Ralph Dewey A Suicide

[genealogynut]

Howard Courant
November 10, 1927

Hanged Himself in His Garage Today, Just Before Noon.

Ralph E. Dewey, ex-clerk of the Court, hanged himself in his garage at about 11:30 today.  He had been indicted for embezzlement of funds as county official, and his trial was to have been begun this afternoon in District Court now in session.

The case has been much discussed, and an auditing company has estimated the shortage, but Mr. Dewey has maintained that he could account for everything, claiming that several thousand dollars in the Moline National Bank at time it was closed would let him out.

Mr. Dewey leaves a wife and two young children in this city, and an aged father and unmarried sister at Berryville, Arkansas.  He was about 44 years old.
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Howard Courant
November 17, 1927

SUICIDE OF EX-OFFICIAL

Ralph E. Dewey, Ex-Clerk of the Court, Ends His Life, Thursday, the 10th, By Hanging

Perhaps no event in the history of Howard created a greater sensation than the report which ran over town last Thursday at noon that Ralph E. Dewey had committed suicide.  He was to face prosecution in District Court that afternoon, the jury had been empanelled and the case was called for 1 o'clock.  Dewey had been at the court room all forenoon till near 11 o'clock, when he walked out and went to his home in the west part of Howard.  His wife was at home, and he asked her to take the car and go up town and get some meat for dinner, and while she was gone he went into the garage and adjusted a rope around his neck, stepped off a chair, hanging himself with his feet almost touching the floor.

Mrs. Dewey on returning from town found a note on the table telling her she would find his body in the garage, directing her to notify G. W. Tilton, the undertaker at Moline, and also telling her she would find his life insurance policies in the dresser drawer.  Mrs. Dewey at once called Frank Dobyns on the phone--the Dobyns family live nearby, but in her excitement she could not make herself understood.  Mr. Dobyns who was just sitting down to an early dinner, did not respond to her call, but a moment later in looking out of the window, saw Mrs. Dewey running up the street toward his house, so he and Mrs. Dobyns met her and were shown the note. They called J. W. Donnell who also lives next door, and the two men went to the garage and found Ralph hanging, life entirely extinct.  They at once phoned the coroner and County Attorney.  Mr. Tilton who was in Howard attending court, was also summoned.  Dobyns and Donnell had cut the body down before the arrival of the other perties, and it was taken at once to the Moon undertaking parlors and prepared and later in the day was taken to Moline.

The arrest and indictment of Mr. Dewey occurred several months ago, and he at once gave bond and began preparing his defense.  His claim was that the shortage in his accounts was mainly owing to the fact that he had deposited office money in the Moline National Bank, which was closed a year ago.  An Audit was ordered for his office, and the auditors reported a shortage of $17,000.  Later checking reduced the amount to a much lower figure.  Mr. Dewey did not appear to be worried over the affair, and apparently was approaching the trial confident of his acquittal.  It is believed that the rulings of the District Judge in the case against the bondsmen of Moline National Bank, which was tried last week, discouraged Mr. Dewey, and that he suddenly decided to end it all with suicide.

There has been much discussion of the case, and the real inside of it has not been made public.  That there was a shortage is a fact.  But that he used all the money himself is not believed by Dewey's friends, who believe firmly that the Moline National Bank failure was responsible for most of the trouble, and that officials of that institution wronged Ralph Dewey deeply, by inducing him to let them have money from his office to tide them over, and then when the crash came, he was swamped in the flood of disaster.  Ralph Dewey's friends do not believe he stole the county money, though he undoubtedly handled it in a manner not countenanced by law and the statues.

The funeral was held at Moline, Sunday afternoon, and was perhaps the largest funeral ever held in that city, being attended by hundreds from Howard, and by people from all over the county.  Ralph Dewey had many friends.

Note: Further research needs to be done to verify the accuracy of this information.

His obituary is posted on the Obituary board.

[genealogynut]

 Can you just imagine the impact this had on Ralph's wife and children, the rest of their lives?  I'm sure it left scars for many, many years..............devastating.........

[Wilma]

It seems a good man was done in by public opinion and gossip.  May I never be guilty a contributing to any such thing.