotgun which he had placed against the roof of his mouth and a ten-inch iron rod, which was evidently used to push the trigger of the weapon as it rested against a stone foundation at the building. Milker at the barn, in operation at the time, are believed to have drowned the sound of the discharge. Justice Sherman P. Bowers, who was summoned to the scene, together with Sheriff W. C. Roderick, rendered a verdict of suicide and deemed an inquest unnecessary. Dr. J. W. Long, Walkersville, was first summoned to the scene. The night before his death, Trout, together with a boy friend, attended the St. John’s Athletic Club-Brunswick Independents’ basketball game in this city. He returned home in a cheerful frame of mind, it was said, which contrasted to his apparent moodiness at the game. He was unmarried and left no notes to indicate a reason for his suicide. No further investigation into the case will be conducted by county officials, it was stated Thursday. In addition to his father and mother, young Trout is survived by the following brothers and sisters, Wilbert, Walkersville; Melvin, Arthur, Gilmore, Harold, Nelson, Lillian, Pauline and Maxine Trout, all at home. His grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Trout, Walkersville, also survive, together with a number of uncles and aunts. Funeral Saturday afternoon at 1 o’clock, with services at the home. Interment in Mt. Hope cemetery, Woodboro. K. G. Putman, funeral director. This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mdfiles/ File size: 3.4 Kb This file is located at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/md/frederick/obits/t/trout-ea.txt