Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1909-02-13
A SUICIDE.

reported that man had froze to death
at the Italian clearinghouse. DR.. Long
was summoned and examined the body
and then notified Coroner McFadden,
who had the body conveyed to the court
house and an inquest held.
The Italian boarding g-house( (so-termed)
is q box car near the paint factory,
which was occupied by Italian laborers
when they were at work upon the rail
railroad. Having mattress and stove
the unfortunate penniless seek shelter
there. At present it is occupied by a
section hand. The stranger had only
been in town few days but had been
drinking. At the supper table at the
restaurant Wednesday night, he told
others at the table that he was Perch
eron, from France, but did not give his
name. To others he stated he was from
Canada; which In probable, the poem
in his memorandum book being recog-
nized as appearing many years ago in
book in Canada, entitled Zone Thou
sand and Ten Poems.
Wednesday night he applied at the
car for lodging. He and Hagin had
some coffee and lunch. Just before
lying down the stranger offered Hagin
a drink out of his bottle, which Hagin
refused. By those who viewed the body
it is the opinion that after Hagin re-
fused to drink, the stranger, being on
the border-land of despair, put strych-
nine in the bottle and drank the fatal
dose that brought peace to the weary
soul. Upon awaking Thursday morning
Hagin found his companion dead and it
being very cold night, supposed that
he had froze to death.
The stranger was about six feet tall,
blue eyes, fiorid complexion, auburn
hair inclined to curl, sandy mustache,
about As years of age, and would prob
ably weigh l55 or 100 pounds. He was
a lsboring man-his body and clothes
clean-indicating q man of some pride.
His personal effects consisted of razor
tied to string around his neck, jack
knife, an empty pocket-book, a small
whetstone, a silver dime in his vest
pocket, a memorandum book in coat
pocket, and pint flask about one-fourth
full of wbiskey with strychnine in 1t.
Nothing in the book to identify him
one name, that of forman at Burk's
rock quarry, six miles down Fall River
from Hot Springs.
Sheriff Ennis telephoned the States
attorney at Hot Springs and received
the following information, which was
given to the coroner's jury.
Charles Ennis, Sheriff of Custer
County, s. ID. being first duly sworn
says:
telephoned down to the States At
torney at Hot Springs and had him call
up Burks Quarry to see if he could find
a man there who knew this man or any
thing about him, he found u man there
by the name of Brown who claims to
baye worked with him there, and says
that he gave his name at the quarry as
Theodore Lofgreen, he did not know
where he came from or whether he had
any folks or not, when the quarry closed
down about week ago he said he was
going to Nahant to look for work, that
was all he knew about him.
CHARLES ENNIS.
VERDICT OF JURY.
STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA. 80
County of Custer,
An inquisition holden at Custer, Gus
ter County, South Dakota, on the llth
day of February, A. ID. 1909, before
John McFadden, Coroner of said county, >,
upon the body of Theodore Lofgreen,
there lying dead. by the Jurors whose
names are hereunto subscribed, the said
jurors upon their oaths do say we find
that the deceased, Theodore Lofgreen,
came to his death through a poisonous
dose of strychnine taken with suicidal
intent.
In testimony whereof, the said jurors
and year aforesaid.
w. J. Bowles,
Charles A. Ostrom,
Attest: J. W. Morris.
John w. McFadden, Coroner of Gus
ter County.
In plain handwriting in his memo
randum book, was the following poem:
Ny Soul fast cleay eth to the dust,
Ny heart within is dead and cold,
I'm blown about by every gust,
No certain anchorage I hold.
I fain would lift mine eyes on higg,
But all unpurged, they cannot see,
I feel like one about to die
Have Mercy, Jesu, su,-quicken me.
My life is like the untitled land,
On which no flower or fruitage grows.
Tis like waste of arid sand,
A wintry landscape clothed with
All empty are vanished years;
Shall like the future be, Gainst this
plead with prayers and tears,
Have mercy, Jesu, - quicken me.
My life is like to plants that creep,
Like plants that droop and touch the
ground;
No seed SOW, no harvest reap,
All barren as the months 60 round.
Uproot me then, and plant again,
would be fruitful unto Thee;
Prune, cleanse me, Lord I'll scorn
the pain,