The San Francisco call., 1897-01-27
MISSING LINKS
MAKE MYSTERY
C. C. Nordhausen Suffocated
From Internal Hem
orrhage.
He Is Thought to Have Been
Shot Outside the Bald
win Hotel.
Strange Reply TO a reath.Bed Ques.
ton-Dr. Taylor on the Wounds.
Police at Work.

in the Baldwin Hotel last Monday morn
ing to st. Luke's Hospital, suffering from
bullet wound in the left breast and
another wound in the forehead over the
right eye, died at the hospital at $3.50
o'clock yesterday afternoon. The bullet
punctured the lungs, as they were filled
with clotted blood, and he died of suffo-
cation despite all that could be done to
relieve him and save his life.
Certain circum stances at the Baldwin
Hotel and a statement made by Mr.. Nord-
hausen at the hospital, after he was told
he was going to die, have thrown mys-
terious light upon the case, and given rise
to suspicious that, instead of accidentally
shooting himself, as he stated, Nordhausen
was shot by some one else.
The police have been made acquainted
with the details and Detective Whitaker
is investigating the affair.
Nordhausen left his home in Oakland
last Saturday, telling his wife he was going
to Randsburg, where he was interested in
some mining properties. For some rea-
son, known only to himself, he did not go
to Randsburg, but went to the Baldwin
Hotel Saturday night and engaged room.
1t is said that he had then been drinking,
and the story from this point on is about
as already published. 1t is not known
where he spent Saturday night, but all
day Sunday he was in his room, and fre-
quently rang for drinks. He was not
noticed when be came in Saturday night,
and the time of his return is not known.
Sunday he frequently rang up bell
boys, ordered liquor and was liber ally
supplied with it by the drink and by the
bottle. He had the appearance on Sun
day of having been on heavy debauch.
The bellboy also found the gas turned on,
but not lighted. When Nordhausen's at
tention was called to it he said he did not
care blank if it was turned on.
When he called a boy about o'clock
Monday morning he said he had shot him.
self and demanded to be removed at
once TO the hospital. The manager of the
hotel and DR.. w. E. Taylor, who lives at
the Baldwin, went to the room to give
what aid they could. Nordhausen told
the doctor that he had accidentally shot
himself while dressing at 2 o'clock that
same morning.
He declined to be treated at the hotel
and insisted on being removed at once TO
st. Luke's. DR.. Taylor made a brief ex-
animation, despite Nordhausen's protests,
to see whether he was in danger of dying
while On the way to the hospital, and,
| finding no immediate danger, though the
| patients pulse was high and fee bic, indi-
eating a hemorrhage somewhere, an am
| bulance was summoned and in little
while Nordhausen was where he wanted
| 10 be-in the hospital.
| 1t was only after Nordhausen's death
| that surmises began to be made and appa-
rently unreconcilable circumstances tC
| develop. DR.. Taylor said last evening
when asked about the condition of the
wounds when he was first called to see the
| patient between 7 and o'clock Monday
/ hat thorr io@ l-ad 70 ~ %Nh hr
| much more than six hours old.
| He said he thought at the time, from
the examination he made, that the wounds
were inflicted long before 2 O'Clock in the
morning, which was the time Nordhauser
| said he had accidentally shot himself. He
said the blood in the wound in the fore
mead was very dry and had the genera
appearance of having been inflicted twenty
| four hours before.
| The bullet wound near the left nipple
| had also bled profusely, and it had caked
and dried into Nordhausen's undershirt
| The doctor thought also that this wound
| was aged more than six hours. There
was a slight burn around the bulle
wound in the breast, indicating that the
weapon had been fred close to the body
| From the looks of the cash IN the fore
head it was impossible to tell whether i
was made by a bullet or some other blunt
instrument. When asked what he though
about the case, DR.. Taylor refused to in
| duge in any surmises.
| DR.. c. M. Armistead attended Nordhau
sen at the hospital. Yesterday afternoon
he told Nordhausen that he had but 6
| short time to live and asked If he had any
word to leave in regard to his property OF
other matters.
| in good shape and he had nothing to say
DR.. Armistead then asked him: ''Whe
was the woman who shot you2"
| Nordhausen cast glance at the physi
clan and said, in feeble tones: "Nevel
mind about that; it's done now"
A few minutes later he became con
sclous, talked ram bingly about mines anc
Randsburg and did not regain conscious
ness before he died. He had touch O.
delirium tremens Monday night.
The manager of the Baldwin toIo
Deputy Coroner Mccormick and Detectiv,
| Whitaker that be thought that Nord
hausen's wounds had ben inflicted outside
| the hotel. Circumstances which indicate
this are that Nordhausen had bandagt
around his head on Sunday and the bel
boy said he leaned to one side when h,
moved or walked as though he was suffer
| ing pain in that side.
| The body was removed yesterday after
noon first to the Morgue and thence to al
| undertakers. A post-mortem examina
ton of the remains will be held to-day.
Nordhausen is said by relative not t,
have been drinking man. He was al
right if he took only one drink OF liquor
but ne became in manner wild if he tool
two drinks.
Mrs. Nordhausen called at the hotel ant
hospital yesterday afternoon for the fey
personal effects and trinkets, including
diamond ring and watch, which the de
ceased left. At the time OF his death b
had 81 so on his person. and is said t
have started for Randsburg with consid
erably more money. Mrs. Nordhausen
her father and mother, Mr.. and Mrs. ]
d. Sonnichsen, are about Frustrated witt
| grief. She has three children.
Detective Whitaker said at late hou
last night that, from the investigation
he had made so far, ne was inclined t.
think it case of accidental shooting.