The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1896-11-19
THINK TWAS SUICIDE
COL. ENGEL'S DEATH is EXPLAIN
ED AS SUCH.
WAS SHORT IN HIS ACCOUNTS.
Suicided Rather Than Tell His Wife of the
Shortage The Result of the Autopsy
The Funeral Here in Charge
of Gen. Charles King.
WAS SHORT IN HIS ACCOUNTS.

There seems now to be no doubt as
to the manner of death of Col. Fred W.
Engel. His friends in Milwaukee be-
lieve be took poison with suicidal in
tent because of impending disgrace; in
other words he feared the consequences
of a shortage in his accounts with the
Schlitz Brewing company. DR.. W. c.
Bennett, the analyst of the health de-
partment of Milwaukee, who was given
the stomach of the colonel to analyze,
reported to the health department Sun
day that in his opinion death was due
to poison. Dr. Bennett concludes his
report as follows: " In view of the his
tory of the case and the life of the man,
and in view of the normal conditions of
the organs of the deceased after death,
barring the widespread congestion, the
suspicion is strong that the COMPOSITIONS
were caused by some violent poison"
1t was found that strychnine had
been taken into the stomach. Drs.
Washburn, Wilson and Clark had ex-
amined other portions of the body and
had reported to the coroner that they
believed it to be a case of suicide.
Their report states that the deceased
was large and vigorous man who had
been i'll only few minutes. His hands
and feet were distorted by tonic mus
cular contraction which resisted efforts
at relaxation. The lungs and kidneys
Uorn varv rOuch oOn0actad
Said He Would Suicide.
Further proof that it was a case of
suicide is found in the fact that Colonel
Engel told a friend the day before he
took his life that he had been forced to
borrow money during the time he was
out of employment in order to support
himself and wife, and his creditors had
been pressing him for payment. One
had threatened that in case he was not
paid he would garnishee the colonels
wages. This had caused him consider
able worry, as he feared that if this
was done it would result in his dis
charge by the brewing company. He
had therefore taken the sum of $500
from the money belonging to the brew
cry which had passed through his
hands to pay the importunate creditor.
The shortage had been discovered and
he had been discharged. His wife, he
said, did not know of his discharge or
his financial trouble, and he could not
tell her. The disgrace was more than
he could bear and he intended to COM
nit suicide. His friend tried to console
him, and thought he had induced the
colonel to change his mind. Later
events proved he was mistaken.
The Funeral Arrangements.
The funeral was held this afternoon
and was in charge of Gen. Charles
King, the famous novelist and present
adjutant general of the state militia.
He made arrangements for short serv-
ices at the late home of the deceased,
545 Jackson street, Milwaukee,
when the remains were escorted by
the officers of the national guard to
the Chicago & North Western depot
for the 1:45 p. N. train.
The active pail bearers detailed by
Gen. King were members of Company
" F." Fourth infantry, of Milwaukee.
The honorary pail bearers we're Gems.
King and ZWietusch and Coils. Boyle,
Brumder, Fuller, Bleuel and Seaman.
The officers wore military overcoats,
forage caps and bore their, side arms.
The train arrived here at 2:38 p. NJ,
10 Nv ho 1n0o1
uniform rank of the Knights of Pythias.
The Local Arrangements.
In the Pythian order-Col. Engel was
major. Therefore Gen. Barry and
staff, Col. George r. Bailey and staff of
the First regiment, Knights of Pythias,
and several members of the order from
Racine and Milwaukee were in attend
ance upon the funeral.
The local lodge which made the
preparations for the funeral here, turn
ed out in both its branches in body.
They were headed by the Windsor
band, which escorted the remains to
the Congregational church, where Rev.
G. FL. Rogers conducted the principal
services. The church was we'll filed
with old friends of the honored dead,
gathered to pay parting tribute. The
floral offerings were very large and
magnificent. The deceased's military
friends and associates remembered him
with many beautiful tributes, while the
Z. P's and others heaped the bier with
many other lovely tokens from the
fowery kingdom. The services were
very impressive and solemn.
At their end the funeral cortege pro-
ceeded to the cemetery where the Red
Cross lodge, x. p, conducted it's ritual
service, and all that was mortal OF Col.
f. w. Engel was consigned to its inal
rest in the family lot.
Engine For Sale Cheap.
The gasoline engine which has been