The herald., 1896-11-27
SU|C|DED BY STRYCHN|NE
Louis F. Kraft Summarily Ends
Lies Troubles
HIS MARITAL DIFFICULTIES
Were the Cause-Had Threatened His
Wife's Life
Made Deliberate Preparations for Death
and Expired in the Receiving Hos
pital Within Five Minutes

With dose of strichnine, large enough
to have killed twenty men, Louis F.
Kraft, a butcher, ended his life yester-
day afternoon about 4 o'clock. Marital
troubles actuated the deed, and the es-
arrangement between himself and wife,
which has during the past two days
been exploited in the daily papers, SO
preyed on his mind that he decided to
end his existence.
Kraft only q week ago returned from
a trip to the north. and on Tuesday af-
ternoon swore to a complaint charging
his wife. Ida. with adultery and open
and notorious coha abitation" with W IN
known man. The woman was taken into
custody by a deputy constable and
brought before Deputy District Attor-
ney James, to whom she told O story OF
abuse, ill-treatment and desertion that
completely changed the aspect Of things
and placed her in the. light of a. @eused
but virtuous wife, struggling to earn
an honest living and bounded by the
worthless husband almost beyond the
bounds Of endurance. These facts were
published and the suicide followed.
Since the arrival in the city week
ago Kraft has been stopping at the sa-
loon and lodging house kept by Fred
Arbogast at 311-313 Commercial street,
sleeping in room on the ground floor
just off the barroom, in company with
Henry Reinhart, the barkeeper. He
| came in about 8 o'clock yesterday after
noon, went into his room, where he
stayed only a few minutes and went
out again. Coming back in a short
time he went to the bar. had glass Of
beer and again retired to his ROOM
Hardly fifteen minutes later Arbogast
was summoned by man employed as
watchman about the premises, who said
Kraft wanted to see him.
Going into the room the butcher was
found lying on his bed. He told Arbo
CAST that he had taken poison to end
word to his wife that If she wished to
see him alive to come at once. On a
table near the bed stood an elght-ounce
bottle labeled strychnine, two thirds of
the contents Of which were gone. Be-
ing asked as to whether he had taken
the missing portion of the drug, Kraft
replied, "Oh, don't bother me; took
good dose. Send for my wife"
The bartender, Reinhart, was hurried
ly dispatched to find policeman and
| notify him of the occurrence. He did not
see an officer and ran all the way to
the station. Meanwhile Arbogast had
telephoned to headquarters, and the pa
troll wagon had responded to the hurry"
call. Kraft was by this time in conv O.
sions and was hastily put upon the
stretcher and conveyed to the receiving
hospital. arriving at few minutes past
o'clock DR.. Bryant was on hand when
the patient arrived, but could do moth
ing, as the poison had done its deadly
work. At exactly 4:08. five minutes
after being brought into the hospital
Kraft expired in horrible agony. The
body was removed to the morgue, at
Kregelo & Bresee's. where an inquest
was held at clock in the evening.
I Mrs Ida Kraft was MT Ilpop no
stand and said the deceased was q
| native of Germany. AZ years old, had
been married to her for fifteen years,
two children, boys, being the fruit Of
| the union. They had resided in Los
Angeles for nearly five years. At pres
ent she was stopping a t the Tucson lodg-
| ing house, No. 2O3 East Seventh street.
| The last line she saw her husband alive
was a l pm yesterday, when she was
| eating dinner In restaurant. He was
across the street and she did not speak
| to him. Their married life had been one
Of continual discord and she had often
been abused and even struck and chok.
ed by the deceased. The crowning in
suit offerd by him to her was when he
had caused her arrest on a groundless
charge of adultery.
| Two months ago he had left the city,
| taking with him one of their little boys.
Ray, whom he had left in Sumner in
| charge of Charles Barlow The other
| child had been in the county hospital
| for months, being subject to epileptic
! fits 1t was while she was talking with
a friend from whom she desired to bor-
! row S. to send her boy up north that
| Kraft came to the lodging house and
accused her of being unfaithful to him.
| Deceased has sister in San Francis
co named Mrs. Reymer, whose address
| is All Fulton street. He was member
| of the order of Chosen Friends and car
| ried $4,000 insurance on his life, although
| she did not know whether the assess
ments had been kept up or not. KRAFT
| had returned to the city about a week
| ago, and since coming back had ANNOYED
her in every possible way.
DR.. G. A. Covert, who conducts the
| Tucson lodging house where Mrs. Kraft
| is stopping, said that between ~ and l
| o'clock yesterday Kraft had come to the
| place in search of his wife. He was
badly under the influence of liquor and
| was very boisterous in his demeanor He
loudly proclaimed that he had a settle
| ment to make with his wife, and threat
ened not only her but DIR. Covert as
we'll. Kraft was finally ordered from
the premises and went away.
Mrs. c. III. Massey, sister of Mrs
Kraft and who resides on Seventh
street testified that Kraft came to her
house at 1915 yesterday and wanted to
know whether or not his wife was there.
He threatened both Mrs. Kraft and her
self, saying he would get even with
them and put both of them out of the
way. His language and actions were so
offensive that she ordered him from the
place and he left, muttering threats un-
der his breath.
Testimony regarding the death was
given by Arbogast and Reinhart. The
latter said that Kraft had on several oc-
casions tried to make confident of him
about his domestic troubles. He told
him that he had had his wife arrested,
and said to look at the papers and he
would read about it. Reinhart repulsed
his confidential advances and told him
he did not want to hear about his
troubles. Yesterday. however, Kraft
again approached him and gave him to
understand that he was afraid of ar
rest in connection with the complaint
made against his wife.
He showed him an account published
in The Herald, but Reinhart did not wish
to listen to him. The remainder of his
testimony. and also that of Arbogast
was recital of the events attending the
discovery of the fact that Kraft had