Distracted by worry over a matter which members of his family declared to be of a trivial character, Arthur Johnson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Johnson of route 5, Prophetstown, took his life by shooting himself in the head at a hotel in Dixon on last Thursday night. The lifeless body was discovered lying across the bed in his room shortly before 6 o'clock Friday morning.
Johnson had gone to the Dixon hotel about 4 o'clock Thursday afternoon and asked for a room. He registered and paid for the room and put his Chevrolet coach in the garage at the rear of the hotel. The young man apparently went to the room assigned to him on the first floor, took a bath, dressed in the best clothes he had with him, then lay across the bed and fired a 32 caliber bullet from a cheap revolver into his right temple. Mr. and Mrs. Harry Bailey, who conduct the hotel, heard a shot, but believed it to be a backfire from an automobile. A long letter was found in one of the pockets of the young man's clothing, which leads to the belief that he had been planning suicide for several days. The letter was addressed:
"Dear Father, Mother and Sisters - Read this "
The letter was doubtless written Christmas day or the following day at a DeKalb rooming house. He had apparently driven about the country for several days, brooding over a difficulty which he believed to be of such a nature as to bring grief to his family.
Mrs. Bailey, who was at the hotel desk when mr. Johnson applied for his room, states that he did not appear morose, but smilingly paid his bill in advance after signing his name to the register. Mrs. Bailey said: I was in the kitchen just as the 5 o'clock whistle blew and I heard a report which sounded like the firing of a gun, but I thought it was the backfire of an automobile. About 12 o'clock Thursday night I was up and noticed that a light was burning in Johnson's room. I gave this no serious thought at the time, but Friday morning when I got up I saw the light was still burning. I looked through the key hole and observed the body lying across the bed and was not undressed. I then called the police station and when the officer arrived we went into the room and found Mr. Johnson lying across the bed, his head in a pool of blood."
When found, Johnson still clutched the cheap 32 caliber revolver in his right hand. He had apparently held the weapon close to his right temple when he pulled th trigger, as the power burns were clearly visible. On an envelope folded in one of his pockets, he had scribbled, "Notify Albert Oetzel, Tampico.
Members of the Johnson family arrived in Dixon Friday noon to claim the remains. They were shocked to learn of the rash act and could give no cause for his action. Questioned as to the matter mentioned in his letter, which he said had caused him much worry, a sister stated that the affair was of so trivial a character as not to be noticed by other members of the family.
His sisters said Arthur had left his home about 7 o'clock Wednesday evening. He had been talking to leaving home for some time and members of his family believed he had become dissatisfied with life on the farm, the sisters said. Members of the family did not know that he had contemplated suicide. He was of a highly nervous temperament and was inclined to worry over small matters.
Found among some pasted News Articles in an old Scrapbook.
The date might be around 1929 - 1930
