Obit of Hiram GIBBS (d.1893), Sibley Co., MN

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Sibley County Enterprise
Thursday 22 June 1893

SHOT OFF HIS HEAD!
Hiram Gibbs, of New Auburn Commits Suicide.
Despondency is Said to be the Cause of the Deed.
New Auburn, which is getting to be the suicide’s mecca, was the scene of
another self-murder Sunday.  Hiram Gibbs, a young man aged 20, is the
unfortunate victim.  The facts in the case as near as can be learned are as
follows:  Sunday morning he got up about daylight and took his gun and two
loaded shells and went out into the pasture back of the barn, about eighty
rods from the house, where he committed the awful deed by placing the
muzzle of the gun against the back of his head and setting off the trigger
with a stick.  When found at about eight o’clock the stick was still in
his hand.  The entire back of his head was blown off and death must have
been instantaneous.
The rest of the family was still abed when the terrible deed was committed
and som of them heard the shot which sent a loving some and brother into
eternity, but thought nothing of it, as it was the hunting season and
shooting is frequent in that neighborhood.  When the family arose and
noticed that Hiram had only taken a couple of shells with him, they
suspected something was wrong and made a search for him, but they had not
far to go, for the body could be seen from near the house.
The young man has been despondent and down-hearted for some time and this
is said to be the cause for the dreadful act.  He seemed to labor under the
impression that he did something wrong and that people shunned him for it. 
Last fall he left home and worked for his brother and this seemed to prey
on his mind as not having been right for him to do.  Saturday night he had
a long talk with his father and asked him whether he thought he did wrong. 
His father said no and tried to cheer him up, but it seems he did not
succeed.