The Solitary Tragedy of Maple Valley

A sad termination occurred Sunday morning when a man named Caesar Ogan, living on a ranch about three miles from Maple Valley, took his own life. The coroner and Sheriff were dispatched to the scene of the tragedy. They described the scene upon entering the cabin: there was a rude bed, the man lying dead upon it, with the whole upper part of his head and face gone, and his brains scattered all over the floor. He had leaned forward until his forehead rested upon the muzzle of his gun and pulled the trigger with his toe. Death resulted instantly. Ogan had taken up 160 acres of land in Maple Valley about three years ago, but he had never proved up on the claim, although he had notice from the Land Office that he could do so if he chose. His neighbors say that up to three years ago he was a jolly, neighborly man, but since that time he has grown morose, silent, and suspicious. He lived by himself in a wretched cabin, and when his neighbors would call on him he would show them no hospitality, sometimes refusing to speak to them. Letters in his possession show that he has a brother living at Spirit Lake, Iowa, a brother Isaac, in Utah, and a widowed sister residing in Georgia. These relatives will be notified of the death, and they will doubtless take steps to prove up on the homestead, as it is worth from $40 to $50 per acre.