A  Shelbyville  Newspaper
 Thursday, July 31, 1919
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MAN  TAKES  HIS  LIFE
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James  W. M'Clure,  Father  of  Local  Man,
Commits  Suicide  in  Indianapolis.
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CAUSE  IS  UNKNOWN
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          James W. McClure, 53 years old, for years a prominent resident of this county, committed suicide by hanging himself in the woodshed at the rear of the home of  Mrs. Kate Moore, 1131 Sheffield avenue, Indianapolis.  His body was found hanging to the rope early Sunday morning.  Despondency over continued ill health is said to be the cause of the act.
          For months Mr. McClure had been suffering from ill health.  He had an attack of Spanish influenza here months ago, and since his physical condition had been on a steady decline.  Being treated by an Indianapolis specialist for his ailments, he went to live with his daughter, Mrs. Moore.  At 6:20 o'clock Sunday morning he was missed by relatives, and the search which ensued led to the discovery of his body in the woodshed.  When found, he was past medical relief.  The coroner of Marion county is conducting an investigation.
          Mr. McClure had spent the greater part of his life in this county and city.  He is survived by one son, Roy McClure, 27 Haymond street, this city, the daughter, Mrs. Moore, and another daughter, Mrs. John Schuler.  Besides these he leaves his widow, two step-children, Mrs. Delphia Herron, of Hope, and  Mrs. Ruby McHaffy, of Indianapolis, his aged father, Robert McClure, of Hope, and four brothers,  Edward McClure, of Hendricks township,  James McClure,  George McClure  and  Charles McClure,  of Bartholomew county, and half-brother, residing in Michigan.
          Funeral arrangements have not been announced by Stewart & Fix, undertakers in the case.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming


The  Shelbyville  Democrat
 Monday August 6, 1917
Page 1 column 5
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FORMER  TRUSTEE  A  SUICIDE  TODAY
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Samuel McClure Hanged Himself
in His Barn—Mind Affected For Months
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          Samuel McClure, one of the prominent and highly esteemed residents of Shelby county, hanged himself in the barn at his home in north Hendricks township, early today, probably about 8 o’clock, but the body was not found until 10 o’clock, and then only after two members of his family and many of the neighbors had made a long search about the barn and all over the farm. He had climbed into the haymow and had tied the rope, one taken from about a sack of binder twine, around a timber-plate, and had then slid to his death down into a cattle rack at the edge of the mow. His body was hidden so that it took a second search of the barn to find it.
          For several months Mr. McClure’s mind had been affected, but he had shown such improvement recently that his children were hopeful of his recovery and had decided to watch over him and care for him themselves instead of sending him to an institution for treatment. Last Saturday evening he was 
with some of them on a visit to this city and this morning he assisted his son, Oscar, who had been making his home with him, in getting the automobile and a team of horses ready for assisting with threshing in the neighborhood. Then he had mowed some weeds. His daughter, Mrs. W. B. Newer, of Indianapolis, who was visiting him, and  Mrs. Oscar McClure were busy doing the family washing and when they went to call for him got no response. A hasty search alarmed them when they could find no trace of him and the neighbors were called. Then the search began that ended in the finding of his body in the barn.
Mr. McClure’s illness began last winter with trouble with his teeth and a poisoning set in that affected his entire body. His wife took him to a sanitarium at Martinsville last April for treatment and while there waiting on him, dropped dead from heart trouble. This blow caused Mr. McClure’s reason to totter and for a time he was in a very dangerous condition.
          Dr. Inlow was called to the McClure home today to hold an inquiry and Claude Fix of the firm of Stewart & Fix was called to prepare the body for burial.
          Mr. McClure was a son of  Robert McClure and the late  Mrs. Margaret McClure and was born in Bartholomew county, October 2, 1858, being aged 58 years, 10 months and four days. He married  Miss Martha Pond August 2, 1883, and a son and seven daughters were born to the union. All survive.  They are  Oscar McClure,  Mrs. Newer,  Mrs. Willis Fisher, of Hendricks township;  Mrs. Noah Fisher, of Edinburg;  Mrs. Carl Atwood, of Addison township;  Mrs. Guy Strickler, of Marion township;  Mrs. Ulis Tennell and  Mrs. Noah Scott, of Sugar Creek township. There are eight grandchildren.
          Mr. McClure also leaves his aged father, a resident of Hope; a brother,  Allen McClure, of Michigan, and five half-brothers— Edward, of Hendricks township;  William of Brandywine township and  George,  Charles  and  Jesse, of Bartholomew county.
          When his illness began Mr. McClure was serving as trustee of Hendricks township. He resigned from the office last June because of his condition, and L. P. Ross was named as his successor. He was a member of the Knights of Pythias lodge at Marietta and the order will take part in the burial ceremonies.
          The funeral will be held at the Second Mt. Pleasant Church at three o’clock Wednesday afternoon, the Rev. Oren A. Cook officiating, and burial will be made in the Second Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in charge of Stewart & Fix.
Contributed by Barb Huff


The  Shelby  Democrat
 January 8, 1891
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          Mr. John C. McClure, son of  Mr. and Mrs. William McClure, of Knoxville, Iowa, died at Raton, New Mexico, on December 19, of lung trouble.  The young man was a resident of this city during his boyhood days, and the older citizens remember him as the son of the first President of the First National Bank of this city, who was also the chief clerk and confidential representative of the Shelby Bank at one time.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming

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