The Carthage Republican
Carthage, Illinois
Wednesday
May 18, 1932
Pages 1 & 8Shooting Tragedy Ends
Lives of Two Prominent
People at Middle CreekFred Gillenwater Shot Miss
Ella Cox and Later Took
Own Life Late Sunday.Middle Creek community in Carthage township was the scene Sunday night of a double tragedy which will go down in the history of the county as the most shocking and pathetic on record.
Miss Ella Cox, 56, was shot from ambush while taking care of her chickens Sunday evening about seven o'clock, and died later at St. Joseph's hospital in Keokuk. She named no one in her dying statement, but suspicion rested on her rejected suitor, Fred Gillenwater, and when Sheriff Mosley was on the road to locate Gillenwater Monday morning, Fred's neighbors apprised the sheriff, that Gillenwater had been found, a suicide.
Leaves Note.
A note was found lying beside Gillenwater's body that declared his intention to shoot Miss Cox, and gave directions for his own funeral.
The Story of a Faithful Love.
Miss Ella Cox was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Cox and was born and reared in the locality where the tragic scene was enacted.
In her girlhood she knew and loved Ed Larson of the Colchester neighborhood. Ed went west and was located at Yellowstone Park as a Federal employee. The marriage of Ed and Ella was deferred from time to time, because she was unable to leave her aged parents to go so far from home, and Ed could not relinquish his work to return to a Middle Creek farm.
As years enfeebled the venerable father, it was thought best to have a man to look after the chores. Fred Gillenwater was employed and took up his residence in the Cox home. Fred honored Ella with his love and wished her to marry him, but true to her girlhood love she refused his persistent proposals.
After the death of her father, plans for the long deferred marriage with Larson were perfected, and the wedding was set for this fall. Ella so informed Gillenwater. Fred stricken with unrequitted love, left the Cox home and employment and went to live with his sister, Mrs. Ralph Johnson. He brooded over his unhappiness, talked to different people about it, and to a few he talked menaceingly of killing Ella so "no other man could have her."
To the knowledge of the Cox's Fred had not been on the place since he left in anger.
Shot From Ambush.
Sunday night between 7:00 and 7:30 Ella went out to take care of her chickens. She was about ten or fifteen feet from the hen house adjusting a watering pan when the discharge of shot from a gun struck her in the abdomen. She screamed to her mother that she had been shot, but walked to the house and to the telephone, called Dr. Sheets of Carthage and some neighbors, and then called to her mother to bring some bedding to the dooryard, went outside where the blood from her wound would not stain the floor.
Dr. Sheets found her condition desperate. Sheriff Mosley got there about the time the doctor did, and she talked to them and told them just what happened. She blamed no one, but said while she did not see who fired the gun, she thought it was one who was jealous of her.
She was taken to St. Joseph's hospital where she died a little after midnight on the operating table while the surgeons were attempting to save her.
Gillenwater Walks Through the Night.
Fred Gillenwater, who by his own written confession, had fatally wounded the woman he loved, started to his old home place, five miles distance, alone on foot, carrying his gun. A rain came on, but unmindful of its downpour, he plodded on over the slippery roads, stumbling over the ruts, struggling through the brambles and brush until he came to the old Gillenwater home now unoccupied, and the tracks he left in the rain-soaked earth showed his desperate restlessness and finally led to the smoke house which he chose in which to end the misery of his heart.
Setting his gun with the muzzle directed at his heart, he used a stick to work the trigger. Seeing that his note of confession and funeral instructions, were beside him in plain sight, like poor Hamlet, unable to face the sea of troubles, cast his all on the mercies of God and fared forth to meet his Maker.
Monday morning early C. W. Johnson and his nephew, Steve Johnson, were building fence on the old Gillenwater place. Curtis went to the smoke house where the small tools were kept to get some tools, and there discovered the body of Gillenwater. He called his nephew who took a look and then went for help.
Coroner's Inquest.
The body of Miss Cox was brought
(please turn to page eight)
Middle Creek
Folk Dead In
Tragic Affair(continued from page one)
to Hearne's Undertaking Establishment for preparation. No inquest was necessary.
The body of Fred Gillenwater was also brought to this establishment where the inquest was conducted by Dr. Frazee. The jury was comprised of M. R. Mosley, Ray Mosley, D. F. Mabry, W. C. Strong and R. C. Galloway who rendered a verdict of death from gunshot wound self-inflicted.
Both Well Known.
Both the parties to this tragedy are well known. Ella Cox was the daughter of the late Floyd Cox, who died March 18, 1931. She was born April 11, 1875. She is survived by her mother aged 82, and her sister, Mrs. Krueger and Mrs. Krueger's sons and daughters, to whom Ella was devotedly fond.
She acted as the correspondent for The Carthage Republican from Middle Creek, signing her letters, "Sunbeam." for many years and was valued and faithful to this work for her community and to this paper which hereby acknowledges a great appreciation of her faithful service and mourns the loss of her able pen.
The shock and loss to her family cannot be measured. They have the sincere sympathy of the whole community.
The funeral will be held at the Primitive Baptist church near Middle Creek at 11:00 o'clock, this Wednesday, Elder Webb to officiate. Interment in Moss Ridge.
Fred Gillenwater was the son of Dave Gillenwater. He has never been rugged, and had a tendancy to tuberculosis. He was well and favorably known, was a quiet and inoffensive citizen and no one dreamed that he would play such a role in a tragedy of this kind. He is survived by two brothers, Jesse and Everett, and two sisters, Mrs. Ralph Johnson of Oak Grove and Mrs. John L. Cludary of Plymouth.
The funeral will be held at Oak Grove church this Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 with the Rev. H. C. Reichel of Carthage, to officiate. Interment in Oak Grove.
The Carthage Republican
Carthage, Illinois
Wednesday
May 25, 1932
Pages 4
Columns 3 & 4ELLA MAY COX.
The funeral of Miss Ella Cox, who was shot and killed Sunday last at the hands of Fred Gillenwater, was held Wednesday morning at 10 o'clock at the Baptist church in Middle Creek, Elder C. E. Webb officiating. The church was filled to capacity and the churchyard held the overflow.
The services were very impressive and Elder Webb preached a wonderful sermon on the text: "Whoever would be chief among you, let them be the servant of all," based on the unselfish life of Miss Cox as lived for her family and her community. Burial was at Moss Ridge cemetery.
The funeral cortege was very long, and the flowers sent by friends profuse and beautiful.
Ella May, oldest daughter of Floyd and Ruth Cox, was born April 11th, 1875, and died at 1:30 Monday morning, May 16th, at the Graham hospital, in Keokuk, Iowa, where she was taken after having been fatally shot with a shot gun. At the time of her death she was 57 years, 1 month and 5 days old. Her entire life was spent in the home where she was born, and was devoted, the last several years, to the loving and highly commendable service of caring for her aged parents and the home. A most dutiful and lovable daughter, who never seemed to grow tired and never impatient in her unceasing labor of love.
Her venerable and dear father, who held the highest esteem of every good person, preceded her in death just one year and two months. His passing was a great cross and a continual sorrow to the home. But Ella continued faithfully ministering to her now, grief stricken mother with redoubled interest and tenderness.
Her last day on earth, which was ended so tragically, had been a very pleasant and commendable one indeed. After performing the necessary morning duties of the home she accompanied her mother to Bentley for morning church services, after which, she went to the home of the pastor for an afternoon visit, where the conversation, for the most part, was upon spiritual matters which she greatly enjoyed. Here she expressed her sadness at the loss of her father and her yearning often, to be with him, little thinking how very soon her desire was to be realized. Leaving the home of Elder Webb about four o'clock she took her little niece, Ruth Krueger to her boarding place at Carthage, where she was attending school, then returned to her home where, at about 7:30 she was shot while performing her last thoughtful duty on earth.
Her habit, and disposition through many years in doing her own work and relieving others of unpleasant tasks will account for her going to the telephone and calling the doctor and making many other arrangements for her death. The clearness of her mind, and her perfect composure testified plainly even though she had not said it, that there was no fear of death in her heart.
Among the many things she said was, that she "was not afraid but desired to go and be at rest with her dear father. Her only regret being to leave her precious mother and five little nephews and nieces whom she loved as her own life. She spoke of the pleasant day just passed, and with never a motion but that of quiet resignation, she passed, as we firmly believe, to a land of endless day, where there will be no night forever, "Where the wicked cease from troubling, and where the weary are at rest."
The host of sorrowing friends who remain to mourn is great. She was widely known and many who did not know her from personal contact, knew her through her writings as correspondent during many years for the Carthage Republican. Few lives have been more profitably and commendably spent and few will be more sadly mourned.
Beside the many friends, there remains one sister, Mrs. Lula Krueger, who lives on a nearby farm, and one half-sister, Mrs. Molly Weldon, of Omaha, Neb. Two nephews and three nieces, whom she loved dearly, and her aged and grief-stricken mother, who, notwithstanding her great sorrow, "sorrows not as those who have no hope."
The singers, Elder C. E. Webb, Frank Kimbrough, and G. C. Gardner sang "There's a Land that is Fairer Than Day," at the beginning of the service, and, "God Will Take Care of You" at the close. The pall bearers were Frank Kimbrough, Orvil Prior, L. C. Jones, Vernon Kimbrough, Thane Dickinson and Albert Johnson. May God sustain this saddened home.
