BARKER, Jesse K.
Source: Obituaries owned by Grace Newnum found collected at the Fountain Co Historical Society Library (West Central Indiana) p 7
The following message was received at this office Thursday morning -- Little Rock, Ark Feb 13, '08. Charles M. berry: Jesse Barker committed suicide yesterday. See if relatives want body. Answer Fred Gambold. Jess Barker will be remembered as a resident of this city. Several years ago he and his brother, Tom Barker came here from Parke County and owned the drug store, now the property of George Graham. Soon after they sold the place his wife died at their home in the Sterling suburb and within a short time he disappeared leaving his 3 children to care of friends and relatives. Upon receipt of the message from Fred Gambold, who as is well known was formerly a Veedersburg boy, the News began making efforts to locate his relatives. His brother, Tom, is located in Urbana, Ill and was apprised of the suicide by his brother-in-law, John Ratcliff. A son, Emerson Barker was found living near Tangier. In a conversation with him over the phone he said that they had never heard from his father since he left this city and had no idea as to where he was. Barker's mother was located at Marshall where she has resided for many years. She desired to know who to communicate with and said she would instruct them to hold the body until they could send after it and have it returned to Marshall his old home for burial. Although the family did not know where he was, Sam Brooks, who died a short time ago, when coming home from Texas last summer met Barker in Little Rock and talked for some time with him. Barker did not care to talk with Sam of his former life and preferred that Sam would not tell his people where he was, though he had done nothing wrong or criminal to cause him to leave his children near relatives and friends in the manner that he did. The itnerest taken by Fred Gambold in trying to apprise his relative of his tragic death was no doubt due to the fact that he formerly resided here, the boyhood home of Gambold, though he did not know Barker while a resident of this city as he had left here several years prior to barker becoming a resident of the place.