The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-02-13
Frank Yulke, Who Had Threatened
Suicide, Hanged Himself in
the Jail on Sunday
OLD SCARE USED AS A MOOSE
Prisoner Was Dead When Found But
Had Evidently Been Dead Only
few Minutes-Long a
Resident OF the County

Frank Yulke (also spelled Julke)
committed suicide in a cell at the
Kenosha county jail early Sunday
morning by hanging himself to the
bars Of the cell The man who was
sixty-fve years Of age and thought to
be insane had been in the jail since
last Monday afternoon and during his
confinement he had repeatedly threat
ened to take his own life. The officials
seemed to think that he was bluffing
but Yulke made good Sunday morn
ing.
Yull1e had resided in Kenosha and
Pleasant Prairie for the past thirty
years and for the past ten years he had
been off and on charge on the city.
A week ago Sunday he tired of life
at the poor farm and run away and
he was found at noon Monday at the
the station of Ranney on the North
western road divesting himself Of his
clothing with the intention of jumping
in front of the train. He was brought
to the jail and an effort made to have
him examined for his sanity and com
mitted to the state institution for the
insane but the County Judge had held
that the evidence would not warrant
a commitment. On Thursday morning
Yulke, who had been booked at the
jail as "Frank Thelke' made an at
tempt to commit suicide by hanging
himself with a towel but at that time
he was discovered by fellow prisoner
and released.
After this attempt the jail officials
made every possible effort to keep a
strict watch on the old man and every
thing that was thought possible as an
instrument for self destruction was re-
moved from the woman S department
of the Jail where the old man was
confined. Saturday night when the man
was locked in his cell for the night he
asked to be allowed to have his over
coat stating that he sometimes got
cold in the night. The coat which had
been left on a cot in the department
was given to him and he went seem
ingly to bed in good spirits. Not a
sound was heard by the other prisoners
in the department Sunday morning but
just after half past seven Pier Fabe1
went to the cell to call the old man for
breakfast and found him hanging to
the bars. He was quite dead when
found but the body was still warm and
it was evident that he had been dead
for only short time The old man
had made a rope out of a knit scarf
which he had in his overcoat. He
had stood on the wash stand in the cell
and tied one end of the scarf about the
bars at the top Of the cell and forming
loop had twisted it round his neck
He must have had great fortitude and
determination for the drop was de
cidedly short one and it must have
taken some time for the old man to
be strangled by the improvised rope.
His neck was not broken in the fall
and the body Indicated that he simply
choked to death. Emanuel Cappello, an
italian was in the same department
as Yulke but he claims that he heard
no noise in the cell during the morning
hours and the old man must have borne
the suffering Of slowly choking to
death in silence
AS soon as possible Coroner F. E.
Andre was called to the Jail and a
Jury was summoned to view the re-
mains and hold an inquest. AS the
facts in connection with the death of
the old man were plain the jury re-
turned verdict that he had come to
his death by hanging himself. The
remains were removed to the Hansen
morgue.
Yulke is survived by six children iv-
ing in different parts Of the country
and it is expected that they will make
arrangements for the burial Of the re-
mains. The old man had beer a labor
er during his life time and some years
ago he was well known in the city and
! county. In the last few months he
| had shown unmistakable signs Of in
sanity and the County agent was lay
ing plans to have him either sent to
the state hospital at Mendoza or to
the State prison at Waupun.
/ It is claimed that Yulke desired to
go to some state institution and that
the plan had been made to have him ar
rested on Cargo of attempting suicide
and sent to Waupun. His death on
Sunday morning put an end to all of
these plans