The herald., 1897-03-18
EXPIRES IN THE HOSPITAL
His symptoms Gave Indication Of Nor.
phine Poisoning
Ths Autopsy Reveals Badly coneested
BraIn-Isquest to BE Held This
Afternoon


years OF age, whose father runs largi
establishment at the corner of Third and
Spring streets. The young man did mo-
live at home. but for nearly two years
hac at different times roomsd in ths
LODGING house at the corner Of Second
ard Los Angeles streets. from where hs
was removed to the receiving hospital
in q dying condition aboa. 5:45 last even
Ing.
In response to telephone message the
patrol wagon at the hour named went to
the lodging house and in room five, lying
on a bed, in an unconscious condition
found the body of young Gassen, who ap
peared to be suffering from the effects
OF morphine poisoning. He was hastily
removed to the receiving hospital, where
Police Surgeon Hagan was in attend
ance, and a desperate but fruitbsss bat
tie with death was begun
When Gsssen was laid on the operating
table he was totally unconscious, breath
ing SO stertorously that at intervals he
appeared to be snoring. His lips, eye
Ids and nostrils were blue, the rest OF
the countenance being of pale yellow
ish tinge. The eyes were rolled far back
and set in the sockets, the pupil being
contracted to the merest pin point The
muscles of the body were limp and re-
laxed, the heart beating rapidly and
violently. The symptoms seemed to in
dicate morphine poisoning and the stom-
ach pump and hypodermic injections of
apomorphia were used In an endeavor
to rid the stomach of its contents. From
the right ear small quantity OF blood
flowed, apparently from cut about an
inch long on the exterior surface. In
spite of all the physician and attend
ants could do the patient rapidly sank,
and at $3.50, three-quarters OF an hour
after his arrival at the hospital, death
ensued. The body was removed to the
rooms Of Kregelo & Bresee and an in
vestigation into the causes of death was
begun.
From all that could be gathered, 1t ap
peared that Gassen had been taken sud
denly Ill about 1880 In the afternoon and
had lain in an unconscious condition
from that time until his death. On Tues
day night Gassep had been about as
usual and had made arrangements with
his mother to take a trip to San Diego.
The last person who saw him on that
night was ex-Councilman Tom Savage,
who sent him to bed about IL o'clock
midnight George w. Arbuckle is one of
the proprietors of the saloon al the cor
ner named, under the lodging house,
which is run by his wife. Gassen slept
with him on Tuesday night, coming to
When the latter got up yesterday
morning about o'clock Gassen was still
asleep and was not disturbed. After
opening up the saloon Arbuckle came
back to bed, and at the same time '3as-
sen awoke in apparently his usual spir-
its, dressed and went out. Between 10
and II o'clock he was again seen In the
lodging house, but went away and did
not come back until about l o'clock in
the afternoon. In one Of the rooms he
met Mrs Arbuckle and two men named
Joseph Johnson and James A. German.
Johnson was sent downstairs for can
of beer, which was drunk by the quartet,
Gassen going out on the rear porch and
washing out several glasses, seeming TO
be all right.
A few minutes afterward he went into
the next rom, which is separated only
by curtains, and lay down on the bed,
shortly afterward beginning to snore
loudly This continued for some min
utes until 1t became SO pronounced that
Mrs. Arbuckle sent Johnson into the
room to wake Gassen up and stop his
noise. johnson found the latter lying
on the bed. face downward, with his
coat and vest removed, and in his stock
ing feet. Johnson playfully hit Gassen
over the head with a pillow, calling to
him to get up and stop his snoring, but,
failing to arouse him turned him over
and was alarmed by the appearance Of
his countenance, which was purple with
congested blood. He informed the others
that Charley was sick, and telephone
message was sent to drug store for a
doctor. Time wore on, and there being
no improvement in the condition of the
unconscious man the police were notified
and his removal to the hospital followed.
There are many peculiar circum-
stances In connection with the case
- {ah loaA % A<~sxf <Iok Ox,-
mktted suicide and seem to indicate that
his death was due to an apoplectic stroke
of congestion of the brain caused by
=" otherwise. He was seen by no
ne o take poison, and left no note.
~ ~ could be ascertained, indicating
foas intended to shuttle off. Mr.. Ar
9rclrif ays, however, that Gassens
MAN when he got up in the morning
waR "a uge. He appeared nervous and
tfci<d bidding his host goodbye sew
ssci times and kissing him as though in
.srswelt
49, sta ed previously the right ear of
lrcefr%d was freshly cut as though by
ssiiki1E against some sharp protuber-
ance n fall, and blood was slowly
c911o 4 ,m 1t. At the autopsy upon the
9o1 ~hich was performed by Coroner
,----...s, Seii shortly after the death, the
bradn was found to be in a greatly con-
gested state. the vessels being full of
blood which had settled there The
stomach was full of water which had
been injected at the hospital during the
use Of the stomach pump, and the con-
tenks were not examined last night
There was no external evidence of vio-
lence in any shape upon the body save
the slight cut on the ear, and it was the |
opinion Of the coroner that death had
resulted from congestion of the brain,
but whether from the effect of a drug or |
not is uncertain.
In the pocket of Gassen's coat was |
found q bloodstained handkerchief, |
which he had evidently used to stauncn |
the flow offblood from his injured ear
How or when this wound was inflicted |
none of the occupants of the house seem |
to know. Both Johnson and German say |
that they saw nothing of such a wound |
while they were in his company. and |
Gassen appeared in his usual health un- |
I'll he was heard snoring on the bed. 1t
seems probable that the cut was sus- |
tained earlier in the day, during the |
time he wastabsent from the house, be- |
tween II and o'clock, and that it was ap- |
so trivial that Gassen stopped |
the bleeding and thought no more of it. |
Owing to the. lateness of the hour the |
autopsy was not concluded last night. |
but will be taken up again this morning. |
The inquest win be held at o'clock this |
afternoon, at which time t'a present |
mystery Of the sudden des> Hxill prob