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Abraham Campbell – Wife Found Dead in Murder Suicide
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on September 24, 2018
Abraham Campbell was born about 9 May 1835 in Northumberland County. During the Civil War he served in the 6th Pennsylvania Reserves [35th Pennsylvania Infantry], Company B, as a Private from 10 October 1861 through discharge on a Surgeon’s Certificate of Disability on 26 October 1862. The record shows that he applied for an invalid pension on 4 April 1879, which he received and collected until his death, which occurred on 18 January 1909.
Campbell’s death was reported in the Lewisburg Journal, 22 January 1909:
Another Veteran
Abraham Campbell, aged 69 years. died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. D. W. Snyder, at Winfield, Tuesday morning at four o’clock of tuberculosis. Besides Mrs. Snyder, he is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Mary Persing and Mrs. Christy Tharp, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania. The deceased was a veteran of the CIvil War and a member of William A. Brunner Post 335, G.A.R. Funeral services were held at Winfield, Thursday morning at ten o’clock, after which the remains were brought to Sunbury for interment at the Sunbury Cemetery.
Not mentioned in the obituary was that Abraham Campbell was married to Sarah Goodman who was the mother of his three children. In 1890, Abraham Campbell was living in Dalmatia [previously known as Georgetown], Northumberland County, when he reported his Civil War service to the census, with a disability of “sore legs or ulcers.” At about the the time of that census, Abraham and his wife Sarah decided to separate, and she went out seeking work, which she found with a widower, Jake Thompson, who was living near Shamokin.
In 1899, Mrs. Sarah Campbell met a tragic end at the hand of her employer.
From The Times, of Philadelphia, 2 August 1899:
A DOUBLE MURDERER
Jake Thompson Killed His Housekeeper and Then Shot Himself
The Had Quarreled, But Reconciled Their Differences Just Before the Terrible Crime Was Committed
Special Telegram to THE TIMES
Shamokin, 1 August 1899 — Mrs. Abraham Campbell, housekeeper for John Thompson, a retired farmer, quarreled with him one month ago, and when she went to live with friends in Uniontown he grew jealous. The couple patched up their differences last Saturday. Yesterday morning he murdered her and in the evening he took his own life. He was 71 years old. She was eleven years younger. Two children survive Thompson, while his victim leaves a husband and three children.
Owing to marital differences, Mr. and Mrs. Campbell separated nine years ago, and as Thompson was a widower he engaged Mrs. Campbell as his housekeeper. Saturday night she accompanied him to his home.
George Sober, and ice cream dealer, was Thompson’s tenant, and when he returned from town yesterday morning he noticed something peculiar about the actions of Thompson. As he was about to start for this place at 10:30 o’clock he was asked by Thompson to take his horse and wagon to D. A. Shade‘s store. He offered the young man 50 cents, but the latter remarked: “I’ll do it as a favor.”
“It’s a mighty big favor,” responded Thompson, as he tied his horse to Sober’s wagon. He handed Sober a note, requesting him to deliver it to Mrs. Isaac Tharpe, his stepdaughter. The note was as follows:
“Christy Tharpe: Your mother died Sunday, about 4 o’clock.”
Believing that something unusual had caused her death, Isaac Tharpe started for the scene. He found everything closed except the two upstairs windows.
Thinking it was unsafe to enter, he returned home. This morning neighbors went to the home. Upon the floor of his bed room Thompson was found with his head resting on a straw pillow. Blood oozed from a wound in his right temple, while in his hand was clutched an old-style 32-calibre revolver. It was pressed close to his face, and two of its five chambers were empty. Upon the bead was found the dead body of Mrs. Campbell. She had been shot in almost precisely the same spot as Thompson.
It is surmised that early yesterday morning he killed her in a room adjoining his bedroom, after which he placed the corpse in bed. In the evening, judging from the appearance of Thompson’s body, he killed himself. Coroner Shindel will not hold and inquest, as he is assured that it was a case of murder and suicide.
A copy the Pension Index Card for Abraham Campbell is shown below:
From Fold3.
A copy of the Veterans’ Index Card for Abraham Campbell is shown below:
From Pennsylvania Archives.
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News clippings from Newspapers.com. The drawing of the murder scene, top of post, is from the Philadelphia Inquirer.
How sad.