Undated article from unknown source. Extracted from the newspaper article collection started in 1879 by Mrs. Nannie Brown of Madison, Missouri. Young Woman Ends Her Life As Man Sleeps Katherine Stewart, 23, Shoots Herself With Shotgun "Miss Ramona Katherine Stewart, 23 year old twice-divorced Moberly woman, took her own life with a shotgun blast in the head at about 2:30 o'clock this morning while lying on a bed beside an unidentified male companion in her apartment at 415 Promenade street. Miss Stewart, formerly of Madison, left two suicide notes explaining her action. One note was to her parents, who live in Madison, and the other to the man, whom Moberly police and county officials refused to identify. The contents of the notes were not revealed in detail but Police Chief Winn said this morning that they explained to her family and to the man that she was taking her life because of her love for the man. Reconciliation Impending Winn said the man also is divorced at present but is planning to remarry his former wife. The divorced couple are parents of three children. Miss Stewart was known to have been going with the man for some time, and the gun belonged to him, officers said. According to Chief Winn, the man was asleep when the shot was fired, but arose and ran to the Woodland Hospital, about a block away, and hospital employees called Randolph County Coroner Benjamin S. Jolly and police. The call to the police came in at 2:42 o'clock. Winn said the woman used a 16-guage shotgun to kill herself, placing the barrel against her forehead and pulling the trigger. Winn said he was not revealing he name of the man in an effort to avoid further embarrassment for him. Dr. Jolly said there would be no inquest. Miss Stewart had been employed here as a waitress. She was formerly married to Donald Perkins of Madison and James Franklin (Lefty) Vestal of Moberly. She had been divorced from both men. Her divorce from Vestal was granted in Circuit Court here March 30. Funeral at Madison The body was taken to the Thompson Funeral Home at Madison, to remain until services are held at the Madison Christian Church at 2 o'clock Saturday afternoon. Miss Stewart was born Nov. 22, 1932, in Madison, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Stewart, who survive. She is also survived by a brother, Hugh Stewart, Jr., Mexico, and a number of aunts and uncles. She graduated from Madison High School in 1950. The Rev. William Winter, pastor of the Madison Methodist Church, will officiate at the funeral services. Burial will be in Sunset Hill cemetery." Copyright notice: All transcriptions in this email are copyrighted by their creator. They may not be reproduced on another site or on any printed or recorded media, CD, etc. without specific written permission from Kathleen Wilham. Although public information is not in and of itself copyrightable, the format in which it is presented, transcriptions, notes & comments, etc. is. It is however quite permissible to print or save the files to a personal computer for personal use only. Permission is granted to public libraries, and genealogical and historical societies to print and bind for the use of their patrons. Kathleen Wilham 2 Sharon Drive Shelbina, MO. 63468-1562