Attached are clippings from a book I have in my possession. The dates appear to be 1921-1922. All are Cass County related. Susan Norine Stice October 19, 2003 See copyright notice at bottom of file. ********************************************* JOHN A. CLARKE A SUICIDE Young Man, 24, Kill Self With a 20- Gauge Shotgun-Shot Through The Heart John Allen Clarke, the elder son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank J. Clarke, shot himself through the heart at about 4:45 o’clock this (Thursday) afternoon, dying almost instantly. He was 24 years of age, and the deed was committed in the pasture of “Jake” Davidson (colored) on Pine Street in the northeastern part of Harrisonville. The body was lying near a large tree, just across the alley, behind the residence of John Lee (colored). The gun, a double-barrelled, 20-gauge shotgun, was lying with the butt against the tree. The young man was seen crossing the pasture, evidently coming from Lake Avenue, but no attention was paid to the incident, since it was supposed he was going hunting. Soon a shot was heard, and people in the neighborhood saw a man staggering at the foot of the tree. Roy Jackson (colored), who lives on Pine Street, looked in the direction soon after the shot, and saw what he thought was a dog squirming on the ground. He went over to the tree and saw that it was a man. After shooting himself, the unfortunate young man staggered around, and there are patches of blood in the vicinity of the tree. It is supposed that he placed the butt of the gun against the tree, leaned against the muzzle, directly in front of his heart, and pulled the trigger. The charge went straight into the heart, making a clean round hole. The flesh around the wound is powder-burned. The gun, in falling, remained in the position he evidently held it just before pulling the trigger. Those who saw him after firing the gun, describe his actions as “jumping around”, which accounts for the several pools of blood near the tree. The right barrel of the gun was discharged, and death must have followed soon after. He made no outcry. The body was taken to the undertaking rooms of Runnenburger Bros. & Company, on North Independence Street, Frank E. Runnenburger, coroner for Cass county, said that the evidence of suicide was too plain to necessitate an inquest. John Allen Clarke was employed by a wholesale firm in Altus, Okla. In the capacity of stenographer. He had been in ill health for some time, but had secured a 20-day vacation, and had been visiting at the home of his parents for nearly four weeks. He had improved in health a little, but still complained of feeling bad. He was graduated from the Harrisonville High School with the Class of 915, after which he taught school for some time. Later he enlisted in a cavalry troop in Kansas City, after the United States had declared war on Germany, but later was transferred to an artillery outfit, being stationed at Jefferson Barracks, near Saint Louis, Mo. After the close of the war, he secured employment with the Oklahoma firm. Funeral arrangements will not be made until his two sisters, the Misses Marion and Helen Clarke, who are teaching in the public schools in St. Joseph, Mo., arrive here. Besides his two sisters and his parents, he is survived by a younger brother, Robert. ********************************************* USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and 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 presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for profit or any form of presentation, must obtain the written consent of the file submitter, or their legal representative, and contact the listed USGenWeb coordinator with proof of this consent.