James Whitesel Hayworth
HAYWORTH, J.W. – Ft. Worth, Tex.,
Nov. 3. –
The
body of a suicide was discovered in the Clear Fork Creek this morning at an
early hour by a man crossing the bridge on the short road to the White
Settlement. It was lodged in a treetop extending into the water a short distance
below the bridge. Justice Milam was summoned to view the body and following
facts were:
The dead man was J.W. Hayworth, age about 50 years, an invalid from consumption,
who had been a resident of Ft.
Worth
since the 20th of July last, coming from
Cleburne. He lived on the river bottom about
200 yards from where his body was found in a single room tenement with his wife
and five small children – all girls. He arose about 4 o’clock this morning
without waking any of the family and clad in only his night clothing, walked to
the bridge and jumped off on the west side. He stood for some time before making
the leap to his death, as the surroundings indicated. J.H. McHam, who lives a
few yards of the south end of the bridge, heard the splash of the body when he
plunged into the water and afterward heard groans, but supposing it was a dog,
went to sleep again. Mrs. Hayworth was seen by a News representative after the
body had been taken to the morgue and she stated that her husband had been an
invalid for some years. They had formerly lived in Missouri and afterwards in
Arkansas where, in
Cherokee
City,
her husband had been a minister of the Gospel for eleven years, of the Christian
denomination. Mrs. Hayworth said that she herself had been under the doctors
care for some weeks and unable to work. They had rented the house in which they
were living for ten days, having only money enough to pay for that length of
time and the rent was up today. She was of the opinion that her husband had
become disheartened over his own illness and the sad plight of the family and in
this downcast state of mind had taken his life.
A week ago, she said he had declared he would end his existence and had
started for the river but his little girls had overtaken him and persuaded him
to return. They had been promised work today but it was too late to help the
husband and father. [Benton
County
Democrat
12/28/99]
OBITUARIES
OF BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS - Volume 2,
page
28-29 – 1899-1904
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