The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-04-24
BALL SENT INTO
HEAD ENDS LIFE
From Saturdays Daily.


After almost exactly a month OF
suffering and lowering between life
and death, John Micke. the Nicollet
farmer. who early on the morning
OF March 20 shot himself In the head
with rife, died In a Minneapolis
hospital. this morning. Death occur
red about four o'clock.
Mr.. Micke was taken to the hospl-
tai few days ago TO have the bull
let extracted from his head. II seemed
at first that the operation had been
successfully performed. The bullet
was found back OF the middle of the
forehead at a depth OF about an
inch and a half. and was removed.
Mind Unbalanced BY Shot.
Ever since the shooting occurred,
Mr.. Micke had been more or less
unbalanced mentally. and 1t was
never safe to leave him alone. He
frequently tried TO get the children
TO bring him knives or matches, his
obvious intention being to end his
life Immediately. At times he would
tear the scab OF the wound. For
about three weeks after he shot sim.
self, his left side was paralysed. He
partly recovered from this, however,
and gained bodily strength. He fire.
quently expressed a desire TO get
out OF bed At the same time, his
mind. though normal at times, was
frequently unbalanced. and his grown.
up relatives would not think OF al
lowing him 10 remain in the house
i'm charge OF the children.
Disappointed In Marriage.
Mr. Micke shot himself early In
the morning on March 10 In the barn
at his home with a twenty-five rife.
lie had attempted to fire a twenty.
two long himself. but the car.
fridge would not explode. II happened
TO be the only twenty-five long that
he had. and he therefore used a
twenty-five short. Had he shot him.
self on either the right or the left
side Of his head, death would prob
ably have resulted Immediately, but
he shot In the center OF tho fore
head, between the right and left
divisions Of the brain, and therefore
was not killed outright. The tragedy
was the result of a disappointment
in marriage. Mr.. Mlcke was a
widower and the father OF seven
children. His wife died about a year
ago.
Answered an Advertisement. =.
A few days before the rash act was
committed, Mr.. Micke noticed an adj
vertisement in The st. Paul News,
stating that a young woman desired
TO make acquaintance OF a man with
the object of matrimony. He answer
cd the advertisement, and as a result
a comedy young woman. neatly
dressed, appeared at his home on
the morning OF Tuesday, April 16.
The two had In interview, and were
not long in agreeing to be married
The woman, however, insisted that
the marriage should take place I'm
st. Paul, as that, she said, was her
home.
On Thursday morning the man went
TO st. Paul where he was met by
the woman at the union depot. They
went TO the court house, where they
obained a license, the woman giving
the name of Miss Hedwig Miller, and
her address as 436 Wabash street
II has since been learned that there
were no living apartments at that
place. Downstairs here was a barber
shop and upstairs there was dance
hall The two we're married, however,
by Rev. Kari Koch, pastor OF the
German Eyangelical' church, at the
parsonage, $50 st. Peter street.
Woman Got His Money.
AS Mr.. Micke related the affair, a
few days after the shooting, Il was
his intention to leave st. Paul that
day with his newly welded second
wife for their home. Just after the
marriage was over, the woman said
she wished TO go to a grocery to
make some purchases. They went
together to a grocery. and on the
way there the woman told him to
give her the marriage certificate and
also his purse. which contained s135,
saying that she was now the boss.
They reached the grocery, but the
woman made no purchases. but said
they would now so to a neighboring
drug store. After they reached this
place. she made an excuse 10 leave
him, saying that she had a sister in
towr and wished to see her before
departing for the farm. She said she
would be back In a few minutes.
... Waited Two Hours.
He waited in the drug store for
fully two hours. but the woman did
not return. Despairing Of seeing her
again, he left the store and began
to consider how he should get home.
now that all OF his money was gone.
He can across policeman. former
resident OF Nicollet, whom he knew
and the officer lent him SO. He
reached home that evening about
1850 o'clock and had scarcely any
thing to say to anybody. He did a
few chores down around the barn
and when he came back he told all
the others In the house that they had
better go to bed. They could not make