Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Wright, Preston G. 1928 ************************************************ 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: Sandy Heintzelman sheintz@iserv.net November 7, 2009, 9:03 pm Belding Banner News, 10 May 1928 Carefully Plans Death, Then Suicides Life Long Resident Had Evidently Planned Event Several Months Ago. With a precision which allowed of nothing being overlooked, apparently, Preston G. Wright, aged 71 years and a life-long resident of this city and community, took his own life by shooting himself in the right temple shortly after retiring last Thursday evening. Mr. Wright had been despondent for some time and on Thursday he called on a number of his friends and appeared more despondent than ever. He went about the city and paid up a number of small accounts which he owed and then went home and took care of his horse and at the usual time retired to his rooms, which were on the second floor of the house he owned at the corner of Liberty and Front streets, the lower floor being occupied by Mrs. Myrtle Taylor. No shot was heard during the night and while the people downstairs heart Mr. Wright moving about in his apartment overhead and they think they heard the fatal shot, they thought nothing of it at the time and took it for the dropping of a shoe or the moving of a chair or something of that nature. When he failed to come down and rustle about as usual Friday forenoon, one of the people went up and knocked at Mr. Wright’s door. Receiving no response they called in a neighbor and on opening the door saw the tragedy that had been enacted. Mr. Wright had undressed himself, attired himself in his nightgown and night cap and was covered with the bed clothing. A 32-calibre revolver, with one exploded cartridge, still clasped in his right hand and a small, smoke- blackened hole just above the right temple, told the story. Police Chief Allen J. Russell, a son-in-law of the dead man, together with Mrs. Russell, a daughter, were called and they called Justice M.A. Reed and Dr. Hollard, the latter stating that death had been apparently brought about early in the evening. Ed. D. Engemann, editor of the Banner-News and a close confidant and friend of Mr. Wright, was called and he stated that he had been expecting this action on the part of Mr. Wright since some time last January, judging from things and plans which Mr. Wright had told him. For that reason, Judge Reed stated that it would not be necessary to hold an inquest. Numerous letters were found in his rooms, several of them having been written on Thursday night before he retired. These showed that he had carefully planned the deed and also showed that he had everything fixed and situated so that if everything went as he had calculated there would be no unpaid accounts against him and no estate to probate and settle up. Undertaker Bruce G. Fales was called and took the body to his funeral home where it was prepared for burial and the funeral was held from the Fales Funeral Home, Monday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock, Rev. H. E. Curch, former pastor of the Church of Christ, officiating and burial was in Otisco cemetery. A large number of people attended the funeral services and many people followed the remains to the cemetery. Mr. Wright was one of the oldest residents of this place. He was born in the house where Mr. and Mrs. Sam Houck now reside on W. Ellis avenue and had always resided here. His first marriage was an event of almost state wide comment, it having been performed on a platform in full view of a large concourse of people who were attending one of the annual fairs which were held at Cook’s Corners in those days. The prize which was awarded the bride and groom was a solid walnut bedroom suite, still in the possession of Mr. Wright at the time of his death. Mr. Wright was perhaps eccentric in some ways but had many admirable traits about him. He was a good mixer, ambitious, always willing to do a good turn and he has many friends throughout the community and country-side who will learn of his passing with genuine regret. A history of his life, just as he had written it and which he wished published is as follows: Preston G. Wright was born on the old Wright homestead now in the city limits of Belding, on February 1, 1857. He started his first school days at Cook’s Corners at the age of 6. His first teacher was Miss Elizabeth Granger. In the fall and winter of 1867 and 1868 the east part of the now G.A.R. hall was built and he started to school in the new school house, after the holidays in 1868, January 3rd. The teacher was Miss Amelia Sabin, who became Mrs. Jeff Godfrey afterwards and is still living, and I believe I am the only man living in Belding at the present time who attended the first school held in the new schoolhouse, in what was then called the Hoghole, or Patterson’s Mills. I attended school in this same schoolhouse until I was 21 years old, winters, there being no such a thing as graded schools those days. On September 24th, 1878 he was married to Miss Anna Dimick, of Grattan, who passed away on April 1, 1888, and to this union two daughters were born, Loretta A. Wright, born April 16, 1881. She was married to Harold Gardner, September 12, 1899. She passed away August 27, 1919. The other was Helen E. Wright, now Mrs. Clyde Knapp, of Pasadena, California. In 1889 he was married to Mrs. Etta Shaw, on June 26th, to this union one daughter was born, now Mrs. Allen J. Russell, of Belding, and one step-daughter, Mrs. Sattie Shaw-Tuttle, now wife of Allen Tuttle, also of Belding, said step-daughter being the same to him as his own child. Mr. Wright was a great lover of horses and he also broke horses for other people and he never found a horse that he could not learn to work or drive single, and why, because a horse is human, and he or she has got to be taught how and what you want them to do by kindness and by trying to show them what you expect them to do, and I claim that no horse was ever born balky or ugly but made so by the driver. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/w/wright1273nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 6.4 Kb