pheiaea, Mich., Marea 3- (Special)- j Jo...

YOUNG LIMA MAN LITERALLY BLOWS HIS HEAD TO PIECES

John Wurster Commits Suicide in the Most Horrifying Manner Imaginable

Blood, Brains and Parts of the Skull Scattered All Over His Room--Put the Muzzle of a Shot Gun in His Mouth and Pulled the Triggers by a Rigged Up Device.

Chelsea, Mich., March 3- (Special)-  John Wurster, who lived about 4 miles south and east of Chelsea in the township of Lima took his life about 12 o'clock (noon) Sunday. He was a single man aged about 30 years and resided on the farm of John Weidmayer, of Ann Arbor.

For a few years John had been devoting himself to the care of the five orphan children of his sister, who married a son of Mr. Weidmayer, and who dies about a year before Mrs. Weidmayer. At her death John was appointed guardian of the children and they have remained upon the farm of their grandfather and which John has operated in connection with Geo. Fred Weidmayer, also an uncle to the children.

There is no known reason why John committed the rash act; but one that meets with some credit is that the young lady to whom he was at one time engaged to marry would not consent to assist in the care of three of the children.  A sister of John Weidmayer's was married about a year ago and took two of the little ones to her home near Dexter. Before her marriage she had acted as housekeeper for her brother and helped to care for the father and motherless children.

Among the reports is one that John was having trouble about a chattel mortgage that he had in the sum of $500 on some personal property of a neighbor. But in all of his personal effects was not a thing that would throw any light on his insane act. The act may have been premeditated, as early yesterday morning he went to one of his neighbors for the shot gun that he used and which he had some time before loaned to the party who had it, and reached home about noon seemingly in a very cheerful mood, and after a few moments talk went upstairs to his room and deliberately blew his head off.

After entering his room the suicide placed his gun against the base board of the room, then took a stick about 18 inches long which he placed across the butt of the gun. Taking some binder twine he then raised both triggers of the gun (it was a double barreled one) run the twine over the stick, than sat down on the floor, taking the barrels in his left hand and held them in his mouth and with his right hand he pulled off the gun, the shells of which contained 3 1/2 drachms of number 8 bird shot.

The room in which the fatal drama was enacted is about 12 x 12 and had been put in order for the day.

Mr. Weidmayer, who lives in part of the house, heard the shot and, fearing that some great calamity had happened, called his near neighbor, Dan. Wacker, who at a once responded and together they went to the door of the room where a most ghastly sight met them.  They did not enter the room, but went at once to Mr. Wacker's residence and called up Undertaker Geo. P. Staffan, who, with Justice B. Parker, O. C. Burkhart, J. Messner, N. H. Cook and Constable E. H. Chandler, all of this village, went to the home of the suicide and immediately upon the arrival of the party, Justice Parker had Constable Chandler impanel the following as jurors: O. C. Burkhart, Rolan Waltrus, N. H. Cook, A. Chapman, Dan. Wacker and Thos. Fletcher. With the officers and undertaker they went to the room and when the gentlemen entered, the sight they beheld will long be remembered by them.

They found lying very near the door the dead man, grasping the gun barrels in his left hand and in the right hand the string that had fired the weapon off and near the bed a portion of brains.  Opposite from where he sat, and about on a line of his head on the wall was plainly seen where the shot entered.  Inf act the room was literally bespattered with the blood and brains and parts of the skull of the man.  The undertaker says that he does not believe that there was a bone about the head or face that was not broken.  The charge of the gun was so heavy that the recoil left its imprint of the butt in the baseboards.  The inquest will be held Tuesday.