Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Peck, Horace 1896
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Ionia Weekly Standard, 11 Dec 1896

Suicide!

Horace Peck, of Keene, Takes Morphine.

Despondent From Financial Reverses, In Spite of the Watchfulness of Family, He
Succeeds in His Design.

Horace Peck, a long-time and respected citizen of Keene, died Monday night from
the effects of a dose of morphine taken by himself, secretly, with suicidal intent.

From what is learned, it appears that he was well off, but lost a large amount
in some lumber business about 14 years ago, and that the loss preyed upon his
mind, causing him to become somewhat despondent.  His house burned soon after,
causing a loss of about $500 by fire.  This aggravated the melancholy tendency
of his disposition.  He had a good farm on which there was a mortgage, and the
difficulty of removing the mortgage worried him constantly.  A suicidal
disposition manifested itself and required the constant watchfulness of the
family.  His ideas all seemed to run toward poison, and after attempting his
life once, the Saranac druggists were warned not to sell him, and care was
exercised that he went to no other town alone.

Saturday morning he made an excuse to see a neighbor on business, but the boys
soon took the alarm and went to Lowell.  They met their father coming out as
they entered town, and as he appeared all right they turned around and went home
with him.  After they arrived home his clothes were searched thoroughly, but no
poison was found, and it was concluded that he got none.  His general health was
affected, and nothing was thought of it when he failed to rise early Monday
morning.  When urged to get up, he did so, but he soon afterward presented
indications of poison, and Dr. Power of Saranac was sent for.  The doctor worked
over him faithfully until 7 Monday eve., when he gave up, and the patient soon
after died.  Morphine was later found concealed in the band of his drawers,
where he doubtless hid it at Lowell.

Deceased was 51 years old, and leaves a wife and four sons, all grown to
maturity.  One son is married and lives at Lyons, and another in Montcalm
county.  The other two sons were living at the parental homestead.  Deceased was
a kind-hearted, honorable citizen, generally liked and respected, and the
occurrence is a cause of general sorrow in the neighborhood.  His home was near
Keene Grange Hall, 4 ½ miles northwest of Saranac.

[Transcriber’s note:  There is a notation on the obituary card that he was
buried in Saranac Cemetery.]


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