The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-03-09
Mystery Of Edward Van zandt,s Death

III.
Especial to THE HERALD-Examiner Cable
LONDON, March S.-There is something
very mysterious about Mr.. Ferdinand Van
Zandt's death. 1t has been decreed by the
coro1er's jury that he committed suicide
while suffering from temporary insanity
yet less than eight hours before his body
was found with pistol in his lifeless hand,
Mr.. Van Zandt was walking about in the
smoking room of Browns hotel, as we'll as
he ever was, discussing business with his
agent. Though all this happened last Tues
day, nothing was allowed TO reach the pub
lie through the coroner's inquest 1t was
locked in official channels until to-day
when a cable from New York, through mis-
agents, made fOrther concealment impos-
sible. Coroner Troutbeck, who has charge
of the parish where Mr.. Van Zandt shot
himself, is very astute about arranging
matters of this kind when he wishes
secrecy. In this instance it was perhaps
partially due to the foot that Mr.. Van
Zandt was the sOn-in-law of Sir John
Lubbock, one of Englands most dis
tinguished scientists. Sir John has had a
bitter experience of the sorrows of life.
He is widely known, and everybody sym
pathiZes with him
Z.
eight years ago and met Sir Johns daughter
at country house party. He fell IN love
speedily and married Der. He was at that
| time reputed very rich and with large In
| terests in silver mines in Montana. He
was married in England, and took his wife
to America to live, purchasing place at
Menlo Park. Van Zandt was fine, strap
ping fellow thirty-six years old. After bis
marriage he travelled about good deal,
| a iuiI no
York and San Francisco. He did not
bring his wife to Europe with him this
time but sent her from Newport back to
Menlo Park, promising to join her there
this month.
Death must have come instantly. He
! shot himself behind the ear. His face was
quite cold, but his hands and body were
still warm when found by his servant on
Wednesday He had left no written mes
sage explaining why he took his life, not
! even a farewell to his wife, 5000 miles
away. In very few hours his Lubbock
relatives were at his bedside to see what
could be done. They first wanted secrecy
This was easily arranged by the coroner
Not three servants in the hotel knew what
had happened. The body was removed al
once to Ebury Street morgue, where an
inquest was held. His relatives were
anxious to make it appear his death was
accidental. They suggested that he haC
always slept with a revolver under his
head and that he might have shot himself
in his sleep. However, it transpired thai
Van Zandt had been much bothered by bus
mess troubles and worried by expensive
lawsuits. The jury decided he shot himself
in tit of temporary insanity. One juror
thought it very strange that neither the
man he Travelled with nor anyone else il
the house heard the shot, and asked the
doctor very pontedly whether he felt thai
such peculiar wound could be made with
the deceased's own hand. The doctor SAFE
that from the position in which the body
was found, he felt sure it was made by hi:
own hand. Van Zaudt was buried yester.
day in the Lubbock vault in the parish
church in Down, County Kent. Sir John!
son is crossing with one of his sisters Il
meet the widow, who is now believed to b,
hurrying across the continent to NEE
them, under the impression her husband il
seriously ill.