Deaths in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri >From "History of Greene County, Missouri," St. Louis: Western Historical Company, 1883. ********************************************************************** 1866 - October 10th, a twelve year old lad named George Benton was drowned in the public school well. His hat had fallen in the well, and he was descending for it, when the wall crumbled and fell with him into the water. 1869 - August 17th, the sheriff, Capt. Budlong, and James Long, the city marshal, arrested a man named J. J. Leeper, for killing another man named Ferguson at the old fort, near town. The killing was done with a stone of several pounds weight, with which Ferguson's skill was crushed. 1869 - September 3rd, a Mrs. Clark, wife of a lumber man of Spring- field, was filling a lamp with coal oil from an ordinary can. The lamp was not lighted, but a fire was burning close by in an open fire place. From some unknown cause the oil ignited, the can in Mrs. Clark's hands exploded, scattering the burning oil over her and her three daughters who were close about her. The two younger daughters died from the effects of their burns, the mother was in a very danger- ous condition, and the older daughter was painfully injured, but not seriously. 1870 - April 12th, a boy named Richard Fitzgerald was accidently shot and killed in the laundry room of the Lyon House. A colored boy, Albert Abernatty, was playing with a pistol when the boy Fitzgerald came up and wanted to look at it, and was in the act of taking it when the pistol was accidently discharged, causing death in twenty minutes. 1870 - June 30th, a well digger named David Smith was suffocated in a well which he was digging for Col. Young, on South street. The body was recovered by a negro man, named Charles Womack. 1870 - December 15th, a man named Morgan, a painter, shot his wife, making a dangerous but not fatal wound, and then in a few minutes he committed suicide by shooting himself through the brain. The couple had separated, and Morgan was trying to induce his wife to live with him again. There were evidences that he was insane. 1872 - December, Dan Whitfield shot and killed Bob Fitzhugh, as the latter was coming out of the house of T. J. Keet, where the wife of Whitfield was employed as a servant. The shooting was done at about 4 o'clock in the morning. All of the parties were negroes. Also in December, Bob Wyatt, another negro, was killed in the jail under the following circumstances: He had been arrested for some misdemeanor and confined to jail. The marshal ordered him out to work on the streets, but the negro refused. When visited again after two days, it was found that he had a revolver which he brandished about, and with which he threatened to shoot any one that interfered with him. In attempting to remove him from his cell, he drew his revolver on the marshal, and was immediately shot and killed by the deputies. 1875 - March 24th, Dr. J. C. Reed died of pneumonia, aged 56, and on the 8th of April, Dr. A. A. Shutt committed suicide by shooting him- self while alone in his office, on the corner of College street and the public square. He left a wife and three children. The cause of his suicide was supposed to be financial embarrassment. Mrs. Mary Picher, a daughter of Col. Henry Sheppard, died about September 1, at Longansport, Ind., while on her way to Clifton Springs, N. Y. The body was brought home and buried in Springfield. 1875 - May 18th, William Barren, a tinner, aged about 40, fell dead in the alley at the northeast corner of the public square. The verdict of the corner's jury was that the death was "superinduced by intoxica- tion." 1875 - November 5th, Amanda Collins, living in the south part of town, killed her husband, James Collins, by crushing in his skull with an ax. The cause, as shown, was his ill treatment of her and threats to "fix her with a knife," he being jealous of her. The woman gave herself up. A little boy nine years of age witnessed the killing. Collins and his wife were negroes. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Joe Miller Penny Harrell ====================================================================