Following article extracted from a Geneseo, Illinois newspaper dated Aug. 11, 1916 -
"While in a demented condition Mrs. Allie E. Spradling, wife of Clinton E. Spradling, of Cambridge, last Saturday forenoon suicided by drowning in the canal north of Geneseo, and at the time carried with her to death her two children, Everett, a lad of less than four years, and her infant daughter, Ruby Ead, aged about one and a half years. Mrs. Spradling was an industrious and esteemed woman, and her home life had been a happy one. With her husband she had come to Cambridge about a year ago. Her native home was in the mountains of Kentucky and it is believed that she became homesick for her native state. This with the excessive heat of the past few weeks is believed to have brought on the demented condition of the woman, and which resulted in the awful act of self destruction and the taking with her in death the two children.
The husband of Mrs. Spradling on returning to his home at about noon Saturday found a note from his wife which contained these words; "Dear Clint - I am gone and took my two children with me. Need not look for me. Good bye, Allie." Mr. Spradling immediately set out to search for his wife. He phoned to the depot and did all possible to get a clue as to his wife's whereabouts. Mrs. Spradling had in the meantime secured an auto at the livery and gone to the canal north of Geneseo, saying that she would there meet some friends. When the liveryman returned to Cambridge about noon he heard of the mysterious disappearance of the woman and the quest for her whereabouts, and calling up Sunnyside Farm, where Mrs. Spradling was employed told of her having been taken by him to the canal. The husband realizing now that something desperate had come upon his wife immediately set out for Geneseo and upon arrival there secured the aid of citizens who went to the canal. Arrived at the canal at a point east of the Sommers & Gorham icehouse, there were found on the banks the hats of Mrs. Spradling and her two children, also her purse. It being evident that the woman had drowned herself and her children the search was made for the bodies, and these were soon discovered and brought to shore by Edw. Farber and Theron Bernard, who with others had joined in the search. Coroner John Johnson, of Cambridge, was immediately summoned and upon his arrival he had the remains brought to the W. F. Meyer undertaking rooms in Geneseo. A coroner's jury consisting of John F. Tomlinson, Thomas Cann, Charles F. Schroeder, O. P. Westring, Peter Hofstetter and D. W. Arnett heard the evidence of Wm. Fischer, who last saw the woman and children alive as they passed the icehouse; F. Reighard, who was present at the canal when the bodies were recovered; D. Fierce, the liveryman who brought Mrs. Spradling to Geneseo, and Edw. Farber, who recovered the remains. The verdict of the jury was that Mrs. Spradling had drowned herself in the canal north of Geneseo with suicidal intent and had also caused the death by drowning of the two children.
Mrs. Spradling was a native of Kentucky where she was born Sept. 2, 1893. A sister, Nancy Little, lives north of Atkinson. The remains were taken to the native home in Kentucky by the husband, the sister also accompanying the remains."
"While in a demented condition Mrs. Allie E. Spradling, wife of Clinton E. Spradling, of Cambridge, last Saturday forenoon suicided by drowning in the canal north of Geneseo, and at the time carried with her to death her two children, Everett, a lad of less than four years, and her infant daughter, Ruby Ead, aged about one and a half years. Mrs. Spradling was an industrious and esteemed woman, and her home life had been a happy one. With her husband she had come to Cambridge about a year ago. Her native home was in the mountains of Kentucky and it is believed that she became homesick for her native state. This with the excessive heat of the past few weeks is believed to have brought on the demented condition of the woman, and which resulted in the awful act of self destruction and the taking with her in death the two children.
The husband of Mrs. Spradling on returning to his home at about noon Saturday found a note from his wife which contained these words; "Dear Clint - I am gone and took my two children with me. Need not look for me. Good bye, Allie." Mr. Spradling immediately set out to search for his wife. He phoned to the depot and did all possible to get a clue as to his wife's whereabouts. Mrs. Spradling had in the meantime secured an auto at the livery and gone to the canal north of Geneseo, saying that she would there meet some friends. When the liveryman returned to Cambridge about noon he heard of the mysterious disappearance of the woman and the quest for her whereabouts, and calling up Sunnyside Farm, where Mrs. Spradling was employed told of her having been taken by him to the canal. The husband realizing now that something desperate had come upon his wife immediately set out for Geneseo and upon arrival there secured the aid of citizens who went to the canal. Arrived at the canal at a point east of the Sommers & Gorham icehouse, there were found on the banks the hats of Mrs. Spradling and her two children, also her purse. It being evident that the woman had drowned herself and her children the search was made for the bodies, and these were soon discovered and brought to shore by Edw. Farber and Theron Bernard, who with others had joined in the search. Coroner John Johnson, of Cambridge, was immediately summoned and upon his arrival he had the remains brought to the W. F. Meyer undertaking rooms in Geneseo. A coroner's jury consisting of John F. Tomlinson, Thomas Cann, Charles F. Schroeder, O. P. Westring, Peter Hofstetter and D. W. Arnett heard the evidence of Wm. Fischer, who last saw the woman and children alive as they passed the icehouse; F. Reighard, who was present at the canal when the bodies were recovered; D. Fierce, the liveryman who brought Mrs. Spradling to Geneseo, and Edw. Farber, who recovered the remains. The verdict of the jury was that Mrs. Spradling had drowned herself in the canal north of Geneseo with suicidal intent and had also caused the death by drowning of the two children.
Mrs. Spradling was a native of Kentucky where she was born Sept. 2, 1893. A sister, Nancy Little, lives north of Atkinson. The remains were taken to the native home in Kentucky by the husband, the sister also accompanying the remains."
Following article extracted from a Geneseo, Illinois newspaper dated Aug. 11, 1916 -
"While in a demented condition Mrs. Allie E. Spradling, wife of Clinton E. Spradling, of Cambridge, last Saturday forenoon suicided by drowning in the canal north of Geneseo, and at the time carried with her to death her two children, Everett, a lad of less than four years, and her infant daughter, Ruby Ead, aged about one and a half years. Mrs. Spradling was an industrious and esteemed woman, and her home life had been a happy one. With her husband she had come to Cambridge about a year ago. Her native home was in the mountains of Kentucky and it is believed that she became homesick for her native state. This with the excessive heat of the past few weeks is believed to have brought on the demented condition of the woman, and which resulted in the awful act of self destruction and the taking with her in death the two children.
The husband of Mrs. Spradling on returning to his home at about noon Saturday found a note from his wife which contained these words; "Dear Clint - I am gone and took my two children with me. Need not look for me. Good bye, Allie." Mr. Spradling immediately set out to search for his wife. He phoned to the depot and did all possible to get a clue as to his wife's whereabouts. Mrs. Spradling had in the meantime secured an auto at the livery and gone to the canal north of Geneseo, saying that she would there meet some friends. When the liveryman returned to Cambridge about noon he heard of the mysterious disappearance of the woman and the quest for her whereabouts, and calling up Sunnyside Farm, where Mrs. Spradling was employed told of her having been taken by him to the canal. The husband realizing now that something desperate had come upon his wife immediately set out for Geneseo and upon arrival there secured the aid of citizens who went to the canal. Arrived at the canal at a point east of the Sommers & Gorham icehouse, there were found on the banks the hats of Mrs. Spradling and her two children, also her purse. It being evident that the woman had drowned herself and her children the search was made for the bodies, and these were soon discovered and brought to shore by Edw. Farber and Theron Bernard, who with others had joined in the search. Coroner John Johnson, of Cambridge, was immediately summoned and upon his arrival he had the remains brought to the W. F. Meyer undertaking rooms in Geneseo. A coroner's jury consisting of John F. Tomlinson, Thomas Cann, Charles F. Schroeder, O. P. Westring, Peter Hofstetter and D. W. Arnett heard the evidence of Wm. Fischer, who last saw the woman and children alive as they passed the icehouse; F. Reighard, who was present at the canal when the bodies were recovered; D. Fierce, the liveryman who brought Mrs. Spradling to Geneseo, and Edw. Farber, who recovered the remains. The verdict of the jury was that Mrs. Spradling had drowned herself in the canal north of Geneseo with suicidal intent and had also caused the death by drowning of the two children.
Mrs. Spradling was a native of Kentucky where she was born Sept. 2, 1893. A sister, Nancy Little, lives north of Atkinson. The remains were taken to the native home in Kentucky by the husband, the sister also accompanying the remains."
"While in a demented condition Mrs. Allie E. Spradling, wife of Clinton E. Spradling, of Cambridge, last Saturday forenoon suicided by drowning in the canal north of Geneseo, and at the time carried with her to death her two children, Everett, a lad of less than four years, and her infant daughter, Ruby Ead, aged about one and a half years. Mrs. Spradling was an industrious and esteemed woman, and her home life had been a happy one. With her husband she had come to Cambridge about a year ago. Her native home was in the mountains of Kentucky and it is believed that she became homesick for her native state. This with the excessive heat of the past few weeks is believed to have brought on the demented condition of the woman, and which resulted in the awful act of self destruction and the taking with her in death the two children.
The husband of Mrs. Spradling on returning to his home at about noon Saturday found a note from his wife which contained these words; "Dear Clint - I am gone and took my two children with me. Need not look for me. Good bye, Allie." Mr. Spradling immediately set out to search for his wife. He phoned to the depot and did all possible to get a clue as to his wife's whereabouts. Mrs. Spradling had in the meantime secured an auto at the livery and gone to the canal north of Geneseo, saying that she would there meet some friends. When the liveryman returned to Cambridge about noon he heard of the mysterious disappearance of the woman and the quest for her whereabouts, and calling up Sunnyside Farm, where Mrs. Spradling was employed told of her having been taken by him to the canal. The husband realizing now that something desperate had come upon his wife immediately set out for Geneseo and upon arrival there secured the aid of citizens who went to the canal. Arrived at the canal at a point east of the Sommers & Gorham icehouse, there were found on the banks the hats of Mrs. Spradling and her two children, also her purse. It being evident that the woman had drowned herself and her children the search was made for the bodies, and these were soon discovered and brought to shore by Edw. Farber and Theron Bernard, who with others had joined in the search. Coroner John Johnson, of Cambridge, was immediately summoned and upon his arrival he had the remains brought to the W. F. Meyer undertaking rooms in Geneseo. A coroner's jury consisting of John F. Tomlinson, Thomas Cann, Charles F. Schroeder, O. P. Westring, Peter Hofstetter and D. W. Arnett heard the evidence of Wm. Fischer, who last saw the woman and children alive as they passed the icehouse; F. Reighard, who was present at the canal when the bodies were recovered; D. Fierce, the liveryman who brought Mrs. Spradling to Geneseo, and Edw. Farber, who recovered the remains. The verdict of the jury was that Mrs. Spradling had drowned herself in the canal north of Geneseo with suicidal intent and had also caused the death by drowning of the two children.
Mrs. Spradling was a native of Kentucky where she was born Sept. 2, 1893. A sister, Nancy Little, lives north of Atkinson. The remains were taken to the native home in Kentucky by the husband, the sister also accompanying the remains."
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