A story in the Philadelphia Inquirer, August 2, 1899, told of a murder-suicide that took place in the area of Shamokin, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. With the article was the above artist’s rendition of how the bodies in the murder-suicide were found. John “Jake” Thompson murdered Sarah [Goodman] Campbell, his housekeeper, and then he killed himself. The back story to to the murder-suicide includes a Civil War veteran and family members of the victim living in Uniontown [Pillow], Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
JEALOUS OF HOUSEKEEPER, THOMPSON COMMITTED MURDER
BY SHOOTING HER IN THE HEAD, SENT NOTE TO HIS VICTIM’S SON
THEN, AFTER DELIBERATING, HE SHOT HIMSELF, COMMITTING SUICIDE
Special to The Inquirer
SHAMOKIN, Pennsylvania, August 1 — After shooting Mrs. Abraham Campbell, his housekeeper to death, at his home, a dew miles west of the Weigh Scales, yesterday, John Thompson killed himself. The bodies were found to-day by neighbors headed by William Gass. Thompson lay on the floor close to a bed containing the corpse of his housekeeper. He was fully dressed, as was she, her body being covered by a quilt. A revolver was clenched in the dead man’s right hand. Coroner Shindel investigated and would not hold an inquest, as there was no doubt of the murder and suicide.
Thompson was 71 years old, while Mrs. Campbell was eleven years his junior. He met her nine years ago when he was a widower with two children. One month ago Thompson became jealous of the woman and they quarreled.
She left him to live at the home of her son, Augustus Arnold, at Uniontown [Pillow]. Last Saturday night a reconciliation was effected, and Mrs. Campbell returned to the Thompson homestead.
On Sunday they gathered blackberries on the hills close by, and she was seen for the last time alive that evening sitting in front of the house. Early yesterday morning Thompson asked his next door neighbor, George Sober, to drive a horse of the former’s to this place; also to give a daughter of Mrs. Campbell’s a note. The former lives in Uniontown. It is now apparent that the old man wanted no one about during the pending murder.
Sober drove off, and at 11:30 A. M., C. W. Thurston, living close to Thompson’s, heard a report of a revolver, but thinking that Thompson was shooting rats he paid no attention to it. The daughter of Mrs. Campbell was not at home when Sober passed through Uniontown. On his return here in the evening he handed the note to Isaac Tharpe, which read: “Christy Arnold Tharpe — Your mother died this morning before 4 o’clock.”
It was close to midnight when several residents of Uniontown arrived at the Thompson home. Everything was quiet, and the men decided to wait until morning to learn whether or not the note was correct. At daybreak entrance was made. A dog tied to a chair in the kitchen barked. There were no more sounds. In a room adjoining the bedroom containing the bodies, the floor was stained with blood, while on all sides there was convincing evidence that Thompson had lured the housekeeper into the room and shot her. He then carried the remains to the bed in his room. Judging from the condition of his body, Thompson waited until evening before killing himself.
________________________________________
As a postscript to the murder of Mrs. Campbell, there was a report in the Philadelphia Times, August 3, 1899, of her funeral:
NO MOURNERS AT THE GRAVE
LONELY BURIAL OF WOMAN WHO FELL BY MURDERER’S HAND
The body of Mrs. Abraham Campbell, who was murdered by John Thompson, after which he shot himself to death near Weigh Scales, last Monday, was buried in Shamokin Cemetery last night. No mourners were at the grave and no funeral services were held. The Overseers of the Poor of Ralpho Township will pay the expenses of the interment.
The body of Thompson will be buried in the Baptist Cemetery in Irish Valley tomorrow morning.
__________________________________________
The second half of this blog post repeats the story of Abraham Campbell, the Civil War veteran who was the estranged husband of Sarah [Goodman] Campbell.
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
They 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:
A copy of the Veterans’ Index Card for Abraham Campbell is shown below:
_________________________________
The second part of this post was previously published on the Civil War Blog on September 24, 2018.
News clippings from Newspapers.com and the on-line resources of the Free Library of Philadelphia.