The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1903-03-20
SUICIDE WAS HENRY BROER
Brother Arrived Last Night and
Unidentified Blue Overcoat.
CHURCH TROUBLE THE CAUSE
Man Who Hanged Himself Was Well
To-Do Farmer-Strange Ending Of
the Awful Tragedy--Wife Wants His
Bones.
tFrom Saturdays Dnily.1

Bones.
From Saturdays Daily.l
The unknown man who hanged him
self in Norfolk last January and whose
body has been In the university medical
college for dissection, has been positively
identified by his brother M Henry Broer,
n well.to.do German farmer from Hub
bard, Iowa, who left homo on Wednes-
day afternoon, January II.
Louis H. Broer, the brother who has
been searching In vain for the missing
man, arrived in the oity last night from
Hubbard and recognized the clothing
worn by the suicide in an instant. The
blue overooat which the stranger wore
was one which Mr.. Broer brought from
Germany two years ago.
Mr.. Broer's story OF his dead brother,
the details OF his leaving home and the
final discovery Of the whereabouts forms
n tragedy complete.
Henry Broer was well to do German
farmer who lived with his family,
wife and six children, near Hubbard
He was 90 years old and had nothing
In the world Of trouble at home. The
cause OF his dependency, however, and
OF his final suicide, was worry in re-
gard to minister in his church.
It seems that the minister of the
church got to drinking. Broer thought
this was wrong and made up his mind
to put the fellow out. He wrote
letter to the head of the district, relat-
ing the facts, and asking that the
preacher be removed. He showed the
/, letter to his wife and asked her opinion
as to sending it, for he appeared to be
frightened and hardly sure of himself
She told him to wait He spoke to q
neighbor who, also, said to wait--that
the man would be forced out by public
opinion in time. Then Broer de-
stroyed the letter. This was his fatal
move. From the day he burned that
sheet of paper he was absolutely miser-
able. He would walk the floor at night
and would sit before the fire, his head
down, moaning and wringing his hands
"I've not done my duty" he walled. II
should have put him out"
On January IA he told his wife he
was going to "A neighboring town to talk
with a preacher about it, His son drove
him to railroad station. The next day
he was seen at village few miles dis
tant and that was the last known of him
by his friends. The minister never saw
him.
For ten days he was gone, and still
his wife believed he would return. She
did not mention his absence to relatives.
She told Louis Broer, the man here to-
day, about it on January 30. By that
time Henry Broer had been cut from a
tree in Norfolk and was being looked at
by hundreds of people in the hope that
he might be identified. A few days
later he was sent to the medical college
at Lincoln for dissection.
Louis Broer advertised. He published
notices and offered reward for the
missing man. A week ago today he re.
ceived letter from Carl Otto of this
city announcing that man had been
found here. Further correspondence
convinced Mr.. Broer that he had located
his brother and last night he arrived in
the city. He is fine looking German
and prosperous. He came to Norfolk in
the hope Of getting his brothers. body.
The widowed woman is, of course,
nearly crazed with the tragic death of
her husband, and declared that his body
must be brought back or it would mean
her death But the corpse has been
shipped to Lincoln and has verv likely
before now gone under the dissector's
blade.
An effort will be made to get what
remains of the body. Money is no
object and the brother is willing to pay
any price for all that is left of Henry
Broer. Accompanied by Burt Mapes,
attorney, he has gone now to Lincoln to
present the case to the faculty of the
medical school and to try by every pos
sible means to secure something of the
dead man for burial. He will be con-
tent, if there is no more. to take back
the bones.
Thus the closing chapter is made in
the mysterious suicide which gave this
city no little concern last winter.
Broer was found suspended from tree
on First street January 26. He had
money and warm clothing and no
motive could be assigned to his self de-
struction. He was left at the under.
taking rooms of Sessions g. Bell for five
days but remained unknown and finally,
in accordance with the law, was shipped