Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-05
MRS. BURKLE'S DEATH.
NO NEW FACTS ELECTED AT THE
INQUEST YESTERDAY.
Sickness in the Family Evidently AT
fected the Poor Woman's Mind.
The Husbands Account of
the Affair.

It was rumored yesterday morning
that at the inquest to be held in the
afternoon, upon the remains of Mrs
Jenny Burkle, who committed suicide
Saturday, that there would be some un
pleasant developments, relative to the
relations between the unfortunate
woman and her husband.
When the jury was sworn at Garrett
& SIMPSONS undertaking parlors, or
North Main street, at 2 O'Clock, quite 9
number of witnesses were in attendance
The first one called was Ferdinand Bur
kle, husband of the deceased, who gave
his testimony in plain, direct manner
which was very convincing. 1t was al
follows:
II live near the corner of Washing
ton and Naomi streets, and work for the
electric railroad. am a motorneer.
The deceased was my wife, and would
have been 81 years old September 9th.
She was born at Santa Rosa, California
and we were married January 21, 1878.
She has lived in Los Angeles county
since 1879. We have three children
living and one dead. Mrs. Burkle had
always been q delicate and sensitive
woman, a woman of delicate feelings.
She was not strong physically. When
we had sickness she suffered mentally.
1 have seen her when thought che was
not in her right mind. She had suffered
from neuralgia for two months past, and
was suffering when my oldest daughter,
who is nearly IA years old, was taken
with typhoid fever. "A young lady whom
we knew, died of typhoid fever at this
time, and from that day my wife had
no hopes of the recovery of our
child. She told me repeated
ly she could not live if the
child died. She did all the
nursing until worn out, and had scarcely
slept ten hours in as many days. She
would not let me nor anyone else nurse
Daisy. I finally took hold. Every
thing was all right until Friday night,
when our younger daughter was taken
with fever. 1t turned out to be bilious
attack. but my wife thought it was
typhoid fever, and said both the chill
dren would die. | finally persuaded
her to 60 to bed at 10 O'Clock. She got
| She called me between and Satur-
day morning, and told me what to do in
the sick room. 1 sat down to drink
some coffee, and she stood at window
with her back to me. She turned
around, and saw she had bottle in
her hand. She dropped it to the floor,
and 1 picked it up. 1 saw that it was
poison, and the bottle was empty. 1
realized that she had carried out her
threats, and mo one being there, rushed
out for a doctor. I got DR.. Parker,
and returned. was told that my wife
expired just as we crossed the threshold.
She had threatened repeatedly to kill
herself if she thought the children
would die. At times believed her. /
spoke to Rev. Knighten, DIR. Parker and
Captain Barrett about it. depend on
my labor for our support. Mrs. Burke
had hysterical spells at San Pedro five
years ago, and I thought she was out of
her head. She was treated, and we
took her to Arrowhead Springs for three
months, when she got we'll. We had
considerable financial trouble. Our re-
lations were always friendly, the only
time when there were differences being
when she was sick.'
The bottle was identified by Mr.. Bur-
kle. It was sold by E. j. Robertson,
druggist, on South Spring street, and
properly labeled ''Poison" and Scar
bolic Acid"
Mrs. Margaret Buster, mother of the
deceased, an old lady, and slightly deaf,
testified that she arrived at the house
from Mrs. Davis's, another daughter,
while Mrs. Burke was lying face down
ward on the floor, and just before she
breathed her last. Her daughter had
been laboring under excitement lately,
owing to the sickness of her children.
She did not think her daughter had
been troubled with insanity, but she
had been hysterical. In reply to a
question by Coroner Weldon, as to
whether Mrs. Burke had had trouble
with Mr.. Burke, she said it was more
than she could say; che never meddled.
She heard Mr.. Burke say he would
have her arrested for battery and in
sanity, and saw her slap him in the face
once, but she. the mother, walked away
as quick as she could. Mrs. Burkle did
all the nursing, and Mr.. Burkle began
to help her when she could do no more.
He was working on the railroad, OF
course, at the time.
| Mr.. Burkle was recalled and said,
with reference to his having said he
would have his wife arrested, that all
tucI0 WAS hDOuC LndL WAS LndI LIE Wllo
would grieve over the children, and it
was having bad effect on them. He
saw he had to check her in some way,
and told her she must control herself.
She had slapped him, but he did moi
know what for, and never thought Of il
again, because he knew her condition.
| Mrs. G.. Jager and Mrs. Weilbrenner,
who live close by the scene of the trag
edy, testified to being called in by the
son, while Mr.. Burkle was gone for 9
| doctor, and doing what they could. The
latter saw Mrs. Burke about an houl
before the suicide. At that tims
she wore calico dress, bu'
when she found her on the foo
she had changed her dress and under
clothing, wearing red cashmere dress
and had evidently made preparations TO
the act.
| The next witness was Mrs. Hattie F
Williams of San Pedro, q sister of th,
deceased. She said the only statemen
she wished to make was relative to he
sisters mental condition. Mr.. Burkl
had discussed that with her many times
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