Shot Through the Heart - The Story of Harry Odle

The cause of death listed on the certificate stated simply "Shot through the heart by officers."   The headline of The Portsmouth Daily Times on 1 March, 1927 proclaims "Coroner Starts Investigation in Death of Harry Odle -  Was Slain in Home in Rardon by Officers; Wife is Slightly Wounded in Gun Battle, Victim Insane, Alleged".   I stumbled upon that headline last night as I was doing a little "light" family history research on my husband's family.  On just another one of those days when I wanted to avoid doing the housework that is still waiting to be done, I discovered another compelling family story. 

As has happened so often in the past for me, researching newspaper archives had provided the beginning of a story that required more research to fill in the missing pieces and to finally put together a more complete picture of an event and a greater understanding of a distant family member.

Harry Odle, my husband's 1st cousin, 2 times removed, was born to John P. and Sarah Alice Cochran Odle on 20 April, 1883 in Nile Township, Scioto County, Ohio.  On 30 April, 1900, he married Iva Estella Freeman and between the years of 1902 and 1920, they had 8 children. 
According to the United States Census, in both 1910 and 1920 he was farming in Rarden Township,  Scioto County.  What could have happened that would have lead to his violent death on 28 February, 1927?

 I began with the lengthy article about the gun battle itself.  I learned that Harry Odle had been shot only once, with the bullet passing first through his forearm and then completely through his body. 
His wife, Iva, had been wounded when she was hit by a bullet that first hit a stovepipe, then the wall, a door, and then lodged in her calf.   Somehow, miraculously, Harry's mother who was also sitting in the room, was not injured. 
It had all begun when Deputy Sheriff Willis and City Patrolman Goodman had arrived at the Odle home with a warrant in hand certifying that Harry had been deemed "insane" and they were to return him to the state hospital in Athens, Ohio. He had been an inmate there in 1924 for the period of about one year.  He had run away at that time and was home for a year and half before being sent back to the asylum where he stayed until he was dismissed. The article states that the first time he was taken, it took more than a half a dozen men to handle him and while in his cell, he had torn out the iron bars with his hands.  During the short time following his release, he had worked off and on farming and working for the railroad with his brother, Nelson.  However, not long before the shooting incident, Harry's family and friends had complained to the sheriff that he had threatened their lives.  Harry himself  had also sent the County Clerk, Fred Warner, this threatening message: "To the Courts of Scioto County:  I herewith set my  hand and seat.  Harry Odle the ruler of Almighty God swear to do what is right by all people.  so I warn you to go according to law.  The first thing my trip to the insane asylum paid all my debts by law.  The second thing I seen in the paper where you appraised my place.  It is a d---- lie. It was never appraised as I know of, and I have been at home all the time.  I wasn't looking for trouble, but if that is what you want go ahead.  But, remember I am a citizen of the U.S. born and bred in Scioto County, and must be recognized."

On the Friday before his death, Harry had gone to the office of Mayor Walter Scott and threatened him with a gun, pointing it into the air and firing it several times. Then, on Monday, the day of the shooting,  Harry's daughter, Gertrude, sent the sheriff a telegram that stated, "Harry Odle dangerously insane. Family in great danger.  Come Immediately." 

Armed with a warrant for Harry's capture, the officers arrived at the home with the hope that they could "nab" him before he had a chance to shoot.  They entered the house through the kitchen and upon stepping into the middle room,  Harry fired upon them with a .32 caliber revolver,  as he wordlessly sat in a chair.  The officers drew their guns and stepped behind the door, returning fire.  Even after the shooting stopped, so wary were the officers about approaching Harry, that they threw tear gas into the room to make sure he was incapacitated.  Upon the coroner's investigation, it was discovered that Harry also had in his possession a large knife and several packs of 32 cartridges in his coat pocket.

The portion of the article that I found most interesting came towards the end when it detailed the following:  "According to relatives, Mr. Odle was a hard, earnest worker and was a sober man always and was never known to use a profane word until after he was first taken mentally ill about six years ago.  At that time, a young daughter, Berlin, about six years old, died, and he turned to religion in the hopes of forgetting his great sorrow.  Instead, relatives claim, he gave every thought to his new religious faith and soon showed signs of insanity."

When I read those lines about the mental illness not manifesting itself until after the death of his precious little girl, I knew I had to find out more about her.  According to the 1920 United States Census, Harry and Iva had a daughter named, Elizabeth B., who was 8 years old.  I felt this was probably the little one I was looking for.  I researched the Ohio Death Certificate database at familysearch.org and there I discovered the information I sought.  Elizabeth Burlene Odle, aged 7 years, 10 months, and 10 days, had died on 1 November, 1920 as a result of typhoid fever that she had contracted at school.
Harry and Iva had buried their little girl just a few weeks before Thanksgiving, 1920.   Certainly, Harry Odle would not have been the first parent to have been driven "insane" by the death of a child.  Today, there are many resources where grieving hearts can receive support, love, and understanding.  But, in 1920, counseling, especially in very rural areas, would have been virtually non-existent.  In fact, in many instances, grieving families were expected to just move on once an "acceptable" period of mourning was over.  The newspaper article reveals that Harry had "turned to religion", but we don't know exactly what that meant.  I'm sure his clergyman and his family all tried to help him ease his grief, but severe depression and it seems in this case, pychosis, could not have been talked away or even "loved" away.

According to an article in The Portsmouth Daily Times, dated 9 April, 1924, the probate court first officially judged Harry as "insane" on 8 April, 1924, and sent him to the Athens State Hospital because he had become violent and had terrorized his neighbors numerous times.   It is possible that his mental condition would have deteriorated without the death of his little girl, but it is hard to look at Harry's life just preceding the incident and not believe that his grief was not the major contributor to his downfall.   The fact that Harry Odle was a different man before his illness was told by the story of his funeral in The Portsmouth Daily Times on 5 March, 1927,  which stated "The throng that filled the church until the obtaining of standing room was next to impossible testified to the wide friendship of the man."

Thankfully, his actions did not harm anyone else,  at least physically  However,  I can't imagine what life must have been like for Iva, his wife, who had to grieve for her child and then for her husband.  She survived the gunshot wound, but remained in serious condition for many weeks.

The tragic story of Harry Odle began many years before he was "shot through the heart".  I can't help but think that his heart was injured twice; the first time by the loss of his beautiful Burlene and the final time when the lawman's bullet took his life.

Surname Saturday The Odle's and O'Dell's of Scioto County, Ohio

During the past week, I haven't written too many posts on my blog because I have spent just about every free moment I have had researching on my newly found resource of newspaperarchive.com.  Luckily for me, two of the newspaper they have available cover areas of the country where my husband had family living during the periods of time the source covers.  Last week, I shared both the story of my husband's great great uncle, August Hellmund and the account of the tragic drowning of  his great uncle Clyde O'Dell and his wife, Lillian.  In the past, I have told of some "offbeat" finds I have made such as some "moonshining" arrests and to my great delight, I have uncovered newspaper accounts of family weddings.  Yesterday, I was enjoying the search for "Odles" and "O'Dells" in the new database,  copying and saving articles in my history folders and updating my family tree with any newly found names and dates, when I came upon something new that shocked and saddened me.   It was an article published 4 April, 1937 in The Portsmouth Times.  The headline read, "BULLETS KILL MAN, WOUND MOTHER OF 8".  The article went on to describe how James Odle, in an apparent "jealous craze" had shot and wounded the wife of his cousin, John Odle.  He had been staying with his cousin,  John and his family and had  been very difficult to deal with.  Bessie, John's wife, had apparently had enough of  James living with them and she told him to move out of the house. James became angry, retrieved a gun and shot  Bessie.  Her son, William, had come to his mother's aid and stepped between her and the man attempting to kill her.  After shooting Bessie, James had put the gun to his head and killed himself.  Bessie had actually walked herself to the ambulance, but was now in serious condition with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.  What a terrible story.
I immediately wanted to see just how these individuals fit into my husband's family tree.  The first thing I did was open to my family tree files to look up James, but there are many James Odle's in the family and not knowing any more information than what I had, it was a little difficult to match exactly whose "James" he was.  My next step was the Ohio Death Certificates database at familysearch.org to see if I could connect him to his parents by looking at his death certificate.  Unfortunately, his record wasn't there, but my eyes fell upon the name of someone else.  It was Bessie O'Dell.  According to her death certificate, Bessie died two weeks after she was shot, on 18 April, 1937.  The cause of death was listed as endocarditis, contributory cause was a gunshot wound to the abdomen.   I felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness.  I had just "met" this incredibly strong woman who had walked from the scene of her attempted murder to the waiting ambulance, and now she was gone.  She was taken away from her husband and her eight children by a man who was angry that she didn't like his influence upon her household.   I knew there was now more to be told of this story.  I searched the archive database once more, concentrating specifically on her name and I  discovered another article.

At the time of this article, Bessie's condition seemed to be improving, but unfortunately, I knew now that it wasn't to be.

The next two articles I found were obituaries; both Bessie's and James'. 

My final steps in documenting this tragedy were to input the information that I had found into both my Ancestry.com family tree and my personal family tree database.  After that, I could tell my husband that the wife of his grandmother's first cousin, therefore, his first cousin, once removed, was shot and killed by the man, James Odle, his second cousin, twice removed. 

 We all have items that live in our family trees that don't make us proud, but they are still important components to who we are.   Now that I know Bessie, I won't forget her and I think that is what family history is all about.

Tombstone Tuesday - Cemetery Road Trip

Old Dutch Cemetery, Highland County, Ohio

A couple of years ago, I got inspired to take a cemetery road trip.  Both my husband and I have family members who were early settlers in several southern Ohio counties and I got the brilliant idea that we could take a drive down to visit four cemeteries where we would most likely find the gravesites of some of our ancestors.   Beginning with my Shoemaker ancestors in Old Dutch Cemetery in Highland County, Ohio, following up with Locust Grove Cemetery near Peebles in Adams County, Ohio and finishing up with my husband's Odle-O'Dell family at Friendship and Odle-Piatt Cemeteries in Turkey Creek, Scioto County, Ohio.  With the use of Google Maps and good advice from some helpful online friends, I created an itinerary that I thought would make for trip of great discovery.  Now, I just had to convince my family this would be fun.  My husband wasn't hard to convince.  Even though he really didn't have a clue which of his relatives I was really looking for, he was ready for some time away from his job. job.  The kids were going to be a harder sell.  Two teenaged and one "tween" boy were not going to be enamoured by the thought of driving for several hours and stopping only to visit cemeteries where they were going to be put to work looking for names.   So, I decided I would make this a getaway weekend and we would find a motel with a pool for a night.  I figured if they knew there was a pool and some in room movies waiting for them, I could get them through the 6 or 8 hours of sheer agony they were going to have to endure.   So I presented them with the agenda, and even though they weren't thrilled, they decided it might not be torture.

With their acceptance, I began to check out the cemeteries a little more closely so I would be prepared when I arrived.  The one that most concerned me was Old Dutch.  It looked as though it was located in the middle of a cornfield and according to some accounts I read, it was surrounded by a locked gate. Oh great.  How was I going to get someone to unlock the gate for me.  I emailed the Highland County Sheriff's Dept.  and asked if someone could unlock the gate for me when I arrived. They must have thought I was completely daft because I never received an answer.   So, I decided I would take a small ladder along; just in case!

The day arrived and we loaded the car with all the essentials. Maps, notebooks, pens, and camera for my husband and me and snacks and games for the boys.  We headed out and made it to Highland County in a little over an hour.   Sure enough, Old Dutch was located off the road, behind a cornfield.  We had to drive through a little cleared area of grass next to the field.  I kept thinking the farmer wasn't going to be happy with us!  When we arrived at the cemetery I was pleasantly surprised by how well kept it was and how beautiful and serene the area around it was.   Purple wildflowers bloomed throughout the grass and the stones were in very good condition.  Some that had broken had been meticulously repaired.  It was here that I found the gravesites of Samuel and Julia Ann Weaver Shoemaker, my paternal 4th great grandparents, as well as those of several of my distant Shoemaker cousins.

 Since the cemetery was small, my sons didn't have to look too hard for names, so they decided they would busy themselves with bothering the ground spiders that were plentiful throughout Old Dutch.  They discovered if they took a stick and moved it anywhere near the hole of the spider's den, they could get the spider to jump out at them.  As a future science teacher, my oldest son found that fascinating.  So far, so good!

The next stop was Locust Grove Cemetery in Adams County, a little farther southeast.  It was about another hours drive to reach our destination and further into the country.  I couldn't help but wonder how much the land had changed since my relatives had lived there.   When we reached the cemetery, I was surprised at it's size.  I knew I would be putting the kids to work there.  We didn't see any type of cemetery office, although since it is a working cemetery, I know there must have been one around somewhere.  It was here that I found the gravesite of my great grandparents, Thomas and Roseanna Varvel Shoemaker and  those of many of my great aunts and uncles, as well as that of  my great great grandfather, Jacob Shoemaker. 

We spent quite a bit of time at Locust Grove.  I really hated to leave; fearing I would miss someone.  But, the day was getting late and we still had a drive ahead. 

Time to head toward Friendship Cemetery in Turkey Creek, Scioto County. 

I didn't know a lot about where we were headed, except for the fact that it was close to the banks of the Ohio River and very near the Shawnee State Forest and Resort.  Some of the land that was once owned by the Odle's was sold to the state of Ohio when the forest was being created.  As we drew nearer to the area, the geography was becoming even more rural.  If you have ever been through the southern and southeastern portion of my state, you will know what I am talking about.   I thought how difficult it must have been to farm in this area because of all the hills.   We had some trouble finding just where we were going. This was before GPS devices had come into vogue and we certainly didn't have one!  Up until this point, even though the weather was threatening, we had had no rain.  The kids were getting a little tired and I have to admit, I was getting kind of cranky myself.  We finally found the cemetery and the church it surrounded was one of the prettiest country churches I have ever seen.

And, of course, it was just then that it began to rain, the kids started to complain and they became a huge pain!

Luckily, my husband took it in stride, determined that we were not going to come all this way and not discover his family.  The cemetery is medium sized, so it wasn't too difficult to find our way around.  It was here that we found the gravesites of my husband's maternal great grandparents, Andrew Jackson and Bertha Welty O'Dell.

We also found the burial place of  his great great grandparents, William and Angeline Piatt Welty and  those of several  of his great aunts and uncles.  It was quickly becoming a very good trip for us!

With one last stop to make, the rain began to slow down.  The next cemetery was a little more difficult to find. 

The Odle-Piatt Cemetery is very small and quite overgrown with weeds, but we did finally locate it.  After the spider episode, the boys were a little less inclined to enter an area that looked like such a wonderful home for other creepy crawlers, so my husband and I let them wait in the car.  It was here that we located the gravesite of  my husband's great great grandparents, Nelson and Sarah Walker Odle, and several of their children.  

By this time, we were all worn out, but feeling like we had done a good day's worth of research.  With the final pictures taken we headed to Portsmouth and that promised swimming pool.

It's been a couple of years since we headed out on our Southern Ohio Cemetery Road Trip and I sure am ready to head out again.  Didn't they say it was going to be 50 degrees this weekend?    Hey kids.........

Moonshiners Part Two - Whiskey Affects the Memory

Portsmouth Daily Times, Tuesday, January 25, 1921


Fines of $800 Each Given to Moonshiners
Squire Veasey Gives No Mercy To Still Operators


Stiff Fines of $800 and costs were imposed by Squire Olin - Veasey at Nile Township, against each of the five defendants, Thurman Thompson, Charles Odle, Luther Odle, Charles Clifford, and Harry Beckman, charged with unlawfully manufacturing liquor at a session of court held at the county jail office Tuesday forenoon. The men were ordered held in jail in default of payment of the fines assessed.

The men, except Luther Odle, aged 21 years, of 976 Gay Street, were taken in a raid on a huge moonshine still outfit at Turkey Creek, West Side, by officers early Monday morning, and Luther Odle surrendered to Sheriff Rickey this morning.

All the defendants, except Harry Beckman, young man of 1220 Tenth St., pleaded guilty, but young Beckman strenuously denied having any interest in the whiskey making outfit or of participating in the making of liquor, although he admitted being at the still Sunday night. He told the court that he accompanied Luther Odle to the country in the latter’s auto just for the ride, and asserted he did not know where he was going beforehand. He declared that it was the first time he had ever been down that way and claimed he never before saw a still. He stated he was a mere looker-on and that he did not even taste the liquor.

The testimony of the arresting officers was the only evidence introduced by the state and at the conclusion of the hearing the magistrate made a finding that Beckman was equally as guilty as the others.

Judge A.Z. Blair represented the state and he questioned the defendants at some length concerning their whiskey making operations.

It was established by the questioning that Luther Odle and Thurman Thompson, who lives at ---- Lindell Avenue, were the joint owners of the still and that they had secured it only a short time ago although confessing having another outfit last summer which they declared was stolen from them. Both men said a miner living in this city constructed the still confiscated Monday morning, for them but they had poor memories and were unable to tell the name of the man, declaring they never learned his name. They said they had made but one “run” of liquor from this still.

Charles Odle, who lives near where the still was found, said the others came by his home and invited him to go coon hunting and Clifford, whose home is at Dry Run, denied any connection with the still or of taking any part in making the liquor Sunday night, declaring it was the first time he had been there. He explained his presence at Turkey Creek by saying that he was there visiting his mother and went up to the still on invitation.

The Luther Odle Buick automobile, which was seized by the officers Monday, was turned over to R.S. Prichard by Sheriff Rickey today. Prichard holds a mortgage on the car.

It is understood that no charge will be pressed against Dallas Odle, 17 year old son of Charles Odle, who escaped at the time of the raid.

New Discovery! Moonshiners in the Family

For many years, I have heard stories about the family of my husband's grandmother, Carrie Retsel O'Dell (Odle) Zimmerman. She was born in Turkey Creek, Scioto County, Ohio, on the banks of the Ohio River. We made a trip down there a couple of years ago, and even today, it still has quite a bit of wild country. Much of the land where she grew up is now contained within the confines of the Shawnee State Forest and Resort. She came from a large family and she was one of only two daughters. Her extended family was also quite large and I have been told that they had plenty of time and space to get into various kinds of trouble.
Today, I confirmed at least one of these stories. Luther and Charles Odle, both cousins of Carrie, were arrested for moonshining on January 24, 1921.
This story appeared in the Portsmouth Daily Times later that day:

Portsmouth Daily Times – January 24, 1921

Sheriff Swoops Down on Still – Four Moonshiners Caught

Two Make Getaway But Officers Say They Were Identified; Plant is Seized

Four men, giving their names as Thurman Thompson, Charles Odle, Charles Clifford, and Harry Beckman were arrested, and two others, said by officers to be Luther Odle and his son, Dallas, Odle, aged 17 years, escaped early Monday morning when Sheriff E.E. Rickey and a squad of officers swooped down on a moonshine liquor plant by a hollow on the Labold land in the wilds of Turkey Creek, West Side.

The raid also resulted in the capture of an immense copper still of 90 gallons capacity, in addition to more than 600 gallons of mash and about six gallons of high proof distilled liquor. The mash was destroyed and the still and liquor were seized, together with a Buick touring car belonging to Luther Odle and brought to the city along with the quartet of prisoners, who were landed in the county jail where they are held to meet charges of unlawfully manufacturing intoxicating liquor.

The still was in operation and the six men were huddled around a fire in the furnace under the cooker when the officers arrived on the scene about two o’clock and took the whiskey makers by surprise. When Sheriff Rickey suddenly slid down a hillside landing right in the midst of the distillers, there was a wild scramble of members of the gang to escape, but officers had been stationed at various points in an effort to cut off all avenue of escape and four of the men were caught.

When searched it developed none of the prisoners were armed except Charles Odle, on whose person a .38 caliber revolver, fully loaded, was found, but in a search of the premises a rifle and a discarded pistol holster were discovered.

From information received by the sheriff, the still had been in operation but a short time, as he visited the place only a few days ago and from all indications then it had been used little, if any, at that time. No one was about at the time and the officer did not disturb the outfit but waited for a more opportune time, which came this morning. It is by far the most complete outfit for the making of liquor which has been taken by local officers since the prohibition law went into effect. The still was equipped with a 30 foot copper coil and a perfect cooling system, fed from a small stream of water.

Thompson, Charles, and Luther Odle are the reputed owners of the still. Clifford and Beckman, who are Dry Run young men, claiming they have no interest in the outfit and just chanced to accompany the others to the camp Sunday night.

Besides Sheriff Rickey and Deputy Harry Dunham, railroad detectives Lee Einspander, Andy Leslie, Robert Reno, and Ehner Pratt participated in the raid.

Tomorrow: The trial of Luther and Charles Odle