The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-08-06
c. c. BORCHERS
PLANNED DEATH
SEVERAL YEARS
Morning Before He Killed
Self, He Expressed Hope
He'd be Slain.
COURTED BOLT FROM
CLOUDS IN STORM
Note Found Beside His Body
Asks That He be Cremated-
Kin Finds Him.

By ending his life early yesterday
morning, Charles c. Borchers, one of
the best known men in this city, kept
the promise he had made to scores of
his acquaintance. His deed the result
of an incurahle illness from which he
had suffered for more than ten years.
Wednesday morning, while walking
down Broadway with Joel T. Num- Sr.,
he expressed longing to end his life.
Il wish some one would creep up be-
hind me and blow my brains out" he
said to Mr.. Num- as they walked along
/ together.
But during the early evening, he
seemed in unusually good spirits. He
was accustomed to taking long walks
shortly after dusk, and Wednesday
night Mr.. Borchers and Hugo Lang
took a stroll together After they had
been walking almos' an hour, Bor-
cheers said he wanted to retire early
and left Mr.. Lang and started home.
Instead OF going home he went to
the Kruger Hardware store on Broad
way and asked where Everett House,
the contractor, lived. Martin Kruger
asked why he wished to know, and
Borchers stated that he wanted to pay
| the contractor for hauling some gravel
for him.
"Well, don't worry, Charley, about
that" said Mr. Kruger" when he
wants the money, he will send you the
bill"
"But l an going to pay him to-
night" said BOrchers, and he left the
stora
After learning that Mr.. Borchers
had ended his life, Martin Kruger
telephoned TO Mr.. House and found
that the dead man had paid the bill
before taking bis life.
BOrchers, who was a close friend of
Mayor Rage, aften discussed his i'll
ness with the Mayor, and frequently
threatened t. end his life. Mayor
Kaga tried to console him, but BOr-
cheers expressed the belief that his i'll
ness was hopeless.
He told his friends that he would
have committed suicide years ago, but
he didn't want to bring sorrow to his
aged mother and her family. To his
intimate friends he talked freely of
his desire to die, and only recently he
told a friend that he always sat in an
open window during an electrical
storm in the hope that he might be
killed.
BOrchers' body was found by Will
Bergman on a cot in the rear of the
Bergmann-Bartles store on Broadway
Mr.. Bergman went into the yard to get
his automobile and noticed Borchers.
He thought he was asleep, but upon
investigation he discovered blood and
then realized that he was dead.
An examination revealed a bullet
hole in his forehead and another in the
left breast. He was found shortly aft
er 6 o'clock, several hours after he had
fired the fatal bullets.
Beside his body on the cot was
found note, apparently written a
short time before he killed himself.
1t requested that the Elks be given
charge of his funeral, and that his
body be prepared for shipment to st.
Louis by the Walther Undertaking es-
Establishment. He asked that the body
be cremated. And these last requests
will be carried out.
Two notes found in his pocketbook
were yellow with age, indicating that
he was on the verge of committing
suicide some months ago. One of these
advised his mother and sister where |
his insurance papers and his will could |
be found. He left large insurance,
and property and money amounting to |
small fortune.
Mr.. Borchers was especially fond of |
N. C. Weller, the Main strait ieweler, |
and spent much of his time at the jew
elry store. He was great reader and |
a man of intellectual attainments.
As druggist he was not surpassed
in this part Of the State. For many
years he was the purchasing agent for
all the drugs used by the Missouri Pa
cific railway. With DR.. G. B. Schulz
he opened the drug store now owned
by Bernard Gockel on Broadway.
NJ. Borchers was born in Cape Cir
ardeau in February 1862. His father,
Henry Borchers, was a well-known
physician in tbis city at that time. He
died in 1871, but his widow, who is
about so years old, is still living in this
oitV