Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-03-31
ASTRANGE SUICIDE
A Little Boy Hangs Himself in
a Barn.
SAID TO HAVE BEEN DONE IN PLAY

Event COroner's Jury verdsct-A Bodv
Exh"med In Drury Township to A.cer-
tain the Cause Of Death-What the In.
quest Developed.
Fritz Brandle, boy IA years of
age, and son of Mr.. and Mrs. Charles
Brandle, Of 140S Seventh avenue.
hanged himself with rope in the
barn on the premises referred I'd late
yesterday afternoon. Whether. or
not the boy had any actual motive in
committing the dreadfully shocking
act. whether his intent was really
suicide or whether the tragic occur.
renee was but the fatal result of
childish pranks, is matter of dis
pute. The coroner's jury after hear
ing such evidence as could be adj
duced, regarded the affair as purely
accidental. the boy, the jury held,
having met his death while at play.
The Shocking Discovery.
Charles Brandle, Jr.. brother of the
deceased. drove his team into the
alley back of the premises about 4
O'Clock yesterday afternoon, when his
little son, Simon, ran out. and climb
ing into the wagon, informed his
father that Fritz was asleep in
| one of the horse stalls. Entering
the barn, Mr.. Brandle found little
Fritz hanging in the stall dead. a
moose having been fastened about the
boys neck. while the end of the rope
was attached to rafter eight feet
from the ground. Both feet touched
the floor, but the rope was drawn
tight, and it was apparent that the
boy had stood on the manger while
adjusting the rope about his neck,
and then had swung off. Mr.. Bran
die sent for his mother, who was
horror stricken at the discovery.
The body was taken down. and Coro-
ner Halves sent for. That official
summoned jury composed of
Messrs. c. f. Hodgson, foreman, and
Oliver Beck, Charles Hanshaw, ia
cob Anthony, Frank Wivill and Jo-
seph Meier. who. after viewing the
remains, listened to the testimDn INV of
Charles Brandle, the father of the
dead boy. Charles Brandle, DR., and
Undertaken Il. F. Knox.
Charles Brandle, Sr.. testified that
at noon when he hitched up his team
to go to work, Fritz asked permission
to 20 with him, but he declined to
allow him. The boy seemed not par
ticularly disappointed. He learned
OF his death at 5 O'Clock, and ex-
pressed the opinion that Fritz hung
himself in play. as several days ago,
after reading an account of hanging
in newspaper, he asked his father
several questions on the subject.
The younger Brandle gave his tes-
timOny practically as given above in
relation to the discovery of the body.
Witness believed the boy hung him
self in play.
Undertaken Knox told of eXamin-
ing the body and finding no marks OF
violence or bruises, other than a dis
celebration about the neck. caused by
the rope. The neck was not broken,
the boy having been strangled.
The jury returned verdict that
Fritz Brandle came to his death by
hanging himself in his fathers barn
while at play this 30th day of March,
1894, at about 3 p. m"
Strange n, 1t IL Shocking.
1t seems strange to attribute sui
eide to one so young, and the family
feels assured that while the boy had
exhibited considerable interest in the
subject of suicide of late, that he was
merely playing ut the time he mel
his untfmely death. The informa.
ton comes from other sources, how.
ever, that little Fritz had repeatedly
threatened to commit suicide wher
reprimanded or disappointed.
a Bclated InquisitiOn.
Mrs. Louis Stull, of Illinois City,
died March 10, and rumors having
since been prevalent to the effec'
that death was the result of Grim.
inal operation to prevent child birth
duplicating several persons, Deputy
Coroner Eckhart and States Attor
new Searle went down and investi
gated matters, and the former helt
an inquest, impanneling a jury com
posed of the following: Charles M
Rood, foreman. and Jeremiah LIE
Quatte, Joseph L. Neeley, V. v
Reeves, E. f. Reynolds and H
Chandler. The general drift of thu
testimony was to the effect that Mr.
Stull and Miss Bertha Hahn wer'
married Sept. last; that the young
wife had expressed her aversion t.
becoming mother. and that hel
mother, Mrs. Peter Hahn, had en-
couraged her in her determination
to violate natures law if necessary
. that the woman's husband woul.
, not countenance such course a
might lead to an abortion, and hac
disposed of some turPentine which
she had purchased for the purpos'
assigned to her; that Feb. IL, sh'
had left her husband and gone t.
live with her mother. and for 10 day
the husband did not see his wife
Then he learned that she was sick
and was convinced that she had car
ried out her expressed intention
To these facts Mr.. Stull testified
and furthermore, that his wife hat
shown him an instrument befor
leaving home that her mother ha'
ody;ood hor tn uso and he declined