Beckham County, OK - Deaths: Karl Kemp, Sr., 1905
25 August 2008
Submitted by: delma25@pldi.net (Delma Tindell)

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KEMP, KARL Sr.
(7 Jun 1905, Roger Mills Democrat, Elk City, Beckham Co, OK):
Found Dead.
We are indebted to the Sunbeam for an account of what appears to be a case
of foul play, in the case of the death of Karl Kemp, sr.  Kemp was found
dead and alone, Sunday morning of last week, at his home, one mile east of
Cheyenne.  It seems that he had been left thus alone by his wife who had
spent the past week with their son who lives several miles from his
father.  The old gentleman, it seems, was sick when his wife left him and,
when, a week later he was found by his son, he had been dead several days.
 An inquest was held, and the condition of the body created a suspicion
that poison had been used, and was the cause of death.
Kemp was a well-to-do German farmer, having a very poor use of English,
and for that reason, but little was known of him by the neighbors.  A
suspicious circumstance, which is only a circumstance, is the fact brought
to the attention of the coroner's jury, that Kemp, Jr., had inquired of
the price of coffins and cemetery lots, before his father's death.
(9 Jun 1905, Cheyenne Sunbeam, Cheyenne, Roger Mills Co, OK):
Karl Kemp, sr., was found dead at his home one mile east of town last
Sunday under circumstances pointing to criminal negligence, or worse.
He was a German of some means, and his ability to speak English was
extremely limited.  On account of this he had few acquaintances and fewer
friends in the community, living a kind of hermit life.
His wife was with their son, Karl Kemp, jr., who lives a few miles west of
town.  It appears that the old man was sick last Sunday week, and was left
absolutely without attention.  When found Sunday morning by his son, he
appeared to have been dead several days, being in advance state of
putrifaction (sic).
Judge Gilkerson, acting coroner, summoned a jury and held an inquest on
the body.  The evidence disclosed the above facts, and also showed that
Karl Kemp, jr., had made inquiries concerning coffins and cemetery lots
while his father was yet alive.
A post mortem examination of the body was made by Dr. J. E. Standifer,
which showed that the stomach and adjacent organs were in a high state of
inflamation at the time of death.  Suspecting poison, the organs were
preserved for chemical analysis.
The coroner's jury was adjourned for further investigation, and at time of
going to press had not made their report.

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