Charles Davis
Cincinnati Enquirer, Tuesday, 2 February 1909, page 9
NEWPORT
Charles Davis, one of the best known men of Campbell County, for
several years a Deputy Sheriff under Sheriffs Dan Reidel and John P Nagel, at
one time one of the Vice President of the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel
and tin Workers and prominent in Republican politics in Newport, committed
suicide some time between last Thursday night, when he disappeared from his home
and yesterday at noon, when his body was found in an empty freight car at the
head of Putnam street, on an out of the way side track, where are placed old
cars that are out of commission.
He had hanged himself to the rafter of the car with a piece of wire he had twisted about his neck. In addition he had used the jagged ends of the wire in an effort to induce a quicker death by gashing the veins and arteries in his left wrist. His body had frozen until it was hard as iron when a colored man, Edward Bradshaw looked into the car shortly before noon yesterday. It was later removed to Costigan & Roll morgue where it required several hours to thaw out.
Dr. Higgins, who was Davis family physician, said yesterday that he had been mentally irresponsible for some time and that he was despondent at times. Since leaving the sheriff's office, he had not worked steadily. Davis was 46 years of age and resided in Campbell County and Newport nearly all his life. His brother was John Davis, for many years City Jailer of Newport. Charley Davis had a wide acquaintance in Campbell County and his friends were a unit in declaring that he was the last man who would ever have been figured as a suicide. He leaves a wife and four children. The funeral arrangements have not yet been completed.