The Independent - 8/27/1914

 

Mansfield - Mrs. Sadie McCune, 48 years old, Shelby, was adjudged insane in probate court here Monday, and Tuesday morning when the jailer opened her cell her body was found hanging in a window. She used a sheet from a cot for a rope. Her life had been a series of tragedies. Her father was killed while digging a well. A brother swallowed poison and a second was killed by a railroad accident. Eight years ago, she married a bigamist. Once before, she attempted suicide by throwing herself in front of a train.

 

So, I do a bit more digging around online and find that Sadie was born in 1867 and was the daughter of John W. and Emma Snyder and was married to a William McCune, by whom she had two children, a daughter Mary and a son Lewis. At the time of her death, there was no mention of Mary, but a guardian was appointed for Lewis, who was about 14 at the time. At this point, it seems that Mr. McCune's father was born in Ireland, which rules this group out for being related to my McCunes, which is perhaps a bit of a relief.

 

From the census from 1870 and 1880, I found that John W. and Emma had seven children altogether:

 

Emma, born abt 1860

Sherman, born about 1864

Charles E., born about 1865

Sadie M, born 1867

Perry, born abiut 1874

Willard, born about 1877

Lillie, born about 1878

 

I couldn't discover what happened to Mr. McCune, though he appears on the 1900 Census. The rest of her family is a bit easier to find. The first to pass on is her oldest brother, Sherman:

 

 

Snyder, Sherman F. -- SHELBY.  The remains of Sherman F. Snyder who died in Dakota, Sept. 3rd., arrived hers Saturday and were interred on Sunday, Elder Bowell, of Mansfield, conducting the services.  Snyder seems to have died under suspicious circumstances.  He went from this place to Dakota about five years ago and took up a squatter's claim, for which he would have received a deed in a few days had he lived.  A few days before his death his parents received a letter from him in which he stated that he was well and expected after getting his deed during the present month to visit them about Oct. 1st.  On Sept. 3rd. a telegram was received announcing his death and at the request of his parents his body was shipped here and arrived as stated above.  Snyder while residing here, it is said, was an inoffensive and industrious young man and it is the opinion of many that he was foully dealt with by some party or parties who desired to possess themselves of his claim.  No autopsy was held, a thing that should have been done under the circumstances, in order to shed light, if possible, upon what is generally regarded as a mysterious death.  The friends are thinking seriously of sending an attorney to Snyder's late residence to look after his claim, and to learn, if possible, the manner in which he came to his death.  --  [Richland Shield & Banner:  14 September 1889, Vol. LXXII, No. 17]

 

Immediately behind Sherman's death came that of her father:

 

 

Snyder, John W. -- KILLED BY FIRE-DAMP -- Shelby, O., Sept. 13 -- A remarkably sad casualty happened near this place this morning at about 8 o'clock, resulting in the death of John W. Snyder.  Mr. S. is a well digger and was cleaning the well of Alfred Gotshall, four miles north of this place, when he called to the men above to pull him out, as he was being overcome with fire damp.  The men promptly obeyed, but when about half way out he became unconscious, released his hold on the rope and fell back in the well - dead.  His body was recovered with grappling irons and brought to his home here.  His wife has been working in Mansfield and was expected home today on a visit.  She will arrive in time to attend her husband's funeral instead.  This is not the only sad feature of the case.  On last Saturday the body of Mr. S's son, Sherman F., arrived here from Dakota for burial, he having died there under suspicious circumstances.  The son's funeral was held Sunday.  J.W. Snyder, the deceased, was about 55 years old, was a veteran of the late war and leaves a wife and five children.  He was the father of "Chick" Snyder, now serving time for many crimes in the Ohio penitentiary.  The father, however, was an excellent citizen.  No arrangements have been made for the funeral.  --  [Richland Shield & Banner:  21 September 1889, Vol. LXXII, No. 18]

 

Note the mention in her father's obituary of her brother "Chick" - this is Charles E, now te oldest brother since Sherman is now gone. "Chick" ended up in the Pen for awhile but had escaped in 1895, and I haven't been able to learn more about him, other than the fact that he had lost a few fingers n a railroad accident.

 

Sadie's mother, Emma, nee Lance, is the next to go:

 

Snyder, Emma -- Mrs. Emma Snyder, widow of John Snyder, died quite suddenly at the family home on North Broadway at 10:30 o'clock Tuesday forenoon.  She was 69 years of age.  Mrs. Snyder, at an early hour, complained of having passed a restless night, but members of the family were not alarmed as she had been ailing for some time.  She leaves a sister surviving her, Mrs. Elizabeth Stevenson of Michigan, and four children, two sons and two daughters.  Mrs. Snyder would have come in possession of about $5000 from a brother's estate about the first of next October.  The funeral was held Thursday forenoon.  [Butler Enterprise:  14 July 1905, Vol. 17, No. 23 - as reprinted from the Shelby News]

 

At this point, there are only 4 children left of the seven, which is rather confusing as we have only seen information about 2 of them so far. We have to assume that Lillie, the youngest daughter is also gone, as Sadie died in 1914 and Emma is assigned a guardian after her mother dies. Perry and Willard are known to still be alive,  as we shall see in a moment, so either "Chick" died before 1905 or his family considered him to no longer be part of the family (or, perhaps  the newspaper was wrong). 

 

Perry's death is the next one we hear about:

 

The mention of a sister named Dot is a bit confusing. I can only assume that Dot refers to Sadie, but it is hard to tell. In the 1900 census, Sadie is living with her husband William and her two children, Mary and Lewis, and Emma, her mother, now widowed, is sharing her home with her daughter Emma, and her tow sons, Perry and Willard. But, by 1908, when Perry drinks his poison, Sadie may well be living at her mother's again, along with her young son, Lewis. In 1909, a guardian is appointed for Emma the younger, who is identified in the article as an "imbecile". In 1914, about a month after Sadie dies, her youngest brother, Willard, challenges in court the right to a portion of his parent's estate as left to his sister, which would otherwise go to her minor son, Lewis, then 14 years old.

 

Judging by the timing of the various family events, it is actually possible that Sadie Snyder McCune is the same Sadie that danced down the Darrtown Pike. This becomes a distinct possibility when we take one more detail into consideration - the bigamist that Sadie was married to 8 years before her death. This would have been about 1906, the same time period as her naked dance. Acording to an article discussing the man, he had come to the Shelby area in March of 1906 and soon after, married her, not bothering to mention that he already had at least one wife. He had presented himself to at least one of the three womenas being an evangelical priest, so perhaps there is a tie there to the religion aspect mentioned about the first Sadie. All in all, it's quite an intriguing set of stories!