Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-12-31
LOCAL EVENTS.
An Old German Commits
Suicide.
HE HUNG FROM A GAS FIXTURE.
The WashOuts ON the Railroads Be-
ing Rapidly Repaired-Other
Interesting Items.

Interesting Items.
At O'Clock yesterday afternoon Cor
oner Meredith held an inquest upon the
body of George Hiltenan, alias Schleigh,
a German about 50 years of age who
committed suicide by hanging himself
earlier in the day. From the testimony
it was learned that Hiltenan, who had
roomed at Mrs. Regina Ziegenfuss' lodg-
ing house at No. 159 South Los Angeles
street for several months during the
summer, returned there on Tuesday last
and was assigned to room No. "a. AL.
though out of work he was apparently
in good spirits and health, but he was
not very communicative man and very
little was known OF his private
affairs. Yesterday morning he arose
early and went out, but returned again
unnoticed by the inmates of the lodging
house. At noon Mrs. Ziegenfuss went
upstairs, brush and dust-pan in hand, to
clean up the rooms and make the beds,
but on opening the door of room No. "a
she saw the lodger hanging and screamed
for assistance. One OF her roomers, a
railroad man named P. B. Moran, was
on the stairway at the time. On hear
ing his landlady's scream he rushed up
the stairs, and she managed to gasp out
the account of what she mad seen, and
hesetepped into the room. Hiltenan's
body was suspended by the neck from q
gas-pipe in the room by a piece of
clothes-line. His neck was broken and
the body was cold, as if it had been
there for soma time.
The Coroner and police were notified
as soon as possible, and Officer Houston
was dispatched to the house to cut the
body down. An investigation of the
room showed that Hiltensn must have
cut piece of rope sufficiently long for
the purpose from coil which was found |
in the drawer OF the washstand. From
marks upon the table it was evident that |
he had drawn it from its place under the |
gaspipe, stood upon it, and hitched his |
rope securely by couple of half bitches, |
close to the ceiling, leaving the moose
hanging loose. Getting down again,
he had returned the table to its place,
drawn a chair under the moose, stood |
upon it, placed the moose around his |
neck, drawn it tightly under his left ear,
and jumped into the great beyond. p
Death must have been instantaneous, as
the cervical vertebre was dislocated.
Two German laborers, named q. W.
Kriebs and John Braun, testified that
they had known him for over elk years
pact. and that be waa nicknamed "Gray
Horse" among his companions because
of his gray hairs. His name, they said,
was Schleigh, and he had worked as
cement sidewalk paver and finisher for
some time past, but of late had been ont
of work. They last saw him on Monday
night at a saloon on Main street, at which
time he was sober and apparently in
good spirits. He had worked for Mr..
Moulitor, on Adams street.
j. W. Wescott, the proprietor of q
little grocery store next door to the
lodging house, stated that on Sunday
last Hiltenan bought scent loaf from
him and asked permission to eat it in the
store, as he was hungry and too proud to
eat it on the street. Permission was &C.
corded him and the grocer's wife gave
him glass of milk and piece of cheese,
for which he appeared to be very CRATE
full. On passing the store yesterday
morning at sunrise he spoke to the gro-
Ger and remarked that it was a fine
morning and 'lovely one for old peo-
ple."
The jury, on hearing the facts as stated
above, returned a verdict Of suicide by
hanging.
Mr.. A. Geiger, cement-sidewa con-
tractor, called at the HERALD Office last
night and stated that Hiltenan had
worked for him for several years, and,
being skilled mechanic, had always
given him satisfaction. Owing to the
decline of business he had not employed
him lately, but had promised him work
at the beginning of the new year. Mr..
Geiger secuted the idea that Hiltenan
had committed suicide on account of
poverty, as he knew that he had money,
and even should he be without ready
cash, he had plenty offriends who would
have advanced il to him at his request.
He was of the opinion that Hiltenan was
temporarily deranged, and in support OF
this theory stated that about four weeks
ago Hiltenan was sandbagged and robbed
out on Adams street. at which time he
received two nasty blows on the head.
He has never been the same man since
the robbery, and his friends are confident
that these blows were the cause of the
mental alteration which caused him to
take his own life.