Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-02-22
DELIBERATE SUICIDE.
An Old Austrian Laborer Found Hanging
to Tree in Warder's Woods Yes
terday Morning,
A Peculiar Method Of hanging. Requiring
Unlimited Serye-The Horrible spec
tarI. that startled AIonIo Colt Cor
oner'- Inquest-Th suicide ld"n-
tifed a. One Joseph smith
No Reason Other Than
Poverty known.

During the past month ur 50 Springfield
has had considerably more than its share "t
tragic incidents, and Yesterday morning 1t
was startled by another sad and mysterious
affair About halt-paSt SiN o'clock III the
morning Alonzo +. Calf, the yard clerk OF
the {. {. {. Il |. at the east end. VIII" rr-
sides on Greenmount avenue just south OF
High, was going 10 work, and was taking
short cut along a path through Warder'N
woods. near the StandplPe on East Main
street. As he was hurrying along his eyes
suddenly fell upon an object. imdi>tlnrtIN
seen in the grey dawn. that brought hlm I"
a sudden halt and sent a >hiy"r "t horror
through his being. This was nothing les
than the CHASTITY figure of man hanging 10y
a rope from small tree in the north
west corner of the woods. near barhed-
wire fence. The limb from which he was
hanging was hardly more than seven feet
from the ground, and his feet were on the
ground with the body hanging :" low that
the. knees also almost touched mother earth.
He had taken about 10 feet Of : inch rope.
which he had evidently purchased bran
new, and doubled il. messing the kn"tt"d
( end over the limb. Ahuut his neck there
was no Moose. but he had simply stuck hl>
head in the loop made by doubling the r"l"
/ and borne his weight upon it until he had
choked TO death. The small rope was
almost buried in the flesh about his throat.
! .he head was thrown back, the eyes pro
trading aS well a~ the tongue, ana alto
gether the body with its dreary surround
! ing, presented a spectacle terrible enough
I tn frighten the braNe>t. The body was
/ clothed in ready made suit of cnar~"
caSinrt cloth. with rubber boots, Scotch
cap. and a red bandanna handkerchief
/ knuttcd about the throat. The man
looked Ia be about I'D wears old. having short
gray hair with gray side whiskerS and a
stubbv beard Of about weeks growth ul-
on his face.
1t took much less time for Gait to take in
this view than il does to describe it, and he
ran at once for help toward the |. B. ~ W.
round house At the crossing he found
Yardmaster Berg Pitt. and started back t"
show him what he had seen. They went
back and examined the body. assuring then
selves that life had been long extinct. Pit
remained there while Calf again started ont
and telephoned from tailor shop on Main
street for the patrol wagon. In going back
he met the engineer and fireman OF yard
engine. and took them also Ia the scene OF
1 ,r
rived but the officers saw AT once
that it was coTunial case and re-
= turned to awaken Coroner Bennett. The
coroner went out in the wagon and t"ob
down the body. which WAS removed to hl>
office. where the distorted features were lr
stored to their original shape and the bod!
cleaned. The inquest begun at once anc
developed a few mcager facts concerning
TIE suicides indemnity. Mrs. ). \. Detten
bach identified him As a man VIII" had rum
their door bell about II o'clock Saturday
morning and asked for mome%. He spoke
with a strong German accent and she c"uI'
scarcely understand what he said, more
than that he was far away from home on
of work and had neither friends no
money. She gave him no money and h'
went away. Mrs. Team, daughter Of i'hlIll
Engart. the retired brewer on East Main
street identified him "a Joseph Smith. al
Austrian. about IS years old. who was EN-
ployed about five or six years az" al he
fathers house as a man of all work.
Last evening GOtIicb GOuLer. German
farmer residing east of town. identified th'
suicide aS Joseph Smith, man who hao
worked for him a couple of seasons on th'
farm. lie said that Smith came here abou
ten years ago from ST. Louis. having come
to this country in 1898. He left wife am'
. two daughters at his former home nea
Feldkirch. Austria lie left GouZer'S farm
two weeks ago and started little groG shol
on East street which he closed up and let
on Saturday morning. He WAS quiet an'
, Industrious, but as he was very reticent, lit
o. tie was known about his life. On Saturday
? morning he applied tO the intrmary direct
ors for admission To that institution. bu
Supt Fleming questioned him rather cl">cl,
, and he left in anger. The cause of his dec
T is unknown. further than the supp">itiul
? that he was tired of eking out a monot"nou
and ioyleSS living.