Jeffrey N. Armstrong

Notes:

[A Snider-from Julie Goheen.FTW]

ONLY WANTED TO FRIGHTEN HIS WIFE
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IS NEIGHBORS BELIEF.
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Jeff Armstrong Commit- ted Suicide By Drinking Carbolic Acid and Alcohol.
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J. N. Armstrong, better known as Jeff Armstrong, committed suicide Wednesday night by drink ing four ounces of a mixture of alcho[sic]- hol and carbolic acid which he had prepared for h im by a druggist down town after 9 oclock last night. The mixture was three parts alcohol an d one part carbolic acid. It is said and the surdenness[sic] with which it caused death i s a surprise, considering the well know fact that usually carbolic acid, does not kill when t he person drinking it has been drinking liquor or alchohol[sic] of any kind at the same time.
Mr. Armstrong, who is 69 years old, has been employed at the brick yard for some time and yes terday afternoon, according to his wife, returned home saying he had had trouble with the sup erintendent and that he would go down town and get another job. He did go down town and retur ned to his home at 2607 State Street in an ex- cited or intoxicated condition, Mrs. Armstron g says. Some quarreling followed and he threatened to commit suicide and asked her for the ca rbolic acid bottle. She told him it was empty. He asked George Rain if he had any of the aci d and later said he would go down town and buy some. Mrs. Armstrong followed him to town, hop ing to pre- vent him obtaining the poison but failed to locate him after he left. About 11 o clock last night he returned home and asked her to let him in. She delayed a little in goin g down stairs and he urged her to open the door as it would be the last time he would eve r ask her to do this for him. After he entered the house, he told her good bye, then turne d a bottle containing about one fourth of an ounce of the mixture to his mouth. She at- tempt ed to knock the bottle from his lips but failed and he turned to walk out the front door. H e pitched forward and lay quiet with his head outside the door, the remainder of his body ins ide. Mrs. Armstrong screamed and ran across the street to the residence of Dr. J. E. Watson a nd he responded quickly. He found Mr. Armstrong dead.
Coroner Streeper was notified and will hold an inquest this evening or tomorrow. Mr. Armstron g leaves his wife and two children, Mr. Wm. Herman of Upper Alton and Mrs. John Gill of Oklah oma. The funeral will not be held until Mrs. Gill can get to Alton, and until Mr. Herman an d a grandchild of the de- ceased can arrive from the north. It is thought the funeral will b e held Sunday.
Dr. Watson thinks that Mr. Arm- strong took four ounces of the mixture in four doses and th e the one his wife saw him drinking was the last dose. If that were all he drank of it Dr. Wa tson thinks the result would not be fatal.
It is the opinion of many people that Jeff intended only to frighten his wife and had no in tention of killing himself. And it is urged that is why he had carbolic acid and alchohol[sic ] mixed, relying on the counter influences of these fluids to save him. He was overcome by th e heat about ten days ago while at work and was affected more or less since. He returned to w ork the day after being prostrated, against the advice of his physician and his friends and t he heat again affected him. It is likely that the inquest or an autopsy if one be held, wil l know that some- thing else than carbolic acid caused his deathsomething like heart diseas e super induced by alchohol[sic] or the prostrating effects of the heat- stroke he suffered.
Mr. Armstrong was well known in Jersey, Calhoun and Madison Counties and he had hundreds of f riends to whom the announcement of his tragic death will be a shock. He was honest, industrio us, charitable and great hearted and there is no one who knew him but will regret it.
He has a sister at McCluskey, Jersey County and another one living in Peoria.
Physicians and druggists alike are rather positive in stating that Mr. Armstrongs death coul d not have been caused by the combination drink of carbolic acid and alcohol, and they say h e must have taken some other kind of poison or else the collapse was caused by weak heart act ion or some other cause.
Deceased had the reputation of being the best laborer in this part of the country and employe rs were always willing to pay him twenty-five cents a day more for his labor than they paid o thers. His age and gray tufts were no hindrances to his obtaining employment. Employers sough t his services, and his credit rating was very high for a laborer.
Alton Evening Telegraph 1 Aug 1912

Alton Evening Telegraph 2 Aug 1912
Funeral of J. N. Armstrong.
The funeral of J. N. Armstrong will be held Sunday morning and the body will be taken on a Bl uff Line train to Elsah where interment will be made about 11 oclock.
Coroner Streeper will hold an inquest tonight.
Mrs. John Gill, daughter of deceased, is expected to arrive from Oklahoma tonight or tomorrow . Wm. Herman, son-in-law of deceased, will be here from Calhoun County tonight, as will othe r relatives and friends from that county.

Alton Evening Telegraph 5 Aug 1912 page 2
Mrs. Gill Is Here
Mrs. John Gill and daughter, Emily arrived yesterday afternoon from Oklahoma and the funera l of Mrs. Gill's father, .J. N. Armstrong will be held tomorrow morning. The body will be tak en to Elsah on 9 o'clock train and services will be conducted in the Elsah Methodist church . Burial will be in the Elsah cemetery where the son, Albert, is buried.

Alton Evening Telegraph 7 Aug 1912 page 2
Many Attended Armstrong Funeral
Parties who accompanied the body of J. N. Armstrong yesterday to Elsah stated upon their retu rn that a very large number of residents of Jersey and Calhoun Counties awaited the arrival o f the funeral party at Elsah. Many farmers and their families drove to town to attend the fun eral and they brought lunches with them, not knowing just when the Alton party would get to t he church. Mr. Armstrong lived many years in Elsah and was well known in all parts of Jerse y and Calhoun counties.

Alton Telegraph 8 Aug 1912 page 7
DAUGHTER FOUND
TELEPHONE SUCCEEDSTELEGRAPH FAILS
Efforts to Locate Mrs. John Gill, Daughter of J.N. Armstrong, By Telegraph Failed.
Because she had sent two telegraphic messages to Oklahoma, advising her daughter, Mrs. John G ill of the tragic death of her father, J.N. Armstrong without receiving a reply, Mrs. Armstro ng Saturday decided to try and get connection with the Gill home about thirty miles from Musk ogee, Okla., over a telephone. Dr. J.E. Watson made the trial for her over his Bell Telephon e and soon succeeded in getting John Gill himself on the phone at the other end. They had rec eived neither of the two telegraphic messages sent from here and did not know of Mr. Armstron gs death until Dr. Watson told him that morning. Mr. Gill urged that the funeral be delaye d until he and his wife can get here and he said they would start.
Will Herman and other relatives of deceased from Calhoun County have arrived for the funeral.

Jeffrey married Nancy Emma Snider about 1876. Nancy (daughter of James Allen Snider and Rebecca Hill) was born in 1856 in Jersey, Jersey Co, Illinois; died on 22 Dec 1923 in Hardin, Calhoun Co, Illinois; was buried on 24 Dec 1923 in Hardin Cem, Hardin, Calhoun Co, Illinois. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Nettie Armstrong was born in Mar 1877 in Jersey, Illinois; died on 20 Oct 1934 in Alton, Madison Co, Illinois; was buried on 23 Oct 1934 in Newbern Cem, Mississippi Twp, Jersey Co, Illinois.
2. Flora T. Armstrong was born on 19 Sep 1877 in Illinois; died on 17 Aug 1946 in Coweta, Wagoner Co, Oklahoma; was buried in Vernon Cem, Coweta, Wagoner Co, Oklahoma.