The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-10-28
A RASH DEED.
John Dillon, Living Near Madison
Lake, Cuts His Own Throat.
The Act Supposed To Have Been
Done In An Insane Moment.

Late Thursday afternoon Coroner
onoemaker received a telegram from
Madison Lake to go there and investi
gaze regarding a dead body which
nad been found in stable. He start
ed at once, accompanied by Deputy
Bowen and two FREE PRESS represent
atlves. Arrived at the village it was
learned that the body was at a farm
three miles east, Just west of the
county line. Timothy Murtaugh
volunteered to act as guide, and leav-
Ing the teams, brisk walk down the
railroad track brought the party to
the farm of John Dillon, whose re-
mains laid ION the floor stretched
out in the best room of the house.
Inquiry developed the following facts
in regard to the case.
Mr.. Dillon had been suffering from
rheumatism for some time and the
fact that he could not work as he once
could preyed upon his mind to such
an extent that he became somewhat
respondent. Wednesday he went to
Madison Lake and told Mr.. Pitcher.
OF Pitcher & Murtaugh, that he
feared he was losing his mind. He
afterwards drove to St. Peter and
consulted DR.. A. W. Daniels, who gave
MIN some medicine to take. Yester-
day morning he ate his breakfast at
eight o'clock and did some chores
about the house and barn. About
nine o'clock he disappeared and the
female portion of the household
thought that he had gone to the field
with his sons to husk corn. When
the boys returned at 11:45 O'Clock, one
son, Ed, went into the barn and in an
empty stall, next to one occupied by a
morse, he found the body of his father
weltering in his own blood. He call
ed to the other members of the family
and also Michael McGrath and Mr.. and
Mrs. Noble Cult.
The body was lying upon it's back
with the right hand by it's side and
the left crossed over the breast.
Two feet from the head and partly
hidden under the manger was table
knife which was damp but had no
blood stains that could be seen. 1t
had evidently been recently partially
sharpened, probably on a grind stone
which was back of the house. A foot
from the mans head was large spot
saturated with blood. On the manger
was also considerable blood and the
marks of bloody fingers. The remains
were taken to the.house, and it was not
until they were placed in the house
that it was found that the mans
throat had an awful cash. The wound
was about two and-a-half inches long
and in the center of the front of the
throat. 1t was deep, severing the
windpipe and some arteries, but not
the juglar so far as could be seen.
When picked up the body had not yet
become rigid.
Dillon was born in Ireland and was
about 6S years of age. He had resided
in Blue Earth and LeSueur counties
for % years, and for eleven years on
his eighty acre farm where ne died
He leaves widow and four sons and
one daughter. James and John are
employees of the St. Paul street rail-
way and were telegraphed for. Ed,
Ddvid'and Maggie are living at home.
The family is in fairly prosperous
circumstances.
Mr.. Dillon had no enemies, was a
pleasant, inoffensive man, never
touched liquor and there was no rea-
son why he should have committed
suicide, yet all the evidence that
could be gathered indicates that he
did end his own life. Coroner Shoe
maker arrived at this conclusion and
decided that the case was too plain to
need an inquest, and turned the body
over to the family. The funeral SER
vices will be held at the Marysburg
Catholic church.
ENcI CulIlS oCCluCu w luulCdUc UHdU
Dillon took the knife from the kitch-
en-, sharpened it on the grind stone
and went into the barn and made a
deep incision into his throat. 1t ap-
pears that he did the deed standing
up or else that he rose up afterwards.
In any event bruises on his nose and
forehead indicate that he fell against
the manger. There were no other
wounds save scar on his breast sew
eral days old. He did not slash his
throat but made one or more cuts
straight in with the point Of the dull
knife. Mrs. Dillon is Frustrated by
the affair.