The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-12-01
kOCH'S ATTEMPTS AT SUICIDE.
For Twenty-fOur Hours He Lay
Bleeding and Wounded.
He Fired Three Bullets Into His
Body and Cut His Wrist.
The Extraordinary Story Told by His
Lsndiady, Which IL Corrobo-
rated by this Theories of
the Doctors.

The desperate attempt Of John K.
Koch to kill himself Thursday evening
presented different and still more SEN
sational aspect when the facts OF the
-case became known.
Koch is the young German who shot
himself three times and then cut his
wrist at the lodging house OF Mrs.
Thiebault, 7l0 Rosss street.
1t now turns out that Koch did not
shoot himself on the street, nor did he
Ere the three shots in quick succession.
The landlady at the lodging house told a
story yesterday which, while not at all
improbable, is very strange, to say the
least.
The lady emphatically denied that
Koch shot himself while in the street.
ION Wednesday evening"" she said, 81
heard pistol shot in the direction OF
Koch's room, which is on the basement
floor. paid little attention to 1t at the
time.
''On Thursday morning 1 heard an
other shot, apparently in the same
direction. At the second shot became
curious to know what the shooting was
for, but found nothing wrong, so l
thought 1t was OF no particular conse.
quence to hunt further.
"But the biggest surprise was on
Thursday afternoon, when heard the
third shot. Then l WAS frightened.
sure enough, and ran in the direction
whence the sound came. Shortly 1
heard some one scream in Koch's room,
but found the door locked.
II jumped up and lowered the win
dow, when Koch cried out that he was
dying. frightened half to death, ran
for assistance. Then the ambulance
came, and you know the rest"
Another strange part OF the story is
that the surgeon, in treating the
wounds, did not think but that they
we're inflicted at the same time, though
the blood had become perfectly dried.
He admitted, however, that it was quite
likely that the story Of the lady was
true. 1t was the opinion OF several that
the first shot only stunned its victim !;
that ON recovering the next morning,
tried the second time to end his ex.
istenoe. The second attempt was as
futile as the FIRST. and five hours later
he, for the third time. placed the re-
volver to his body and fred. The pain
was 30 RIohb ny tui6 Ilme, Ao 5cr6AmeQ,
though there was never more deter
mined man. Tie only reason he did
not kill himself at the first shot was
because the wsRpon was not equal to
the task. 1t is an old timer. about
thirty calibre, pin. fire pattern.
The evidence shows that Koch fred
the shot at his heart first. TIE second
was sent into his left temple and the
third barely stuck in the skull in the
forehead. 1t lie not known at what hour
the would-be suicide cut his wrist in a
greater fit of anger and desperation.
The blood, however. was fresh and had
the appearance of bleeding continually,
or Of the wound having just been in
| ficted.
Koch was nearer deaths door yester-
day than on the dsy he was discovered,
and WAS wholly unable to verify the
statements OF his landlady. Last even-
ing he was transferred from the receiv.
ing hospital to the county hospital and
although he still has two bullets in him,
he may finally pull through with his
liks