tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906786397374372561.post8679505621103821894..comments2024-03-09T15:02:20.201-05:00Comments on Murder by Gaslight: Three Victims of Jealousy.Robert Wilhelmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11008320767930927490noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906786397374372561.post-52567010136428223212019-09-04T14:26:06.186-04:002019-09-04T14:26:06.186-04:00Horace Payson and his sister Francis were living w...Horace Payson and his sister Francis were living with "Uncle" Horace Lounsberry at the time. It was Horace Payson who was working the fields of elderly Horace Lounsberry. Norman Lounsberry, once a prosperous farmer himself, now lived in a small house on the Horace Lounsberry farm. Norman Lounsberry had divorced his wife (who later died before his marriage to the youthful Julia Presher). A condition of Julia's marriage to Norman was that he insured his life at $5000 payable to his wife Julia. A bottle of Laudnum (opium based painkiller use by many post civil war vets to 'cure' pain, but whose affects on the body and mind are much the same as the prescription pain killer issues we have today) was found in Norman Lounsberry's blood spattered coveralls.<br />As stated before, Francis Payson, sister of Horace Payson was also living at the Horace Lounsberry farm. She witnessed Norman walk into the barn where the killing took place. She thought he was going to kill some of the pigeons who roosted there, so thought nothing about the shotgun blast she heard until seeing the team of horses and the plow her brother had been riding pull from the field without her brother. She lived for many years at Waverly and worked as a nurse, but was never married. In 1924 she turned on the gas in her apartment, wrote a short note about not being able to cope 'with it all', and fell asleep. All attempts to revive her were unsuccessful.<br /><br />Could this all be traced back to the Civil War? Before the Civil war, Norman was a successful farmer. After the war, Norman sold his farm to his brother, later divorced his wife, then took to drinking and apparently taking Laudnum.Little brotherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02628594347318977761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8906786397374372561.post-25219284183528024342019-04-18T01:01:19.343-04:002019-04-18T01:01:19.343-04:00God didn't.God didn't.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13425580338318192396noreply@blogger.com