Obit: Schutte, Henry #2 (1859 - 1898)

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Email: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: SCHUTTE

----Sources: NEILLSVILLE TIMES (Neillsville, Clark County, Wis.) 22 Dec 1898

Schutte, Henry #2 (21 MAY 1859 - 16 DEC 1898)

Henry Schutte, a laborer, suicided Friday morning last at about 7 a.m. by taking rough on rats and then shooting himself through the brain with a revolver. The deed was done at his home on the north side.

Mr. Schulte held a position at the furniture factory, where he had worked the day before, and nothing had been noticed in his conduct to indicated that he had resolved to take his life. He retired Thursday night as usual, but sometime during the night of early Friday morning was heard by a son who slept in an adjoining room to get up, put on his pants and go down to the cellar. That he went down there to get a bottle of poison developed later as the bottle, containing a mixture in which rough on rats was a noticeable portion, was found in the bed where he shot himself, and the cork was found in his hand after the shooting. He had drank a liberal portion of the contents, and the, perhaps fearing that the poison would not act, after his wife had left the bedroom, had made use of the revolver, sending the bullet through his forehead, into the brain and almost through the scalp at the back of the head. The weapon lay on his breast when the family rushed in to see what was the matter, where it had fallen from his hand. Neighbors were aroused and Dr. Esch sent for, but his visit was necessarily unavailing.

Justice Geo. E. Crothers impaneled a coroner’s jury and held an inquest at the house. The jury was made up as follows: J.W. Tolford, Geo. Redmond, Carl Rabenstein, D. Roberts, B.E. Luethe and A. Lyon. After duly considering all the circumstances and viewing the premises, they returned a verdict that deceased came of his death by a hot from a revolver in his own hand.

The suicide leaves a wife and three or four children. No cause is known for the desire to end it all except depression. He had lived here some years, and had worked on city street jobs, and whatever he could get to do. The family own the home, and his life was insured in the Woodman Lodge for $1,000. He was buried Sunday.