Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-12-07
HE BURIED HIMSELF.
THE UNIQUE SUICIDE OF A MEXICAN
INDIAN IN CALIFORNIA.

Disheartened by an Accident Which I'm
ntted Him For Active Life, Jose Mendez
Resolved to End His Existence without
Causing His Friends Trouble.
Jose Mendez was a Mexican Indian
who killed himself in 1869 in San Jose,
Cal. at the time of his death Jose was
SO years of age. He had all his life been
an exceedingly active man.
Among the daring characters then
residing in San Jose none could excel
him as rider of wild horses. He was
also very ingenious and could not only
make the finest kinds of lariats, but
could also use them in many original
ways.
One day the daring rider came to
grief. By some means he was thrown
from wild mustang. and, being stun
ned aud made helpless by the fall, he
was dragged for some distance in the
stirrups. When finally rescued, he was
in a condition that would have been
sure and almost instant death to any
but man of wonderful nerve and to-
nacity of life.
Injured and helpless, he recovered suf-
ficiently to realize that he could never
became very moody and respondent. A
life in which he was precluded from
daring riding ON unframed mustangs
had no charms for him, and in the
midst of his sufferings from internal in
juries he made frequent threats of sui
eide. Once, in speaking of the matter to
an intimate friend, who tried to dis
suade him from the idea, he said that
when he killed himself it would be-
done in such a manner that no one
would ever have any more trouble about
him. 1t was thought at the time that he
intended to drown himself in the sea,
where his body would never be recover
ed.
Every morning for several weeks
thereafter Jose crawled away from the
adobe hut in which he and number of
others lived and came back quite late
every evening. On these trips he took a
pick and shovel and occasionally a
piece of lumber. no one knew for what
purpose. Some supposed that he was
mining somewhere. By this time he
had grown so respondent as to be en-
tirely communicative, and no expla-
nation Of his conduct could be obtained
from him. One evening, as was expect
ed, the invalid did not return to the
adobe, and the next day search was
made in the direction in which he went.
Something like mile from the adobe
house the searching party found a small
clearing in the grass and weeds. To the
surprise of every one of the party a rude
board box about feet wide and 6 feet
long and about Is inches in depth was
found lying upside down in the middle
8 Io
diately overturned, but nothing but
heap of loose earth was found under it.
A closer examination revealed the fact
that attached to the box were a number
of pieces of lariat. The explanation of
all this was a mystery, and at first it
was not connected with the disappear
ance of the Mexican
An intimate friend of the missing
man then made an explanation which
was pronounced entirely plausible and
cleared the mystery. The man said that
the Mexican, after sustaining his in
jury, had been entirely dependent upon
strangers for his support and sustenance,
and he was determined, if possible, aft
er he was dead not TO give them any
more trouble. He therefore devised
scheme by which he could not only kill
self. How the thing was managed was
easily enough determined by an inspec-
ton of the ground. The deceased had
dug a grave. a rather shallow one, in
which his skeleton was found some
years later.
After the grave was dug, which re-
quired some time, owing to the feeble
condition of the deceased, he placed the
al |, hat hsl 10
for that purpose. This earth was pack
ed in as solid as possible by being wet
and then allowed to dry again, SO that
when the box was carefully stood ON its
side with the earth toward the ground
none of it fell out. Several lariats were
then stretched across from the upper
side of the box as it lay across the grave
to stakes ON the other side.
The box was then carefully balanced,
SO that any object that might fall ON
the lariats would cause it to fall over
the grave and empty the earth it con-
tanned on top of the body. In this man
ner the unfortunate man not only killed
but also buried himself almost in the
same instant of time.
So we'll satisfied were those who made
the surprising discovery that their theo-
~ was correct that they did not take
the trouble to dig in order to ascertain
that the body was underneath. The
theory, however. was further strength
ened by the finding of the pistol with
which the shooting had been done in
some loose earth near the edge of the
grave. 1t had evidently dropped there
from the suicides hand after he fired
the fatal shot. This fact convinced the
searchers, and they returned without