Master Guitar

       Erastas Callahan, a respected, industrious and well-known citizen of Owen Township, committed suicide early Sunday morning, at his home near Goss Chapel by shooting himself with a revolver.
      Mr. Callahan had been sick for about two months past and for the past week had been confined to his bed. He was afflicted with stomach trouble and at times suffered intense pain.
     Saturday night he remarked to his son that if he did not get better by one o'clock he would end his sufferings, intimating that he would shoot himself. His son remonstrated with him against such action and the subject was dropped.
      Two of his sisters and his brother-in-law, Thomas Nelson, was at the house at the time and were sitting up with him. He told his sisters to go to bed, saying that his son and Tom could take care of him. Between one and two o'clock he seemed to be suffering a great deal and asked Mr. Nelson to get a hot plate off of the stove and when he returned, the sick man was examining his revolver which he always kept under the pillow. He had previously sent his son out after wood so they could keep a plate warm to put on his stomach. He then asked Mr. Nelson for a spoonful of alcohol, which was given him, and he called for water. Mr. Nelson stepped upon the porch for the water, when he heard the report of the revolver. Mr. Callahan had taken advantage of the remarkably brief absence of his son and brother-in-law and placed the revolver to his right temple and pulled the trigger. The ball passed through his forehead and fractured the skull near the left temple but did not come out. He only lived a few minutes. The weapon used was a 32-calibre revolver.
      Deceased was about 42 years of age, and was a son-in-law of Josephus Goss. His wife died a few years ago. He was again married but his second union was an unhappy one and he and his wife parted. Seven children, ranging in age from two to sixteen years, are left orphans, which adds greatly to the sadness of the affair. Jas. Goss has been appointed guardian for the children and Thomas Callahan has been appointed administrator of the estate.
      A brother, George, and two sisters, Theresa and Mollie, who live in Illinois, and two sisters Mrs. Ester Nelson and Mrs. Caroline Callahan, of over-the-river, also survive him.
      The funeral services occurred late Sunday evening.

 

From the Brownstown Banner
Wednesday, July 24, 1901
Brownstown, Indiana