Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries..... Harrison, Homer October 13, 1899 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Patricia Currigan currigan1932@comcast.net November 24, 2022, 1:46 pm Lake Odessa Wave Friday October 20, 1899 HOMER HARRISON Grows Weary of this Life commits Suicide By shooting himself Through the Head With an Old Revolver Last evening (Friday) at about 5:30 o'clock Manager Weed received a telephone message from north of town that a man had shot himself. A reporter on the Wave was apprised of the news, and a horse and buggy was at once procured, and in company with Mr.C.F. Braden, drove out to the scene of the shooting, arriving there about seven o'clock. Upon stopping at the home of Mr.J.W. Ireman, we were informed that the deed had been committed on his farm by a Mr.Homer Harrison, who was husking corn for him. We then drove to Mr. Harrison's home, a half mile farther down the road, where we found Mrs.Harrison and her two sons by her first husband, at home, and to all appearances as indifferent as though nothing had happened, and who willingly told us all the circumstances of the case.Harrison was husking corn for Mr.Ireman, and was working alone yesterday, his home being but a short distance from where he was working. His wife stated that when he ate his dinner he was feeling in hi usual spirits, ad she noticed nothing wrong with him, and that he kissed her as he always did when leaving her to go work. At about 3:45 o'clock in the afternoon eleven-year Elijah Hare a neighbor boy, upon coming home from School and passing the field where Harrison had been at work, saw a man struggling on the ground in the field, about 20 yards from the road fence, he climbed over the fence and walked over to the man and saw that it was Harrison and that he had shot himself, as a revolver lay near by and blood was flowing from a wound in his head.He ran to the house and told Mrs.Harrison, who at first thought the boy was joking, but as he seemed so serious, she finally thought it might be so, and hastened to the field, and sent the boy to tell a neighbor. Harrison was found but life was extinct. A few of the neighbors gathered, and the remains carried to the house by Mr.Ireman, Tom Little, Fred Chapman, and John Miske. he was found laying partly on some corn fodder, a shock of which he had just begun to husk. His husking gloves, peg and account book were found laying upon a measure full of corn, and the revolver lay as he had dropped it after committing the deed. The revolver was an old cheap affair, 32 calibre, rim fire, and contained but three shells when found, only one of those having been shot off. The gun was probably held quite chose to his head as the hair was singed and the side of this head sightly powder burnt. The ball entering just below the right temple, but did not come out. The account book left upon them measure full of corn contained memoranda of work he had been doing recently, and monies received, and the following farewell notes to his wife brother and sisters and friends, which explain the cause of his doing such as act. Odessa,Oct.16, 1899 "Well, My dear friends. I am tired of this world, there seems to be nothing but sorrow and troubles for me here, and there seems to be only one way to free myself of all troubles and that is to leave the world and all my troubles behind me. I have tried hard to free myself of my troubles by hard work, but I can not do it, so I will bid you all goodbye below and pray that I may meet you all in heaven where all is love and that I may meet you all in Heaven, and we may all find rest in Jesus. Good Bye" Homer Harrison Odessa Oct 16.1899 "My dear brother and sister, I fear insanity, so I will bid you all good bye. Please do not mourn for me for I do want to meet you all in Heaven where our dear Savior is, and may he have mercy upon us all, and I do hope you will all put your trouble in Jesus, praise the Lord always for his tender mercy towards all, from your brother, Good bye dear ones, do not weep for me for I am going home to rest." Homer Harrison "Dear Augusta, I hope to meet you all in Heaven.I cannot stand it to live this way any longer." Homer "My dear wife. I thought I would put an end to my suffering, please do not weep for me for I am going home to die no more and may God in heaven have mercy upon us all. From your kind and loving husband, Good bye." Mrs. Harrison upon being questioned said; "they had been married about a year and a half; she getting a divorce from her former husband, a Mr.Zander, about two years ago. She said that their union had been very pleasant, that Mr.Harrison had been ailing and had doctored ever since they had been wed, at times he complained terribly of his sickness; which he seemed unable to explain, and that he had said before that he would end his troubles some day.He was 35 years of age had a brother in Olive Center Mich., and two sisters,Mrs. Ella Shuler, and Mrs.Ida Parmater, in Luther, Mich. but no other near relatives. He had been married before his first wife dying. They were very poor and his not being able to have good clothes and go to church hurt him, as he was unable to work much to earn the necessities of life." Mrs.Harrison broke down many times while telling her story and wept bitterly, and said she would soon follow him. Her two sons tried to comfort their mother the best they knew how, and they complaining that the neighbors were not treating them right as none had been in since the shooting, and all seemed so indifferent toward them and did not offer to help them in their trouble. G. A. Weed, Dr. Snyder and Deputy Sheriff Lowrey arrived upon the scene at about 8 o'clock. A jury was summoned presided over by Justice Fox, who after going over the details and examining several witnesses, returned a verdict that the said Homer Harrison came to his death by his own hand, etc. Upon talking with a neighbor we heard that his family relations were not of the very pleasantest and that he was of but little account at the best, and none seemed much concerned over his demise, as he was not good to himself or to those around him, and the matter is causing but very little excitement in the neighborhood. The funeal will be held in the Berlin M.E.church, Sunday afternoon at two o'clock. Rev. Kock officiating. Additional Comments: Lakeside Cem.#2-256 E File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/h/harrison44438nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 7.1 Kb