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Submitted: 12/26/11 • Approved: 8/15/14 • Last Updated: 8/18/14 • R628457-G0-S3
November 28, 1870 - December 2, 1920
*Obituary
Benton County Record
Friday December 10, 1920
KISER, Kate - Did Miss Kate Kiser deliberately commit suicide or was she the victim of foul play? That is the question that is on everyone's lips in the Pam neighborhood four miles southwest of Centerton. The Kiser family consists of four or five unmarried brothers and one unmarried sister, Miss Kate Kiser, who kept house for them. She was about fifty years of age. They are all highly respected and have lived on the old home place southwest of Pam for over thirty years. Last Friday morning the brothers left the house about 7:30 and went to work in their orchards, leaving their sister alone and in apparently good health. About a quarter to twelve one of the brothers came in for dinner. Before going into the house he went to the smokehouse nearby for something. He found the door propped shut and on opening it found his sister hanging from the rafters, dead. Both hands were firmly tied behind her and the rope brought around and tied in front. The other brothers were called as well as J.L. Gholson, the Justice of the Peace. Mr. Gholson immediately phoned the county coroner, A.D. Callison, of Rogers who on his arrival impanelled a jury. After examining several witnesses but little information was secured and the jury verdict was that Miss Kiser came to her death by strangulation and referred the case to the next grand jury. Dr. Ralph Steele of Decatur was also phoned and after an examination of the body sent the stomach to the state health officer, Mr. Garrison, at Little Rock to examine it for signs of poison. Miss Kiser's death is still surrounded by mystery. Neither the brothers nor her neighbors nor Coroner Callison or his partner, Whitley Kerr of Bentonville, were able to decide definitely the cause for her death. It is one of those mystery cases that time alone will reveal the answer.
*Obituary
Rogers Democrat
Thursday December 9, 1920
KIZER, Katherine - {from The Bentonville Democrat} Miss Katherine Kizer, 50 years of age, was found dead Thursday in the smokehouse at her home seven miles southwest of Centerton, having apparently committed suicide by strangling herself. A rope tied to a rafter above her head was drawn tight around her neck when found but her feet were touching the floor and her hands were tied behind her back. The deceased lived with her three bachelor brothers and it is said that on yesterday morning they left early for their work as usual, leaving their sister seemingly in good spirits. When they returned at noon one of them went into the smokehouse and there found her lifeless body. Miss Kizer and her brothers are said to have lived at the same place for many years and to have been in good circumstances although none of the four had ever learned to read or write. At the time of the tragedy they had just killed five hogs to be put away for home use and had on hand quantities of canned and dried fruits and vegetables of every kind. The neighbors say that the four lived in perfect harmony and had always seemed perfectly contented and happy.
Contributed on 12/26/11 by judyfrog
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Record #: 628457