Clodfelter - Noah
Source: Saturday Press Attica, Ind -- 5-4-1901
Noah J. CLODFELTER of Crawfordsville died at the Central Hospital for the insane at Indianapolis monday night aged about 48. He had been an inmate of the hospital for almost two years. Mr. Clodfelter lived in Jackson Twp this county for a good many years and taught school utnil his removal to Crawfordsville where he practiced law and wrote a number of popular novels and poems. - kbz
Source: Waveland Independent Friday Jan 12, 1900
The dream of Noah Clodfelter is now a reality. the electric road from Ft. Wayne to Marion is now completed. The scheme was Clodfelter's but he realizes nothing from its completion. His connection with the enterprise took all his property and sent him "Over the Hills to the Poorhouse" and now he is in the insane hospital. - kbz
Source: Crawfordsville Indiana Daily News-Review, May 1, 1901 p 8
Mr. and Mrs. Emerson E. Ballard and daughter left this morning on the 7:35 train to attend the funeral of Mrs. Ballard’s brother, Noah Clodfelter, which took place this afternoon at Crawfordsville, Indiana. They expect to return tomorrow morning – Logansport Reporter. - kbz
Source: Crawfordsville Weekly Journal Friday, 10 May 1901
Noah J. Clodfelter, late of this city, died Monday night at 7:45 o’clock at the Central insane hospital in Indianapolis, where he was committed September 7, 1899. The body was brought to Crawfordsville on Tuesday and was taken immediately to Oak Hill Cemetery, where it was interred by the body of his first wife. At the grave Dr. Nave conducted a short service.
Noah J. Clodfelter was the son of Matthias Clodfelter and was born in Ripley Township near Alamo, on December 14, 1853. There were thirteen children in the family, only four of whom are now living. They are M. E. Clodfelter, Mrs. T. E. Ballard, Mrs. E. E. Ballard, and Mrs. Dr. Etter.
Matthias Clodfelter was a substantial and progressive man and gave all of his children a good education. At an early age Noah began to write rhymes and soon attained quite a local reputation by reason of his contributions to the county newspapers. He finally published a volume of his poems under the title of “Early Vanities.” A little later appeared a novel, “Snatched from the Poor House.” This work was devoted to exploiting the benefits of life insurance, and had quite a run. Mr. Clodfelter was then engaged in life insurance work, having established the “Wabash Valley Protective Association,” a mutual company which was quite successful for several years, but which finally was discontinued. Mr. Clodfelter made considerable money with his insurance company and built “Knoll Cottage,” now the home of John L. Davis.
Mr. Clodfelter was married about twenty three years ago to Miss Cinderella Clark, who died in 1889. Four children were born to them, two of whom are living, Misses Hazel and Mabel Clodfelter, of this city. Several years after the death of his first wife, Mr. Clodfelter was married to Miss Hannah Hough, of this city. She has been residing in Indianapolis since Mr. Clodffelter’s detention at the hospital. Mr. Clodfelter went to Indianapolis in 1895, shortly after the discontinuance of his insurance company.
Concerning his life in Indianapolis, the Journal says:
“He came to Indianapolis several years ago and for a time was engaged in the insurance business here. His last business venture, however, was in the interurban railway line. He was one of the first to secure a franchise for an electric railroad in the gas belt. He was associating with a number of men of means, but somehow the enterprise failed to progress successfully.
Mr. Clodfelter was a determined man and fought gamely against financial reverses. At one time the work on his railroad came to a standstill because of lack of funds which to pay off the men. The newspapers contained accounts of the trouble and the Indianapolis newspapers had something to say about the apparent failure of the scheme. As the chief promoter Mr. Clodfelter bent every energy to get the work started again, and was finally successful in getting money from Chicago sources. One day he walked into the city room of an Indianapolis newspaper with a bag of money on his shoulder. He threw the bag on the table and the chink of the gold caused the only man in the room to open his eyes in wonder. The visitor explained that he had come in to show the editors that he had money with which to start the work on his road again.
Finally, however, he quit the electric line business, but remained in this city. He lived with his family in Woodruff Place for a time. Three or four years ago he issued a satirical work on the poets and learned men of Indiana. There were some rather cutting things in many of the verses and some of the keenest satire was directed at certain Crawfordsville citizens whom the author had known. One of his close friends expressed the belief last night that he was probably insane at the time he issued this satire. He worked for a long time on a poem, which was a sort of a legend of the moon. When he first began to show signs of mental decay, he had a great deal to say about this poem, telling his friends of fabulous offers he had received for it. One day he called at one of the city newspaper offices and asked that a certain reporter, who had formerly shown him favors, be sent to his house, as he had something for the paper. The reporter went to see him at his home and was told that two English literary critics had been to see him and had spoken highly of his poem. The reporter afterward learned that this was a fancy of his diseased brain.
The unfortunate man thought he was possessed of great wealth and would offer to assist his friends when they would call at the hospital to see him. His language was always classic, and some of his sentences when talking in a rambling, incoherent way were couched in beautiful words. Once he said to a woman whom he had known and who called to see him: “Have you plenty of money? If not, I’ll tip the stars and they’ll fill your lap full of shining gold.”
At his bedside when he died was one of his oldest and best friends, Mrs. Sue McWilliams, of this city, and her daughter. The attending physician at the hospital telephoned Mrs. McWilliams early in the evening that Mr. Clodfelter would probably not live through the night. Mrs. McWilliams and daughter hurried out to the hospital and remained with the patient until his death, which occurred about a quarter before nine o’clock.
Mr. Clodfelter leaves two beautiful daughters, Hazel and Mabel Clodfelter, aged seventeen and nineteen, respectively. They have been living at Crawfordsville with relatives. His brother, Marion Clodfelter, is one of the most prominent of Crawfordsville’s attorneys. Two sisters also survive him. The body will be taken to Crawfordsville for burial.” - thanks so much for these Sharon !!!
Source: Crawfordsville Sunday Star 6 May 1901 p 7
At the state asylum in Indianapolis on Monday night Noah J. Clodfelter quietly passed away. He was in his 49th year. For nearly two years he has been in the state asylum hopelessly insane. The life of NJ Clodfelter was a remarkable one. A self education man of high talents he first saw light on the farm near Alamo. Acquiring a common school education he taught school for several years and then engaged in literary pursuits and life insurance. He was the originator of one of the first assessment insurance companies. It was called the Wabash Valley Protective Association and at one time enjoyed a large business with the general offices in this city. He always claimed that had he not been hounded by vampire lawyers he would have made a success out of the business. And he undoubtedly would have done so. While in the height of success he built a beautiful home on South Green Street now owned and occupied by John L. Davis and by Mr. Clodfelter called “Knoll Cottage.” It is a lovely home with every convenience and located on a commanding piece of ground. In the disasters that came to him he lost this property. He was twice married. His first wife, the daughter of John Clark of this city died leaving two daughter, Mabel and Hazel, now young women and employed in responsible positions in this city. His second wife was Hannah Hough, also of this city who survives him. No children were born to them. Mr. Clodfelter was a poet of much pure sentiment. Some of his shorter poems have the true flavor of genius; verses pure in tone and sweet as bird music. His prose contributions were not of so much merit, though published by Harper Brothers and carrying with them the endorsement of that firm. His first book was entitled, Early Vanities. In his poetical works the most gifted thing was The Fate of the Bride, a poem descriptive of a true incident occurring in Ripley Township at a charivari party the young bride was killed by the wadding from a gun that carried no leaden messenger. In later years when troubles came to the poet he talked of writing a greater work that should immortalize his name, but the work was never written, though he did publish a satirical poem that was a take-off on the enemies that he thought he had in this city and to whose door he laid in whole or in part the ill fortune that came to him. He was a man of strange talents and remarkable plausibility. He was as tender as a women and as honest a man as ever lived. He was a victim to misplaced confidence in those whom he counted his true friends and by their duplicity he failed in whatever he undertook. The electric line that runs from Indianapolis to Marion and on through the gas belt was large the result of his careful thought and he was the tireless promoter who pushed the line through and gained the concessions that finally won a victory and established the line. He thought that he was not treated fairly by the papers of Indianapolis and the moneyed interest for whom he pulled the chestnuts from the fire; he was deposed from active part in the directory of the electric company and that broke his heart. From that moment he showed a failing mental vigor that alarmed his friends and finally caused his removal to the state asylum, a hopeless mental wreck. He was a brother to Marion E. Clodfelter, Mrs. TE Ballard, Mrs. Emmerson Ballard and Mrs. Etter of this city, where thre are unnumbered ones who ought never to forget the benefactions that they owe unto him. The body was brought here on Tuesday and taken at once from the train to Oak Hill cemetery for interment. He is at last resting. After all, his fate was not far different from that unusually accorded genius. With his genius came ill luck and misfortune that were not properly his due portion, but reaped by him to the bitterest dregs nevertheless. Friends and the family met the funeral party at the train on Tuesday afternoon and took the body to the cemetery where Rev. Nave read a brief service and said a few words before all that was mortal of NJ Clodfelter was laid forever at rest.