Joseph Marion CAMPBELL, 78, shot and killed himself with a shotgun at his home near the Liberty Road east of Mt. Vernon yesterday. He had been despondent and in poor health for two years.

Born in Franklin County on June 12, 1866, Mr. Campbell had lived in Mt. Vernon Township for 27 years.

The widow, the former Mary Alice SCARBOROUGH, three sons and six daughters survive.

The sons are Grover C., Ralph B. and Joseph O. CAMPBELL, all of Mt. Vernon.

The daughters are Mrs. D. J. BUMPUS, Mrs. H. P. CLARK, Mrs. C. O. PASLEY and Mrs. C. F. CLIFTON, all of Mt. Vernon, and Mrs. J. T. LEMKE of Belle Rive and Mrs. A. D. PHILLIPS of Corona, Cal.

Miss Millie Jane NEWTON of Kalamazoo, Mich., is a step-daughter and Mrs. Helen HAYES of Ina is a sister. There also are 19 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at the home of Mrs. BUMPUS on Liberty Road at one o'clock Thursday afternoon. Burial will be made at Union Cemetery in Franklin County.

Coroner, J. D. Dodds impanelled a jury which returned a verdict of death by his own hands from a shotgun, late yesterday afternoon. Mr. and Mrs. Grover C. CAMPBELL were the witnesses.

Testimony of Mrs. Minnie CAMPBELL, daughter-in-law of Mr. CAMPBELL:

"I was in the kitchen preparing dinner as my father-in-law walked through the house from the front room, where he had been in bed, and went out of the house and returned in a few minutes and re-entered the same room where he had been lying in bed and within 10 minutes I heard the report of a shotgun. I rushed to the door, entering the room, where he was, saw him lying on the floor, gun by his side. The gun is a single barrel, 16 gauge shotgun. Nobody else was in the house at the time of his shooting."

Testimony of Grover C. CAMPBELL, a son:

"On the 30th day of April, 1935, I was plowing about a quarter of a mile from the house, my wife was screaming in the yard. I rushed to the house and on entering I found father lying on the floor in the front room with a gun by his side. Father no longer than 10 days ago, said he was 'in the way' and that he was going to take the 'load' route from here. Father had been in very poor health for the last two years with heart and head trouble".

Source: Unknown
Date: May, 31, 1935
Submitted by: Mary Zinzilieta