Newspaper Cassville Republican
Date May 12, 1910, Thursday
Headline Suicide
Text Mrs. Anna Stevens, wife of R. S. Stevens living near the Pleasant Ridge school house in the north part of Barry County took her own life early Saturday morning by placing a 32 caliber revolver to her right temple and sending a bullet through her brain. The horrible deed was done in the yard near the house in which Mr. and Mrs. Stevens were living and while Mr. Stevens was at the spring some distance away for a bucket of water.

Coroner Miller of Monett held an inquest over the body, the jury's verdict being that Mrs. Stevens death was the result of her own voluntary act.

Three shots were fired but the effect of only one could be found on body of the deceased. Neighbors living near heard the shots and hurried to the scene of the tragedy, reaching the Stevens home about the same time as the husband did.

A girl who had been staying with the family, but who was not at the house at the time of the shooting, states that the husband and wife had quarreled only a short time before, the wife throwing out a bucket of water and demanding that the husband go to the spring for more water. The girl however, stated that she did not consider the quarrel to be a very serious matter. There seemed also to be evidence of previous quarrels.

Mrs. Stevens was about twenty-one years of age. Her former home was Vernon County. She and husband were strangers in this county. For several months they lived northeast of Cassville 3 and 1/2 miles on Flat Creek. They moved form there to Pleasant Ridge in February, Mr. Sevens, while located near Cassville, was a solicitor for a picture enlarging house and was a young man of genteel appearance. After finding his wife dead, neighbors stated that it took an effort to prevent him from shooting himself with which his wife had taken her life.

The remains of Mrs. Stevens were interred at the Calton Cemetery Sunday.
Resource State Historical Society of MO Microfilm
Submitted by Donna Cooper


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