The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-08-25
From Fridays Daily.

men.
From Fridays Daily.
August Henschel, the aged German
farmer from Mapleton, who was Wed,
nesday afternoon placed under 500
bonds to keep the peace after being
found guilty of striking his wife in
the course of a trivial quarrel, took
his own life at an early hour this
morning by hanging himself in the
COW barn on the farm that he rented.
After his discharge Wednesday after,
noon he and his wife returned to
their farm, which is located in the
southeast corner of Mapleton town
ship, on the county line, and yester'
day he went to Mapleton and hired
Charles Hawker to assist him with
his farm work. In doing this he may
have premeditated his death.
Found Employer Hanging.
Mr. Hawker got up this morning
to do the chores and when he went
out to the barn he found his employer
hanging with a rope around his neck,
cold and stiff in death. He gave the
alarm and Coroner Kennedy was sum
mOned and went to the scene of the
suicide in company with John H.
Macbeth in the latters' automobile.
1t is likely that an inquest will be
held
Mr. Henschei was born in Germany
and lived there until 1897, when he
came to America and located near
Mapleton, where he worked for va
the year before he came to this
country. Several years ago he re-
| turned to Germany and spent two
years there, and then came back to
| Mapleton and was married two years
ago to the woman with whom he had
been having trouble of late. The
woman was also a widow, and has
children by her first husband, who, Il
is reported, also committed suicide
Henschel was siXty-four years of age
and his second wife sixty-two. He
leaves two sons by his first wife
both of whom hold good positions
in Berlin, Germany.
Was Hardworking Man.
The deceased was a hard working
man. After working for different
! farmers as farm hand for several
years, he rented the eighty acre farm
on which he was living at the time
J of his death. He had accumulated
personal property to the amount OF
! $500 or 5000, and it was brought out in
the testimony during the trial of the
assault case Wednesday that his
wife had been receiving his income
as fast as he got it, and that she
had been nagging him to turn over
all of his personal property to her
l. 10 Il
the cause of the friction between
them
! Henschel was a sensitive man, and
when the court found him guilty
and required him to give a peace
bond and he was informed that his
/ hands were to be tied as far as his
wife was concerned, he may have
felt that he was getting the worst ot
it, as she had received no instruc
tions not to nag or irrtate him. He
had told his attorney, c. J. Laurisch
before the trial, that he was actins
in self defense and that he would
rather go to Jail for two years thar
to allow woman to strike him. h
did not give his attorney any intima
ton after the trial that he had any
intention of committing suicide. He
remarked before the trial that his
wifes first husband had killed him
self, but that he would not do that
and would rather go to Jail. Mr.
i Laurisch was greatly surprised Il
learn of the tragic end of his client
Seldom Missed Church Service.
The deceased was a faithful mem
Der of the German Lutheran churcl
and seldom missed a service. He wa
honest, hard working. and was wei
thought of in the community, ant
!; much sorrow is expressed at his sal
|, death.
Before the proceeding against Hen
|, schel on the charge of assault wa
started, he was locked up at M,nae
, sofa Lake on the belief that he wa
insane. He had been attempting t.
drown his sorrows with liquor, an
after his trouble with his wife h
went to Minnesota Lake, and Will
drunk bought a five gallon can o
| kerosene and said that he was goin
home and burn the buildings. H
: was then Dlaced in cuStody and tn