The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-11-16
UNHAPPY WOMAN
COMMITS SUICIDE
Mrs. WilheImina Dittmcr Ends
Her Life in a Shallow
Pool.
NOT DEAD WHEN FOUND.
BUT SOON PASSES AWAY
Dependency Over Domestic
Trouble Is Assigned as the
Cause.

Broken in health and despondcut over
the outcome of domestic troubles, Mis-.
Wilhclmina Dittmcr, the divorced wife
of Edward Il. Dittmer. committed SUI
eide by drowning herself in a shallow
pool between Ninth and Tenth West
and Third and Fourth South streets,
Monday. shortly after Il o'clock. Peo-
pie living in the vicinity say that the
woman bad been mentally unbalanced
for the past few weeks. The nnfortun-
ate woman was not dead when found
and was immediately taken to the home
of her daughter, Mrs. Mikus, at S23
Post street, where she died shortly
after.
Throughout Monday morning reports
were received ut tho police station
10 the effect that Il woman was wander
ing around the locality of the slough
on The west side and the police made
eyety effort TO locate her, but without
success. Shortly after noon a tcle.
phone message was received at the po-
lico station to the effect that woman
could be seen wandering near the
slough and threatening 10 take her life,
The patrol wagon was Immediately
dispa TO the scene. Whcn within
Il block of the slough, the patrol wagon
met a light rig In which two men were
holding the unconscious woman. She
WAS Immediately taken TO the home of
her daughter by Sergeant Roberts aud
everything possible done to save her
life. Medical attention was sent for
rs soon rs the home was reached and
rcStOrativcs given, but without avail.
While ncighbors were removing the wet
clothing the woman died
Unncrved by the horror Of the occur
renee, the daughter Of the dead woman
sat buddlcd i'm a chair in one Of the
rooms and was restrained with diff
Guilty from throwing herself upon the
body. When finally they told her that
her mother was dead Mrs. Mikus sob
hincly said, ''Oh ii is all his fault. II
is all his fault, He drove her to this
by taking advantage of her lack of
knowledge of the laws of this country.
He is 10 blame.
History Of Troubles,
The marital troubles Of Mrs. Dittmer
began IN May, 1907, when she fled suit
for divorce ia the district court against
her husband, Edward H. Dittmcr. The
case WAS tried before Howard A. King
filed with Judge Armstrong, the court
awarded Mrs. Dittmcr divorce. She
was also given 800 TO defray the cx
pcnscs of herself and l7.year-old son
back TO Germany aud was allowed per
manent alimony in the sum Of Sl4 per
mouth, She and her son crossed the
ocean for her native country, but the
German officials refused TO permit her
TO land. The boy was sent TO his rcla-
tivcs in Germany, while Mrs. Dittmcr
was returned TO the United States.
How she lived after returning to
Utah is not known, hut IL was claimed
that her husband did not pay her the
dljmouv awarded by the court and that
he married another woman. She GER
tain]y did not understand the nature of
the proceedings when she secured her
divorce or else forgot all about the mat
ter, as on last Wednesday she filed
another action against her husband in
which She asked for separate maiptc-
nance. In her second complaint she
alleged that her husband had not sup.
ported hcr for two years and that he
was maintaining a home in the city for
another woman and refused TO permit
her to live with him.
She secured an order from Judge
Morse citing her husband to appear
before him last Friday and show cause
why he should not pay her temporary
alImony, attorneys fees and costs of
court pending the hearing of her case,
Her attorney learned of the former
divorce proceedings filed by the woman
aud when the matter came up before
Judge Morse on Friday continuance
was asked for one week and granted.
1t was the intention Of bor attorney to
dismiss the separate maintenance action
and cite Dittmer in for CONTEMPT for
failing 10 pay the allmony In the decree
of two years ago.