Zion Blackwood Submitted by Diane Bryant The Southern Democrat 7 Sep 1939 ZION BLACKWOOD COMMITS SUICIDE Ill health Given As Cause of Rash Act By Blountsville Man Funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon at Mt. Joy Church for Zion B. Blackwood, who shot and killed himself at his home on Route Three, Blountsville, Tuesday afternoon about four o'clock. Mr. Blackwood has been in ill health for several years and for the past seven or eight months had been confined to his room. To this was attributed the reason for the fatal tragedy. Rumors have it that Mr. Blackwood asked his daughter to hand him his power bag that he to see about getting his son to load an old muzzle loading shot gun. His daughter, not knowing that there was 32-caliber pistol in the power bag, gave father the bag. In just a few minutes after the daughter left the room, a shot was heard and upon investigation Mr. Blackwood was found mortally wounded, the ball from the piston having entered the skull, which was badly crushed. Although he lived two hours after the shooting, there was nothing that medical science could do to defeat death. Mr. Blackwood was well and favorably known to many people of Blount county. He was 61 years of age and was a member of one of the oldest and most prominent families on this section. Surviving the deceased are the widow, Mrs. Victoria Blackwood, of Route 3, Blountsville; one son, C.L. Blackwood; and two daughters, Miss Connie Blackwood and Mrs. Oscar Moore, all of Route 3, Blountsville; one brother, Jesse Blackwood; and one sister, Mrs. Eliza Jane Stephens, both of Route 2, Cleveland. After the funeral services at Mt. Joy, which were conducted by Rev. Butter Moon, the body was interred in the adjoining cemetery, Robinette, of Oneonta, was in charge.