The herald., 1897-01-11
A FIDDLER'S SUDDEN DEATH
Mysterious Way John BurkOvits
Dropped Out
DYING APPEALS FOR AID
Unheaded for Fear lie Was Park.
hurst Spy
While Being Treated for Poisoning He
DIED at the Receiving Hospital,
Far Away From Home.

a Hungarian musician. whose name
in the fatherland was John Burkovits,
but who appears to have been known
also as Jones Burgoviz, met a sudden
! death last night in manner that at mrs I
/ indicated suicide or murder. About IL
| o'clock Burkovits ran into saloon and
restaurant or Los Angeles street. near
! Arcadia, and falling into chair. gasp
| ed; My God: my heart, my lungs. lam
| dying-give me a glass of whisky,
| quick"
| The bartender, Jack Puissegur with
visions of the Parkhurst society's before
him, said: You know I can't let you
have any whisky on Sunday; it's against
the Jaw"
The groauing man, with froth upon his
mouth and his hand wildly grasping at
his chest repeated his plea for drink
of whisky, asserting that he knew he
was dying and must have something for
the agony in his chest and stomach. The
bartender again refused to violate the
Sunday law even for dying man. as he
said. but L. Schmidt. who was present
realizing the seriousness of this. urged
Puissegur to give out the liquor, which
the bartender did, after adding TO 1t
some essence of Jamaica ginger Ihe
sick man took but sip of the liquor and
then in great terror called for somebody
to get hack and take him to doctor
The restaurant cook was sent out on TINS
errand and he returned with hackman
Frank kimball, who took BurkoNits
post haste TO the police station.
At the receiving hospital the man
case was diagnosed al once as attempted
suicide by poison. and word was sent TO
the police surgeon, DR. Hagan In the
meantime Trusty AceVado and other
prison attaches did what they thought
proper for a man suffering with arsenic
al poisoning, administered emetics ana
other remedial agents. When uhe uoc-
tor arrived the stomach pump was
placed in use but even while this was
being done the musician died at ll:2i.
only about ten minutes after he had
reached the hospital.
4 search of the dead mans pockets
produced S150 in money, some letters
from Hungary, and pass showing MN
to have been musician at the vienna
Prater during the MidWinter falr at
San Francisco, and some other trlnes'
but nothing to show that he had intend
ed suicide The remains were taken TO
Kregelo .S Rresees. where an inquest
viii be held today.
1t appears that Burkovits was at one
time first class musician. but recently
has been so affected with rheumatism
that he could not practice his profess
ion. His living has been precarious.
but the fact that he had S1.50 in his
pockets proves. to some people. that he
had not committed suicide on account
Of poverty
AS he was seen earlier in the evening
in some Chinatown poker joints there
was some suspicion that an overdose
of dope had been taken by him. About
10 o'clock Policeman Lon Harris saw
BurkoVits on Los Angeles street, and
at that time the musician inquired if
the officer had seen Charles Dorer.
key filter who lives in Chinatown. and
who is the only known close friend the
dead man had. The inquest may devel-
op something new in the case, which
yet is somewhat mysterious.