The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-09-07
A BROKEN NECK.
A YOUNG GERMAN COMMITS SUICIDE
BY HANGING MHMsELF.

Yesterday morning John Bollwinkel aged
twenty-seven years, q German by BIRTH COM
mited suicide by hanging himself to the check
rope of the elevator on the second floor Of the
pipe establishment of Mr.. Herman Isaac, No.
ST Magazine street.
The deceased was last seen alive at o'clock
Friday morning by the barkeeper at the corner
Of Natchez Alley and Magazine street, who
served him with his morning cocktail.
At 0 o'clock yesterday morning Mr.. Graug-
nard. son of Mr. Graugnard, Of the firm Of
Graugnard & Schneider. upon opening his
fathers store noticed that the store of Herman
Isaacs was still closed and, thinking that Boil
winkel, who daily opened the store had over
slept himself, repaired up stairs for the Dur-
pose of waking him.
Upon entering tho room where Bollwinkel
slept they were SURPRISED to find that he was
not there as the clothes that he had taken Off
the night before were scattered about the floor.
They then came down stairs again and made
q search for their man In the store. and not
finding him there, made d second visit up stairs
standing on the hatch behind pile Of boxes.
but upon q nearer inspection were Mortified TO
find that the deceased had committed suicide
by hanging himself to the check line Of the ole
vafor.
The young man terribly agitatcd at his dis,
a"R OF b bad hg ne a d
! their appearance at the store.
| The gentIem Immediately repaired to the
was almost in state of nudity, the only stitch
| of wearing apparel about his person being an
| undershirt.
| As the body was still warm it was evident that
| it had been hanging but short while AS the
| floor about the elevator was covered with char
coal, and as tho shirt of the deceased 'was GOV,
oreh with cnders, it was, evident that he had
Wallowed about the floor before he made up his
mind to commit the dreadful deed
| The manner In which the accused hung him
self is somewhat peculiar. He mounted o very
high box and then. being unable to get hold of
either end of the rope he drew up the slack-o1
what sailor would call the bite--of rope and
made marlingspke hitch: he then placed his
neck into O., the noose, adlustetd, 1t properly
10 ,diness he took the fatal leap.
| The fall being sufficient to break his neck, he
must have died without d struggle, save q few
muscular cOntOrtiOns.
made close calculation, as he allowed his feet
tocome within the sixteenth part of an inch OF
| touching the floor.
After Bollwinkel's body was found a search
was instituted to see If he had loft any letters
assigning the cause for his rash act. Down
stairs was. found a letter, securely sealed. di'
Of the GERMAN Gazette. This letter was not
opened by the coroner, but turned over to ME-
Weichard to whom it was directed, -;
The cause assigned by the friends Of the de.
other hand, it is. said that the deceased
who is the father Of q family, was worthless
character; that he made good living. bu
spent his money in whisky and caronsingg
never tax ing homo q cent, but leaving his wife
| and children to exc out an existence the best
way they could,
with his family but they 5; drove him from home
and then he went to sleep in the store where hs
was a clerk.
His remains were taken in charge by Missis
| siUDi No 9. OF which company he was q mem
bar, and buried from their engine house at
o'clock last evening.