The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-10-01
SHOT HIMSELF IN TEMPLE
Had Been Dead Several Hours
When Body Was Found
CHASTITY Remains Discovered by His
of the Seamen's Home-Worry Oy-
er Financial Troubles Said to Have
Been the Cause.

Lying in a rear room on the thirC
floor of the Seamen's Home, at the
corner of Front and Dock street.
with the floor under his body clottcd
with blood, a gasping wound in the
right temple and with a pistol lightly
clenched in his right hand, which was
lying across his breast, the dead body
OF Mr.. Harry G. Christoffersen. was
found early yesterday afternoon By
his wife. The body was cold N
death and the terrible crime of self
destruction had probably occurred sew
eral hours before the discovery of the
remains he authorities were at
once notified of the tragedy and Dr..
{. d. Bell the county coroner, wa,
summoned. After viewing the remains
he decided that it was a clear case
of suicide and that an inquest was not
necessary.
A visit to the room where the dead
body lay showed that Mr.. Christoff-
ersen had deliberately gone about
preparing to take his own life. lie
went into q rear room, on the third
floor of the building, which was en-.
tirely without furniture and used OnIy
for storage purposes, carrying with
him a pillow and a heavy comfort.
He placed the pillow on the floor,
rested his head on it and then COW
cred his head and the upper part Of
his body with the bed clothing, this
being done to muff1e the sound of the
pistol. He then placed the weapon
against his right temple and the bali
crashed through the front part of his
skull. In the rigor of death
n the nose. IN the rigOr of death
his right hand, bearing the pistol, was
dropped to his chest and his left
hand thrown over it. The brains OF
the unfortunate man were oozing from
the gaping wound n a thick stream
of blood had flowed along the side o.
his body to where his feet lay. This
was the horrible sight that met the
eyes of Mrs. ChristOffersen when she
opened the door Of the plumber room
in her efforts to find her husband.
The discovery of the body was made
about 2:30 O'Clock yesterday afternoon
and it is thought that the rach act
was committed sometime in the morn
ing, between the hours of $50 and
10 o'clock. At about the former hour
Mrs. Christoffersen left the building
with her three children to enter them
in the public schools. When she re-
turned sometime later he did not see
her husband, but this of course did not |
occasion alarm and it was only when
a gentleman called early in the after
moon on urgent business that she
made any search for him. Then the
dead body was found.
Mr. Christoffersen has been the man.
alger of Seamen's Home Bethel for
several years past. He was 81 years
of age and leaves a wife, four children
and a brother, the latter who lives IN
Norway. One of his children, Mr.. Au-
gust Chrstoffersen, is in New York.
The only cause that can be assigned
for the rash act is continued worry
financial troubles.
The funeral services over the re-
mains Of the deceased will be conduct
ed this morning at II O'Clock from the
Home, by Rev. w. A. Sny-
der, pastor of st. Paul's Lutheran
and the interment will be in
Bellevue. /,