The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1902-02-20
He. Fahrig Comes to Death by His
Own Hand.
NE LIVED HERE MANY YEARS.
Was an Old and Respected Citizen-Lived
in Ashland when the Deed was Com
mitted mo Cause Assigned for
Rash Act

years resident of this city, land
among the pion GERS of the place, shot
himself through the head, in fit Of
dependency, at bis home in Ashland
Monday afternoon. Mr.. Fahrig was
a machinist, and was first-class
workman A year ago he started
a machine shop in Ashland, and
moved to that city He was the
inventor of Fahrig's babit metal, one
OF the great discoveries which prom
ises to revolutionize the babit used
in. machinery where there is FRI ton
to overcome. The tragic dealt of
Mr.. Fahrig could scarcely be credit
ed in this city, until it was verified
latter. It seems hat Mrs. Fahrig
had left her home with her daughter,
Mrs. Howard Benton, and haS gone
to the Omaha depot, as Mrs. Benton
was returning to this city. While
at the depot Harry Fahrig had gone
from the machine shop where he was
working, to his home, and when he
arrived at the house he found his
father dead, with bullet through
his head. He raised an alarm, and
rushed to the depot, where he found
Mrs. Fahrig and Mrs. Benton. An
inquest was held and the jury re-
turned verdict of suicide. What
could have caused the tragic deed of
Mr.. Fahrig is unknown, but it is
supposed that business matters were
not running very smoothly, and in a
fit of dependency he committed the
rash deed which ended his life.
The Ashland News of Tuesday
says:
While every atom of the testimony
points strongly to self murder, still
the many relatives and friends Of the
deceased are loath to believe that I'll.
z. Fahrig suicided. Not even the
slightest reason can be conceived
why he should have committed the
deed and cloud of mystery enshroud
the happenings Throughout. Mr..
Fahrlg evinced no symptoms of being
disconnected with his mortal lot and
his views, language, actions and ap-
pearance were all indicativeof a man
enjoying perfect health and prosper
ity and looked at the world through
al Optimistic eye. It is generally
Known throughout the state of Wis
consin, and in manufacturing centers
that his discovery OF the famous
Fahrig metal would make of him an
immensely rich man. That he should
have turned out his life's light just
at a time when golden hued success
was about to reward his study and
work Of years, seems sad to contem-
plate.
Mrs. Fahrlg, the widow, the two
sens, Ernest and Harry and the
daughter, Mrs. Howard Benton of
Washburn, are PROSTATE as result
of the terrible deed. They never
dreamed Of such happening inrtheir
home and are unwilling to entertain
the whole truth of the affair.
Mr.. Fahrig's body was found late
Yesterday afte.noon in the front
room Of his home. The body was in
a sitting posturein chair and when
his son Harry entered the death
chamber, he noticed his fathers chin
reclining on his breast and presumed
that his father was sleeping. Efforts
to arouse the supposedly sleeping
parent did not arouse an iota of sus-
picion until, when the son raised his
fathers head, blood flowed from the
mouth. The presence of revolver
lying on the floor near the chair IN
which the father died, the extrica-
ton of bullet from the plaster Oh
the wall back of the dead man, the
empty chamber in the cylinder, of
the revolver and the wound in the
mouth to the back of the neca told
the whole story, with the exception
of the cause; which will probably
never be known.
Mr.. Fahrig is said by his Dereaved
widow and two sons to have been in
excellent spirits all along, never COM
planning at all, excepting occasionally
he would remark that rheumatic
pains were worrying him. Yester-
day he was troubled with rheuma--
t;sm, but was able to be around, and
yesterday morning the deceased told
his son that he was going up town to
settle some accounts.