Chester Conklin's Mother ~ Alice Cooper Conklin

CONKLIN, COOPER

Posted By: Mary (email)
Date: 4/30/2007 at 10:20:02

The following is from the Ottumwa Daily Courier dated July 11, 1895:

HORRIBLE SUICIDE

Oskaloosa, Iowa, July 10 - Mrs. Phil Conklin this morning saturated her clothing with kerosene, lighted it, and burned herself to death. She leaves three small children. Cause temporary insanity.

The following is from the Ottumwa Daily Courier dated July 18, 1895:

AT OSKALOOSA

The body of Mrs. P.B. Conklin Exhumed and a Post Mortem Held

Reprinted from the Oskaloosa Herald

At the request of Mr. Conklin, Coroner Woodruff directed the exhumation of the body of the late Mrs. P.B. Conlin, and an examination made thereof to see whether or not she died by any other than the means thought, from the horrible burning self inflicted.

There has been much gossip about the matter and Mr. Conklin took this as the nearest and best way to a judicial determination of the matter by the condition of the body. Prof. Floyd Davis is the expert in charge.

The following physicians attended the examination: Drs. Hugg, Andrews, Jerel, Hunter, Cone, Todd, Beaudry and J.E. Morgan. The body was in a bad state of decomposition and extremely unpleasant to handle.

Drs. Beaudry and Jarel operated and the examination clearly showed that the death resulted from self inflicted fire and nothing else. Yet portions of the brain, liver, spleen, bladder, and stomach were taken by Prof. Davis for closer examination. The body was immediately re-interred.

PS: This was the mother of Chester Conklin of the KeyStone fame. He always believed his father actually killed his mother. Looking for his two sibblings and other family info. They are said to have been born in Mahaska County Iowa. Chester is listed on the famous list at http://www.findagrave.com