The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-07
Mrs. Elizabeth Trescher Ended Her
Life at st. Mary's Infirmary
by Drinking Nitric Acid.
UNDERWENT AN OPERATION.
Entered the Operating Room While
Cnguarded and Picked Up the
Fatal Draught-Funcral
Held Yesterday.

| Mrs. Elizabeth Trescher. who committed
suicide on Tuesday afternoon at st. Mary s
| Infirmary by drinking nitric acid. was
buried yesterday afternoon in st. Matthew S
| Cemetery. The funeral services We're held
at her home. No. ST. Ann avenue. by the
Reverend Mr.. Irion of the st. Paurs Evan
| gelical Lutheran Church. \ large concourse
of friends followed the body 10 the grave.
Prominent among the floral tributes was a
large horseshoe from the knights and La
dies of Honor Of which Mrs. Trescber was
member. Mrs. Trescher was well known
on the South Side, as her husband. Freder-
! lex Trescher. is quite wealthy. He IS the
senior member of the firm of Trescher d
Miller. produce merchants at No. go North
Third street.
Mrs. Trescher was Al years old and was
married about ten years. Although very
attractive woman. she was always quite
f-ail. AS she had no children to care for
her she decided with her husband last May
that 1t would be best FOR her TO go To a hos
pital. She went TO ST. Mary's Infrmary,
and while there her attending physician.
Doctor Albert II. Meisenbach. decided that
ii would be necessary for her TO undergo an
operation. She submitted willingly. she
hoped Il would relieve her Of her inilTmity.
But after the operation she did net improve
rapidly as she thought she would ana
she became possessed of the idea that she
would never recover. Neither her anxious
husband nor the physician could convince
her that her recovery was only matter of
time Even after she was able TO walk
about the infrmary Il was impossible TO
persuade her that she was getting better.
Mr.. Trescher went TO see his wife on
Tuesday about neon time and remained
1.ar
a box OF candy, which she seemed 10 enjoy.
But in the course of his visit he noticed
that she seemed TO be slightly depressed.
When he departed he promised 10 pass the
Fourth OF July with her.
After her husbands departure Mrs. Tres
cher strolled through the halls Of the in
Urinary. She was constantly under the care
OF two sisters. as she was still quite weak.
AS the sister who was walking with her
was called away for a moment, Mrs. Tres
cher quickly walked into the operating
room Of the Institution. Usually this room
Is kept locked. but on Tuesday there had
been an operation and It was open for an
airing Mrs. Trescher took q small bottle
OF nitric acid and hid It In her dress. When
she got to her room she drank the entire
contents Of the bottle How much was in
1t IS not known. When Sister 1nnocentia
entered the patients room she found Mrs
Trescher sitting on the rocking chair with
her mouth closed tightly. with oifflcuity
she learned from the patient that she had
swallowed the acid and had hidden the bot
tie in the box OF candy which her husband
had just brought. II was found there.
Sister Innocentia called Doctor Warren,
the house physician. but he saw at once
that there was no chance for the woman's
rescue. Her husband was called to her bed
side, and Doctor Meisenbach came TO the
aid Of Doctor Warren. Mrs Margaret Stolz
of No. 1u3o South Fourth street, a sister Of
Mrs. Trescher, also was summoned. After
suffering for twelve hours In semi-con-
scious condition, the woman died at 2
o'clock on the morning OF July 4.
Mr.. Trescher was very much attached TO
his wife. and refuses TO believe that she
committed suicide. He has told his neigh
bors that he thought IL was hardly worth
while for him TO live after such tragedy.
The Coroner's inquest was held on Thurs
day and the verdict was suicide as the re-
suit of nitric acid taken while Mrs. Tres
cher was suffering from melancholis-
Her father, David Walter, was formerly
a prominent merchant of South Broadway
Both OF her parents are dead. She has two |
sisters and two brothers. who are Ia st. |
Louis.