The Chariton Leader, Chariton, Iowa Thursday, January 21, 1909 Sunday afternoon a party of coasters on the hill north of Albia discovered a man cold in death in the city park. The officials were notified and the body was taken to Thos. H. Zook' undertaking establishment where it was identified by Jack Winn and Mike Falyey as FRANK FOUTS of Wayne Township. MRS. FOUTS, wife of the unfortunate man, and his brothers, CHARLES, EZRA and TOM, came down on No. 4 Sunday evening and after their arrival a post mortem examination was held by Dr. Hyatt and it was disclosed that FOUTS' stomach was destroyed with carbolic acid. MRS. FOUTS said he left home Saturday morning stating that he was going to Russell, and it is presumed that he went there and obtained the carbolic acid and on Sunday started to return home but was carried past Melrose and got off the train at Maxon. He probably did not drink the acid until he got into the city park. The long strides he took just before falling indicate as much. It is said that he was in debt about $600 and that he and his wife had concluded to sell their 80 acre farm and move to Minnesota. He contracted to sell the place to his brothers, CHARLES and EZRA, and at the last moment his wife refused to sign the deed to her home. Another report is that he had been acting strangely for some months -- some days being all right and at other times all wrong. MRS. FOUTS says that he would pass sleepless nights, indicating that his nervous system was giving way. He was about forty years of age and a well developed man. His family consisted of a wife and four children, and if he had not been insane he certainly would have wanted to live and take care of them. The remains were taken to Melrose Monday morning where they will be interred -- ALBIA UNION. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert May 6, 2005 iggy29@rnetinc.net