The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-01-30


suspended by the neck from q clothes
line attached to a hook in the wall of
his bed room was the gruesome sight
that met Mrs. Richard Leitner, of 91S
Crown avenue, South Scranton, when
she forced an entrance to their apart
ments yesterday afternoon, after hav-
ing vainly tried to rouse him to have
him let her in. The coroner's jury
found that he had committed suicide
while mentally deranged.
Because Of painful permanent disa-
bility, the result of q strain, Leitner
could not work steadily and his wife
went out washing to help support the
family.
Yesterday morning about s o'clock as
she was about to leave the house to
work for a neighbor, she went to her
husbands bed room to inquire why he
had not risen to go to his work. He
said he was i'll and intended to stay in
bed. She left the house and was gone
until noon. When she returned she
found the door to their apartments
locked and, failing to get response
to her knocking, went to the apart
ments on the first floor, where lived
the family of the landlord Henry
Denkwortz, to inquire il they had seen
her husband go out.
Mr.. Denkwortz told OF having seen
him come down stairs and go out in
the yard about $50 o'clock, soon after
Mrs. Leitner's departure, and that,
shortly afterwards, he returned and
went to his apartments again.
THOUGHT HE WAS SLEEPING.
1t was taken for granted that he
was sleeping and, not wishing to dis
turb him, Mrs. Leitner busted herself
about the DenkwortZ apartments, in
tending to wait there until he woke.
She waited for over four hours, and,
not hearing him moving about up
stairs, she began to grow alarmed, and,
taking Mrs. Denkwortz with her, as
cended to the second floor and made
n vigorous attempt to arouse him by
humping on the door. No answer
came from within, and, fearing for the
worst, an entrance was forced by going
out on the porch from the upstairs
hallway and climbing through a Win
dow opening on the bed room.
1t was not until Mrs. Leitner had
gotten inside the room that she dis
looked for him in the bed and, seeing
this empty, supposed he had gone Out
into the sitting room and lain down on
the couch. Happening to glance into
a darkened corner of the bed room
where their clothing was hanging or
a row of hooks, she was confronted
with the swollen and frightfully dis
torted features of her husband, his
bulging eyes fixed straight before him
and his tongue protruding it's full
length. The terrible sight caused hel
to swoon and it was an hour before
she recovered.
Patrolman Sartor, who was doins
duty in that vicinity was summoned
| and, after waiting q reasonable timC
to hear from the message sent the
coroner cut down the body and placed
it on the bed.
1t was necessary for Leitner to draw
up his knees to keep his feet from
| touching the floor and thereby throw
the whole weight of his body on tht
| clothes line which he had wounC
double about his neck and attached
to one OF the clothes hooks fastened
| in the wall about six feet above tht
| floor.
HANGING MANY HOURS.
The indications were that he ha,
| been hanging for many hours. Il &
supposed he got the clothes line from
| the yard when he went out early il
| the morning, and that he soon after
wards hung himself.
Coroner Roberts arrived at o'clocl
and conducted an inquest with Vic
tor Sartor, G. 4. Miller. Henry Denk
wertz. Peter Zang, John Mack an,
| William "A. Albrecht as jurors.
Mrs. Leitner told OF the incidents o
the day as described above and ais
related some instances to show tina
for some months past her husband ha
not been Of sound mind. About tw
months ago, he was at one Of tn
Scranton hospitals undergoing q cours
of dieting preparatory to his bein
operated upon for his inflrmity. Hal
an hour before the time set for tn
operation to be performed, he jumpe
through a window of the hospital an
made his way home in his night dres,
He could not be induced to go bac
to the hospital.
His wife also told that he would fre
| quently get up out OF bed and paC
the floor moaning as If in great pair
About a year ago, she says, during on
of these periods of suffering he de
clared he could stand it no longer an
would put an end to himself. He ha
been drinking some Of late, but nc
to any great excess.
Leitner was 45 years OF age an
when he worked, was employed as
laborer at the LaclSawanna Iron an
Steel company's blast furnace. II
worked Monday and for some tim
| nreYiouS. A lR-Nnnr-nld danphInr an