WILL DAUM SUICIDES

Prominent Farmer Takes His Own Life Without any Known Reason.

This community was startled last Friday morning by the report that William F. Damn, a prominent and prosperous farmer giving one mile south and half a mile west of Liberty Center, had taken his own life, a thing unbelicveable until the report was confirmed by undisputed evidence.

Mr. Daum arose with the family at the usual early hour Friday morning and was doing his usual chores while his son George attended to the milking. He passed through the barn just as George was finishing milking a heifer with which he was having some trouble, but no words were exchanged and Mr. Daum passed out ahead of George and entered the house. George and his mother, who was feeding the chickens, were just getting ready to separate the milk when George heard a dull report in the house and remarked to Mrs. Daum that something was wrong in there. He went into the kitchen and from there into the living room from where he could see his father lying on the floor of the bedroom in a pool of blood. He went out and stopped his mother, who was about to enter the house and told her what had happened. At this time Vane Saul, who was driving his cows to the barn from a field directly across the road from the Daum residence, and who also heard the report, came over and he also went in and saw that Mr. Daum had taken his life. Mrs. Daum was taken to the Saul home, nearby, and relatives notified, as was the coroner.

As is usual in cases of this kind people can look back and recall strange actions on the part of the victim of an overt act, but really the actions of Mr. Daum were not such as to lead anyone to think that his mind was unbalanced, his family relations were pleasant and he had no financial bothers worth mentioning. The home farm consists of 80 acres, 40 acres of the old Meed homestead and 40 acres of the Widow Layhee farm. He had recently purchased the George Saul farm of 10 acres and contemplated moving onto it this spring, leaving the home farm to the management of George. Only a few weeks ago he said to his brother Charles that he was well pleased that he had not gone so heavily in debt as some farmers when war-time prices for farm products prevailed and that he was not worried about what little he owed.

On entering the house Mr. Daum had evidently gone directly to the bedroom, reached in tne closet and got a shotgun which stood in the corner, stood in the door facing in, placed the muzzle of the gun against his forehead and pulled the trigger. The gun was a heavy duck gun, he and his brother Charles both having purchased one when still living on the old home farm on the river, and the entire top of the head of the unfortunate man from the Bridge of the nose was blown off.

Funeral services were held at St. John's Reformed church in this place Sunday afternoon.

Mr. Daum leaves a wife, two daughters, two sons and several brothers and sisters and the immediate family and relatives have the deepest sympathy of the community.