Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-09-10
SHASTA COUNTY REPUBLICAN CONVENTION.
WASHING TON TERRITORY REPUBLICANS
CALIFORNIA.
of a .Year.0ld Boy
Admission ssuy

D.y.
SAN JOSE, September 9th. : At 1890
O'Clock DR.. j. n. Brown was summoned to
the house of Mrs. L. B. Ralston, on Thir-
teenth street, near Santa Clara. to attend to
case Of strapgulation. Ga arriving he found
that Harry Ralston, aged II years, had ended
his life by hanging, whether accidentally or
| Intentionally could not be determined, though
circumstances seem to favor the first suppose
ton. Your reporter was on the ground half
an hour afterwards and had the facts as fol-
lows detailed to him by the mother, an intel
ligent aud progressing lady, wife of Dr. j.
Ii. Ralston, of Bentonsport, Van Buren,
county, Ia: About two years ago Mrs. Raj
ston. came to this coast for the benefit of the
health of one of her children, little girl
She settled In San Jose, and liked the eli
mate so we'll that about year ago she sent
for her two boys-Harry and Emile the lat.
ter ten years of age. Harry attended school
up to the time Of his death, and was one of the
brightest and most studious pupils in that in
stitution. He was of a very nervous and ex-
citabla temperament and when provoked or
reprimanded would become extremely irri-
table and ha. d to deal with His mother
partially attributed these characteristics to
several injuries received by him on the head
at divers times. Oaly few days ago the
last accident was received, a ball thrown by
playmate striking him on the head with such
force as to render him dazed for some time.
Since the last injury he has been unusually
irritable. and complained continually Of dizzi-
ness. Yesterday morning he was "nagging'
mis- brother Emile. His mother. who says
that it was his habit to annoy and plague the
younger children, demonstrated with him,
and caught him by the arm. Emile was
then up a tree in the front yard and Harry
was trying to get him down. When
his mother touched him he pinched
her, and then she announced her
intention of taking the children and
going to neighboI'5 on visit, where he
could not bother them. He asked where she
was going She refused to tell him, and en-
tered the house, the children following her.
This was about 11:45 o'clock. A short time
afterwards Mrs. Ralston heard Harry on the
roof of the kitchen. She thought nothing of
the circumstance, as the children had been in
the habit of climbing up from the outside and
playing there. In few minutes, when she
was washing one of the children, he called
for Emile to come out, bus the latter did not
go. At about 10 minutes after II o'clock his
mother went into the back yard for the pur-
pose of feeding the chickens, when horrible |
spectacle met her gaze. A small cord had |
been doubled and made fast to the chimney |
above the roof, and by the other end, hang
ing alongside Of the Kitchen his feet nearly |
toucDlnS LHe ground, was lne D0Qy OF h6r !
son Harry. As soon as possible the cord was
cut and the body taken into the house, but
life must have been extinct several minutes.
DIR. Brown was called at 1880, examined the
neck and found that death had been
produced by strangulation. No bones
being broken. At 4:50 P. N. the
Coroner held an inquest. In addition
to testimony as given above Mrs. Ralston
testified that Harry had on several occ asions,
after being reprirnanded, declared his inteE-
ton to kill himself, and that on one occasion
he went to his room and fred off a pistol,
the ball entering the wall. He did not say
then whether he fired at himself or rot. The
jury were of the opinion that deceased did
not Intend to commit suicide, but only de-
sired to brighten his brother The fact that
be called FOR Emile to come OUT short time
before he was found dead in their midst
seemed to confirm this supp7sition. and yer.
diet of accidental death BY strangulation was
rendered.
Admission Day was not observed here,
further than by the suspension of the Courts,
banks, schools and work on the Normal
School building.