Hutchinson gazette., 1901-10-31
sulolde.

Suicide,
A suicide Is always u sad ending for
n human life. In the past 1t has been
usual to think ofa suicide as crimi'
nal and monstrosity, Perhaps that Is
right, but If 1t Is Il crime 1t Is one Of
the most pardonable kind. Before u
man can bring himself to the point
where he Is willing to sever his con-
nectlons with this world and try the
realities Of the unknown he must
have suffered many deaths. In fact
his mind must have passed In suffer-
ring the bounds Of reasons and lost It's
balance, At least so 1t seems to the
writer.
A short time before noon Sunday
news of the death Of n once prominent
business man Of Hutchinson was
brought to this city. Gcoge Upde-
graf was found dead in a pasture ON
Ed Blair's farm northeast of town.
He must have been dead about twenty
four hours when his body was found,
lie drove cut to his farm on Saturday
morning in Lis buggy A man by the
name of Marsh lives ON the farm with
whom he talked and disappeared so
far as he noticed, perfectly rational,
Mr.. Marsh talked with him few min
utes and as he was In the habit of cal
ling at the farm often, went about his
work. Shortly after walking away
Marsh says he heard gun shot, but
as there wero hunters frequently about
he thought nothing Of 1t. He noticed
Updegran did not return but thought
he had walked back to town and eX-
pected him to take care of his horse
which he did. Next morning while
he was taking some horses to pond
in the pasture to water he found
Updegraif's body, There was a
large bullet hole in his forehead
about in the middle, made by u
large forty-four calibre revolver which
lay at his feet. The revolver was OF
the bulldog variety, and death had
been instantaneous.
Two little sons Of J.. b. Wherul
who were not far away at the time of
the deed is supposed to have been
done, saw Mr.. UpdegralT walking in
the pasture and little later heard a
shot fired. Looking up they saw the
smoke from a gun, but saw no one
around. When Mr.. UpdegraiI left
home hemorning before his death
he did not.say where he was going,
but not.muchTwas thought about 1t
till he failed to return in the evening.
Then his wife became uneasy and in
stltuted Il search, having his friends
drive various places in the country
where it was thought he might have
gone. AS soon as he learned of the
death DR.. Taylor summoned Il coronerS
Jury. He also went to the Blair place
and examined the body, also the
grounds round about and whatever
there might be Of external evidence
regarding the death,
The evidence adduced at the cOronc's
inquest was substantially as above
given and little or nothing was dis
covered. The verdict Of the jury was
that he came to his death by his own
hand.
Mr.. UpdegralI was quiet, unasSUm-
ing man in appearance, Ho was well
respected in the community and had
many friends. OF enemies he seemed
to have none, He had been connected
with "A number Of large financial OPP
perations in Hutchinson, some Of
which have proved disastrous lie
was at one time proprietor of large
dry goods store and at another was a
palmer in the Parker creamery, the
firm name being Parker and Upde"
graf. In this he undoubtedly did
good business, but.he seems to have
lost most of his money and it is pos
slble if not probable that it was
brooding over his financial reyerses
that finally drove him to this unseem-
ly deed.
The deceased leaves a wife and two
children a boy and girl, twins, who
are about ten years old. He also
leaves brother, r. II. Updegaif and
sister Mrs. j. p. McCurdy, both Of
who live in this city. The funeral
was held at the family residence, at
124, Ave. A East, Wednesday morning
at ten o'clock, conducted by Drs.
H0dson and Irwin.