SHAFFER, PERRY

[Janet Harrington]

Suicide or Accident?

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Percy Shaffer of North of Town Shoots and Kills Himself.

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Thursday of last week, the 5th of January, Percy Shaffer, a young man who was living on Wm. Marrs' farm north of town, shot and killed himself with a Winchester 32 calibre rifle.  He and his wife had done the mroning chores and the milking, and she had gone into the home to get the breakfast.  Mr. Shaffer had carried a rifle out with him and had laid it on a pile of feed in the barn.  After some time had elapsed and he had not come into his breakfast, his wife went to the barn and found him lying dead, the muzzle of the rifle in his hand.  She gave the alarm and the neighbors came in, also Coroner Dr. Trowbridge, and on examination it was found that he had shot himself through the body, but it could not be conclusively determined whether it was suicide or accident.  Many hold that it was his own deliberate act, while others incline to the belief that he grasped the gun by the muzzle and that it was discharged accidentally.

Percy Shaffer was 32 years old, was married but had no children.  He came here less than a year ago and farmed Mr. Marrs' place the past season.  His reputation for honesty and industry was good and we understand he had arranged to move to town very soon and go to work at the Benson Lumber Yard.

The body was shipped to his old home at Lockwood, Mo., for burial.  He leaves a father, mother, two sisters and a brother, Wm. Shaffer who lives northeast of town.