Fox Creek Township From Harrison County 1917, Missouri Published by Geo. A. Ogle & Co. in 1917

this was J.E. & Amanda's neighborhood. found familiar names....some my family, some theirs.

JC Maxwell (Tom's dad.) 40 acre; 140 acre with school; 180 acre with cemetery and church

W.E. Davidson 80 acre (related to Chas. Davidson?)

E.W. Davidson 80 acre; 37 acre (related to Chas. Davidson>)

S.D. Stanley 40 acre; 120 acre

John Utterback 120 acre

W.H. Shirley (JE's dad?) 80 acres; 120 acres.

can you imagine being a juror in this Coroners Jury?

you probably know the deceased. or her husband. or her parents. you're standing around the dead body. how uncomfortable. you're listening to interogations. maybe your wife or daughter was friends with her. perhaps she is a relative by marriage. or you know her family. one doctor made a comment about decomposition. it's September. there could be flies. (shudder.)

interesting. he was the only Dr. that stated this.

In my judgement there was no evidence of self- destruction. Judia A. Magraw, M.D.

you know, I always wondered if she'd just fell or tripped over the daughter or while busy doing the million and one things a young mother does daily-especially a young mother before dishwashers and deep freezers and microwaves and Roombas-and somehow broke her neck. if she was at the BOTTOM of the stair case, ok. but where was she exactly? 'upstairs.' near the stairs? in the hallway? in a bedroom? near the bed? near a window? was there something she COULD'VE tripped over? they didn't really describe the area. we know HOW she was lying. but not WHERE she was lying. or what she was lying NEAR. I've had some pretty ridiculous falls. does this explain the disarray of clothing? but you'd probably have a knot or a cut or bruising or something? was she in the habit of locking up the house when it was just her and the daughter? I guess that'd keep her from getting outside to get kicked by a horse or drown in a pond...I watch a lot of true crime. I think I know things.....

I would hope that if my husband found my dead body 'in disarray' he'd make sure I didn't have any wardrobe malfunctions.

some would call it tampering with evidence. I'd say, showing me how much you care.

I'm reading through all this.

such a sad story. truly.

Q. Mr. Shirley, you are the husband of the woman over whose dead body this inquest is being held, are you not?

ok. he comes home and finds his wife dead on SUNDAY. the next day, everyone shows up at his house, where she is still lying, for the inquest. and here he is, not even a day into dealing with his wife being dead, being. asked. this. question. people were tougher back then. wow.

of course today, he would be suspect #1. automatically. because he is the husband.

now starting off, this is Sunday. I'm guessing they'd all went to church in the morning, if he's a farmer and getting that late of start to go pick peaches. The Cat Creek Church was in the neighborhood. Also Springer Chapel and Sharon Chapel.

there are 4 doors on your house? well, I guess we have 4, counting garage and basement. maybe not that weird.

this man took his boys out peach picking, which sounds like a lot of work, and now they can't get into the house? I can almost hear his tone of voice.

Well, I left home between ten and eleven o'clock on Sunday, Sept. 17th, 1911, I did not return until between four or five o'clock Sunday evening, and drove up near the house to two trees, at the west end of my home, and I let the two boys out and then tied my team. The boys ran to the door to open it, then they tried the two doors on the south, and found them fastened. Then one of the boys went to the other side of the house at the other door, when he came back he said, "let us in". Then they went to the window, where the screen is torn off, and I says, "boys, one of you go in and open the door and let me in." I was still near the team when they opened the door. I picked up a bucket of peaches and took them in the house.

4 doors AND the window, where the screen is torn off?

the year is 1911, so you can just picture the house. AND the stairway. probably narrow. and creaky.

he has no illusions. he instantly knows she is dead. he states this fact to his mother. to his neighbor. to his neighbor's wife. I find it interesting that my great grandfather says he can FEEL her heartbeat, then put his head on her chest and said he could HEAR her heartbeat. he is pretty adamant she's fainted. J.E. is pretty adamant that she'd dead. He has stated this SIX times thus far. (can you imagine arguing with your neighbor over your dead wife's body? SHE. IS. DEAD. I can see Will Ferrell playing Grandpa Tom in the SNL skit. I mean, here is the neighbor, touching your dead wife all over insisting she's alive. like he's trained in First Aid. "My name is Tom. Do you need assistance?" and his wife is like...need me to make some calls? A different time, I suppose.

he calls his father on the phone. then yells at his neighbors from the door (my great grandpa Tom Maxwell.) keep in mind he has these peaches to do something with, and the team tied to the tree that needed unhooked and put up and 4 kids who are probably starting to realize what is going on....

taking a break . more of my observations later. stay tuned.

flower tributes on Find-a-A-Grave

What a horrible way to end your life , may you be at peace ..I hope they found your killer.. Left by beth on 16 Apr 2017

May your rest be more peaceful than your end.-your second great-granddaughter Left by Whitney on 16 Sep 2015