The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1892-08-09
Mrs. Jennie Choteau, Burdened
With the Sorrows of Life,
Put a Pistol Ball Through
Her Brain.
Her Husband a Convict in the
Missouri Penitentiary-In-
quest this Morning
Burial this
Afternoon.

suicide there at 4 o'clock yesterday
afternoon BY shooting herself through
the forehead with a 3S-calibre re-
volver.
For several days she had been ex-
ceedingly desplndent, AMI seemed to
dread the return home o; her husband,
whose term AZ a convict in the Mis-
souri, penitentiary will soon expire
under the tbree.f ur,hs rule.
Yesterday morning she spoke to her
sister, Mrs. John W. Brown, Of using
laudanum to destroy her life. Then
she seemed suddenly to repent
Of proposing such deed. Shortly az
ter that she r called the painful sub
ject and suggested that razor would
be a convenient weapon with which
to take ones lite.
At 1 o'clock p. m. she induced her
sister to 60 after fresh water quite a
distance from the house. Once e. d.
ing herself alone, with no one but her
little hoy with her, enc took the re-
vO,ver, two chambers OF which were
loaded, from a drawer near at hand,
snd, standing before a small mirror,
sent bullet crashing through her
brain.
Mrs. Brown, who had gone
but a little way heard the report
OF the pistol, and hurried back to the
house. Entering. she cav her inf r
tuuate sister lying in corner of the
csrpetless room, dead in a pool of
blood. The powder t.ins on Mrs.
Choteau's lef, hand indicated that she
had held the muzzle of the deadly
weapon 50 that the aim would be
steady and sure. A pathetic scene
was presented as the dead woman's
biby by played about her bloody
body, innocent of the meaning OF the
horrible crime she had committed.
Mrs. Choteau's maiden name was
Jeun;e Groves. Her parents are re-
spectacle people and at the time Of her
birth, were residents OF Benton
unity. Four years ago, in Ringgold
county, Iowa, she was married to E.
ward Choteau, who afterwards distin-
guished him.elf by being sent to the
peniten;iary for two years for theft
committed in s.. Joe. His wife there
upon came TO Sedalia and obtained
domestic employment, but was taken
sick two weeks ago, and went to her
sister, Yrs. j. w. Brown, whose
husband is a farm hand for Judge
Baker.
Immediately upon being notified of
the tragedy. Coroner Muehl went to
the scene, viewed the body. and or.
de.ei it brought to McLau ghlin's un-
dertaking rJoms, where an irquest
was neld at ten O'Clock this morning.
the following gentlemen composing
the jury, summoned by Constable
Ramsey: G. W. Kemp, A. F. Ma
son, S. K. Hieronymus, j. Lee, j NJ
Murray and L. B. Fudge.
Mrs. Hattie A. Brown, sister
Of the deceased. was the principal
witness. She testified that up to two
weeks ago, Mrs Choteau had been
employed as q domestic in the family
Of Mr.. Newton, on Prospect street,
in Selalla when che returned to her
sister, at Judge Bakers residence. on
account of the sickness of her child.
She had been gloomy for the past
three years, but had not mentioned
committing suicide until yesterday
morning, when she got out Of bed,
went to the kitchen door, and said
she was going to kill herself with
laudanum or raz u both of these were
in the house, and Mrs. Brown, fear
ing the threat would beexecuted, hid
them securely away. She did not
think of hiding the revolver, FIR that
had not been mentioned. In the
afternoon Mrs. Choteau requested her
sister to 60 out to the garden and hoe,
but she refused to do it. She was
then asked to get fresh water, and,
leaving her sister in bed, and two lit
tie children in the room, she started for
q well $50 yards distant. Just before
reaching there she heard q shot, but
went on to the well, thinking some
boys who we're out hunting had fired
a gun. When she had got the water
and returned. she found her sister ly-
ing dead on the floor. Badly fright
ened, she caught up her baby, has
tened to q neighbor and gave the
alarm. DR.. j. A. Grimes, who At
tended Mrs. Chotesu during her sick
ness Jno. W. Brown. and Mrs. Ell
len Enos testified, but threw no fur
Their light on the subject. The YER
dict of the jury was in accordance
with the above facts.
Quite . number of people visited