ARLINGTON STUDENT HANGS SELF AT HOME

Body of Howard Henderson Found At Family Home on Friday Evening

NO MOTIVE ADVANCED

Was Said to Be Popular With Younger Set

Howard Henderson, eighteen-year-old son of Rev. and Mrs. John Henderson, was found dead at his home in Arlington last Friday evening, apparently a suicide victim. A coroner’s investigation held on Saturday concluded that the boy had committed suicide and decided that no inquest would be held.

Howard was a senior in the Arlington high school and was described as being a youth of clean habits and ranking especially high in his studies. The lad had attended classes at the high school on Friday and was apparently in the best of spirits. He was last seen at noon and gave no inkling of his intentions to friends at that time.

Rev. and Mrs. Henderson had gone to Omaha Friday morning where Mrs. Henderson was taken seriously ill and was confined to the Methodist hospital. Unable to bring his wife home, the father telephoned a neighbor in Arlington, H. C. McClellan, and asked him to inform the son of the fact. McClellan, in company with another Arlington citizen, went to the Henderson home where they were unable to attract the attention of the boy. Becoming alarmed they forced open a door and found the body suspended form the staircase in the front hall.

The Hendersons moved to Arlington after the Methodist assignment in October. Rev. Henderson was pastor at Auburn before that time. Friends of the youth stated that he had not expressed homesickness for his former home since coming to Arlington and that he was apparently satisfied with his new home. He had been quite popular in the younger set since moving to Arlington and took the leading role in a play given at the opera house in Arlington last November.

The body was found dangling from the stair rail, the feet touching the floor. His belt, knotted under the jaw, was about the throat. A clothesline was fastened to the belt, and attached to the upper part of the stair rail. It was learned that the youth had torn most of his clothing from his body and strewn them about the room and according to dispatch in one of the Omaha papers the fore part of the week, relatives of the boy expressed the belief that he had been temporarily deranged at the time of his death.

Funeral services were held at the family home in Arlington on Tuesday morning at 10:30 with Rev. W. L. Elliott of Aurora officiating. The body was taken to Lincoln for burial. He is survived by his parents and a brother, Wallace, who lives with his parents.

Blair Pilot 11 Jan 1928

One of the saddest things that has ever happened in Arlington occurred last Friday when Howard, the 18-year-old son of Rev. and Mrs. J. W. Henderson, committed suicide at his home by hanging. Rev. and Mrs. Henderson accompanied by an older son had motored to Omaha for the day leaving Howard who was a senior in high school. Mrs. Henderson whose health is very poor was taken suddenly ill and had to be rushed to the hospital, this of course caused a change in the plans of the family. Late in the afternoon Mr. Henderson tried to call his son to apprise him of his mother’s illness and the change in their plans, not being able to get his son over the phone he next called H. C. McClellan and asked him to tell Howard. Mr. McClellan and son, Harry went to the house about 6:30 but could get no response to their efforts at admittance, seeing Howard’s wraps however in the room they concluded he must be ill so managed to gain access to the house by the back door, on entering the house they discovered his dead body. It is thought he had been dead about three hours when found. Howard came here in September with his parents and was a model young man well liked by all and no motive can be found as to why he did such a desperate thing. He had been to school that morning and had taken an examination, he had laughed and joked as usual with his school mates on the way home. The reason for his going will always be a profound mystery. The family are simply prostrated with grief and shock. The funeral services were held at the church Tuesday morning at 10 o’clock with burial at Lincoln. The basket ball game which was scheduled to be played at the high school “gym” between Kennard and the Modern Woodmen team here was postponed because of the death of Howard Henderson who was a member of the M. W. A. camp and carried insurance in the order.

There were no services at the Methodist church except Sunday school.

Note: Since the actual death date was not given, the news article date was used.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~