A Case Of Suicide

The body of John Christian Krause was discovered hanging in a tree in Whitlark's woods, about two miles west of Ann Arbor, last Sundaymorning. He was hanging from a limb eighteen feet above the ground with a new rope around his neck. The body was brought into Undertaker Martin's rooms, was identified there and Coroner Clark held an inquest. at which the following interesting facts were deveU oped: Chauncey G. Orcutt graphically described the finding of the body. He was out riding at ten o'clock Sunday morning, with his little daughter. When they turned at the school house the little girl said "Pa, see that man in the woods." He looked and saw a man hanging from a tree in the woods of Mr. Whitlark, about fifteen rods from the road. He went down to Mr. Baisley's, took him in the sleigh and drove back. Baisley went to where the man hung, came back and held the horse while Orcutt went to look at :he body, which hung about 18 feet from the ground. Mr. Orcutt then drove to the city for the coroner. Peter Baisley described the fiading of the body. He saw tracks coming from the west to the tree, which answered to the man's boots. There was also a dog's tracks with the man's. The suicide had on his overcoat and cap. O. M. Martin was called on by the coroner to take the body down. He took a twelve-foot ladder with him. It was eighteen feet f rom the ground to where the rope was tied onthelimb. He thought the man's neck was broken. He found on his body Si. 35, a testament, pocket knife and razor. Fred Eberbach corroborated O. M. Martin's testimony and expressed his belief that the man had hung himself the night before as his tracks were frozen up. Jacob Krause, of Scio township, testified that he was a half-brother of the deceased, whose name was John Christian Krause. The witness said "He came to my house first in May, 1882, coming direct fromGermany. He staid until 18 86 jwhen he returned to Germany, com1 ing back in June, 1888. He worked for Mr. Whitlark, then came to me again. I gave him first $300, paying his passage to Germany. He was a bad man in the house, getting drunk and abusing the family. We had some words and he said he would burn my house and barn. I last heard of him about eight months ago. I paid him $250 for work and the balance of the money he brought from Germany. I expected that he was going to Germany. The next I heard of him was that he had hung himself. I think he had been a tramp, having no home or residence. He had been defrauded out of his inheritance in Germany by a full-brother. Deputy Sheriffs McCabe and Brenner testified that the deceased was in jail over night a week ago the preceding Tuesday. They searched him and found a ten and a twenty dollar bill in his testament and $1 in his pocketbook. They thought he was a tramp and returned hts money to him the next day wheti they let him go. August Schneider, saloon and hotel keeper at 81 S. Main street, testified that Krause staid at his house from Saturday to Monday preceding the suicide. He had a trunk and satchel which were left at the hotel and he didn't know where the man was the rest of the time. Mrs. Christine Zuern, whose husband keeps a meat market at 7 E. Washington street, testified that Krause often came to the market to get sausage. About two weeks ago he said he came from the country and had about S60, that it was hard to get work and when the $60 was gone he thought the best thing for him to do was to get a rope and hang himself. The coroner's jury, which consisted of Moses Seabolt, George W. Cropsey, William G. Snow, J. Jacob Koch, William Whiteman and R. Waterman, brought in a verdict that "John Christian Krause came to his death in the township of Ann Arbor, oh December 9, 1893, about two miles west of the city of Ann Arbor, that he committed suicide by hanging with a rope around his necíc in J. Whitlark's woods."