The Aberdeen Journal Friday, Nov 24, 1922
BODY OF FARMER FOUND YESTERDAY
Jesse Phipps Worries over Farm Debts Until He Takes Suicide Way Out of Difficulties - Nephew Finds Headless Body
Jess Phipps, a farmer who had made his home in Brown County for the past seventeen years, ended his life through a carefully planned suicide yesterday afternoon at the farm home of his nephew, Leonard Vandover. A gruesome sight met the young nephew as he entered his home from a business trip to Aberdeen yesterday afternoon and found the headless body of his uncle in a rocking chair near a window.
The story of the suicide is very sadly received by a host of friends of the man gained in his seventeen years’ residence in the vicinity of Gage.
Financial Worries Cause
The deceased held a sale of his farm equipment a few weeks ago, from which he hoped to net enough cash to meet all his debts. He was disappointed in this, friends say, and since that time he had worried over his financial troubles until his mind became unbalanced.
The story of the suicide is told in an interview with Mrs. I. C. Vandover, twin sister of the deceased and mother of the young man who found the lifeless body, as follows: “Jesse had lived on a rented farm a half mile north of our farm home for the past few years and as he is unmarried he had a man and wife living with him and assisting him with the house and farm work. "He visited at our home many times but had not lived there. A few weeks ago he had a sale of his livestock and farm equipment and had hopes of meeting all his debts with the money from it. He didn’t get enough, for the livestock and machinery only brought him $1,200, and he had been worrying about his debts ever since. “He had been working for Clark Gage since the sale and has been living at Gages, where my son Leonard has also been living, while Leonard’s wife is teaching. “Yesterday morning Mr. Gage and Leonard went to town and asked Jesse to go with them, but he said he wanted to hunt. Mrs. Gage says he left the house about 10 o’clock, taking Mr. Gage’s gun, a single barreled 12-gauge shotgun. “He went toward the farm house of Leonard Vandover and did not return for dinner. Shortly after dinner Mr. Gage and Leonard got back from town and in the late afternoon Leonard went to his own home to do the chores. “When he got to the house he found a letter from Mrs. Vandover and he was opening this as he went into the house and discovered the body of his uncle and ran back to Gages to get help and to notify the county authorities.”
Dr. M. C. Johnston, coroner, found the body of the dead man just as his nephew had found him.
Pulled Trigger With Foot
The man evidently had carefully planned his death. Taking a strap, he wrapped it around the trigger of the gun and then around his right foot. He placed the butt of the gun against the baseboard, and holding the barrel firmly in line with his head, pulled the trigger by raising his foot. The bullet shot true and tore Phipps’ face and head beyond recognition above the chin level, causing instant death. The body was taken to Aberdeen after examination by the county authorities.
Funeral services will be held tomorrow from the Huebl undertaking parlors at 2:30 pm. Before the body is shipped to Mapleton, Ia., where his aged parents survive him with three brothers and four sisters.
The Mapleton Press Thursday, November 30, 1922
DICK PHIPPS A SUICIDE.
BODY BROUGHT HERE FOR BURIAL
FUNERAL SERVICES SUNDAY AT FAMILY HOME.
Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon at the home of Mr. and Mrs. D. T. Phipps on First street for their son, Jesse, known to most of his friends here as “Dick,” who committed suicide one day last week by shooting himself in the head with a shot gun, which almost blew one side of his head away.
The remains reached here Sunday morning from Aberdeen, S.D., near which place Mr. Phipps had farmed for the past several years. The interment was in the Heisler cemetery.
Jesse, commonly known as “Dick” Phipps was born at Mapleton, Iowa, Nov. 27, 1882, and died at Aberdeen, S.D., Nov. 23, 1922, lacking only four days of being 40 years old. The deceased maintained his residence at Mapleton until about nine years ago when he moved to his farm twelve miles north of Aberdeen, S.D., where he has since resided. He had never married so lived the life of a bachelor on his South Dakota farm.
He leaves to mourn his loss his aged parents, Mr. and Mrs. D. T. Phipps of Mapleton; sisters, Mrs. Lottie Barnete and Mrs. C. W. Pauley of Sioux City, Mrs. I. C. Vandover of Aberdeen, S.D., and Mrs. LeRoy Wendt of Hornick; brothers, Frank of Cherokee, Iowa, Thomas and Wayne of Mapleton. The sympathy of the community goes out to those who mourn the loss of this their loved one. The funeral was conducted at the residence of the parents las Sunday at 2:00 p.m., B. H. Coonradt, pastor of the Church of Christ, officiating.
~Transcribed by volunteer researchers, Kathy Smith & Linda Ziemann