The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-03-19
HE BURIED HIMSELF.
The Unique Suicide of a Mexican
Indian in California.
From the PbOtO0raDhic Times

| Jose Mendez was a Mexican Indian who
killed himself in 1862 in San Jose, Cal. At
| the time of his death Jose was SO years of
age. He had all his life been an exceedingly
| active man. Among the daring characters
then residing in San Jose none could excel
him as a rider of wild horses. He was also
very ingenious, and could not only make the
finest kind of lariats, but could also use
them in many original ways
One day the daring rider came to grief. BY
some means he was thrown from wild mus
tang, and being stunned and made helpless
by the fall he was dragged some distance in
| the stirrups When finally rescued he was
| in condition that would have been sure
| and almost instant death to any but a man
| of wonderful nerve and tenacity of life,
Injured and helpless, he recovered suffi-
| GENTLY to realize that he could never engage
in active pursuits again, and he became very
moody and respondent. A life in which he
was precluded from daring riding on I'M
trained mustangs had no charms for him,
and in the midst of his sufferings from inter-
nal injuries he made frequent threats OF sui
eide. Once in speaking of the matter to an
intimate friend, who tried to disuade him
from the idea, he said that when he killed
himself it would be done in such a manner
no one would ever have any more trouble
about him. 1t was thought at the time that
he intended to drown himself in the sea
where his body would never be recovered.
Every morning for several weeks thereaf-
ter Jose Crawled away from the adobe hut
in which he and number of others lived,
and came back quite late every evening. On
these trips he took a pick and shovel, and oc-
caslonally piece of lumber, no one knew tor
what purpose Some supposed that he was
mining somewhere. By this time he had
grown SO respondent as to be entirely I'M
communicative, and no explanation of his
conduct could be obtained from him. One
evening, as was expected. the invalid did
not return to the adobe, and the next day a
search was made in the direction in which
he went.
Something like mile from the house the
searching party found small clearing in
the weeds and grass. To the surprise of
every one OF the party, a rude board box
about feet wide and feet long and about
IL inches in depth was found lying upside
down in the middle of the open place. The
box was Immediately overturned, but moth
ing but heap of loose earth was found un-
der It, A closer examination revealed the
fact that attached to the box were number
OF pieces of lariat The explanation of all of
this was mystery and at first it was not
connected with the disappearance of the
Mexican
An intimate friend of the missing man
then made an explanation which was pro-
nounced entirely plausible and cleared the
mystery. The man said that the Mexican.
after sustaining his injury had been entirely
dependent upon strangers for his support
and sustenance, and he was determined, if
possible, after he was dead not to give them
any more trouble. He therefore devised a
scheme by which he could not only kill but
also, at the same time, bury himself. How
the thing was managed was easily enough
determined by an inspection of the ground
The deceased had dug a grave, rather
shallow one, in which his skeleton was found
some years later.
After the grave was dug, which required
some time, owing to the feeble condition of
the deceased, he placed the loose earth in a
box that had been made for that purpose
This earth was packed in as solid as possible
by being wet and then allowed to dry again.
so that when the box was carefully stood on
Its side with the earth toward the ground
none OF it fell out. Several lariats were then
stretched across from the under side of the
box as it lay across the grave to stakes on
the other side.
The box was then carefully balanced, so
that any object that might fall on the lariats
would cause it to fall over the grave and
empty the earth it contained on ton of the
DOdy. In this manner the unfortunate man
not only Killed but also buried himself in al
most the same instant of time.
Sowell satisfied were those who made the
surprising discovery that their theory was
correct that they did not take the trouble to
dig in order to ascertain that the BODY was
underneath. The theory, however, was fur
ther strengthened by the finding of the MIS-
tol with which the shooting had been done in
some loose earth near the edge of the grave
IL nad evidently dropped there from the
SulcloeS nand after he had fired the fatal
s sh ms fact convinced the searchers, and
they returned without making furthur in
|-vesugalons, so that the desire of the un-
1OItunate that no one should be troubled
with Dury1ng him was realized,
some years later the skeleton of Jose Men
aez was accidentally discovered and the
theory OF his friends fully corroborated.