The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-30

Disconsolate over financial reverses
at ISL West Fifth street, ended his life
yesterday morning by hanging himself
to beam in the yard Of his home. The
body was discovered shortly before II
O'Clock and Immediately cut down, but
life was extinct, death having resulted
from strangulatdon. Deputy Coroner
L. A. Nelson investigated the case,
deciding 1t to have been clearly suicide,
therefore no inquest will be held.
The old man hanged himself within
few feet Of windows in the house,
where his preparations for the deed
might have been seen by his wife and
daughter.in-law, who were about their
household duties inside, had they
CHANGED to look out. The beam which
he selected for scaffold runs between
Meier's house and an adjacent building,
having been used for a support for
swing for the younger children of
the family. A piece of the swing rope
served for a moose Climbing upon a
stepladder Meier doubtless adjusted the
rope about his neck and kicked the
ladder away, as it was found over
turned directly under the body. It Is
believed that the body had been hang
Ing, perhaps, half an hour, when found.
The discovery, Deputy Coroner Nelson
o1y - WdS iu6luc ny the OElFeT OF q fuei
wagon, who delivered a load of wood at
the Meier home, and saw the old mans
BODY hanging from the beam.
AT the Meier home little could be
learned concerning the old mans death.
Mrs. Meier, who was the first to run
out of the house when the alarm was
given, was said to be too much pros
trated to talk, when a reporter for The
U e called at the house yesterday
afternoon, but two grown sons denied
the suicide story, claiming that their
father had died from heart failure. One
or the young men said his father had
been putting up a storm window, and
that while standing on the stepladder.
had suddenly fallen over dead. Deputy
Coroner Nelson, however, says there is
no doubt but that Meier hanged him
self. He says the facts, as learned by
him, show this to have been the case,
and that besides there was a black and
blue mark about the dead mans neck.
where the moose had frightened.
OF late 1T is said by those who knew
Meier, that he has been much depress-
ed by business reverses. He formerly
owned considerable property and was
at one time believed to be in quite sub
stantial circumstances. He was oblig-
ed In time, however, to relinquish most
or his property, 1t is said, and the
losses worried him very much. Re.
Gently he lost house and lot on Jack
son street, by mortgage foreclosure.
Several days ago the time of redemp-
ton passed, without Meier being able
to save the property and the loss prey
Ell heavily on his mind His health
had been poor of late also, and last
Sunday he was not able TO be out of
bed. When he left the house vester
day morning his family thought he had
gene to a small confectionery and cigar
store, which he conducted at s6 West
Seventh street, close to his home, and
nothing was thought of his absence
until his death was discovered.
Meier was sixty-seven years old and
had lived in st. Paul forty-five years.
he leaves wife and eight children,
five boys and three girls, the oldest
being thirty-eix years of age, while
the youngest is e boy OF eleven years.