Father Theodor Wegmann, Hillsdale/Roselle, 1886

WEGMANN, WARNING, LANGENFELD, EICHNER, SCHULTE, ANLER, PESHONG, OCONNOR

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 8/1/2004 at 14:55:15

I translated the following obituary from Der Carroll Demokrat, a German-language newspaper published in Carroll, Iowa, between about 1874 and 1920. The obituary was originally published on Friday, 8 April 1887. I have not changed the name or place spellings. I have added some explanations in brackets and some notes at the end. It reads as follows:

Rev. Theodor Wegmann
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Hillsdale’s Beloved Priest is Dead
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Last Friday afternoon around 5:30, the people of the friendly village of Hillsdale [now Roselle], seven miles south of Carroll in Roselle Township, were shaken by the unbelievable news that their beloved and universally respected Father Theodor Wegmann met his death through the accidental discharge of a revolver. Nobody wanted to believe the report, and it was generally believed that someone was playing a vulgar April Fool’s joke. However, the report was all too true. He was already dead when his body was found; therefore, nobody is in a position to say how the mishap occurred. Only conjecture may provide some explanation. There are two possibilities proposed as to what might have caused the death of the Rev. Father. And the coroner’s inquest also declared that he met his death either through accident or due to temporary mental instability.

We will discuss both possibilities according to the relevant circumstances. Was it an accident? There are many reasons for this assumption. Some time earlier, he had spoken to his housekeeper concerning how he might defend himself should he be attacked in his house in the night by robbers or thieves. He indicated that he possessed a loaded revolver. The housekeeper told the priest that that was true, but that the revolver was so rusted that it could be of no use for self-defense. The priest agreed, and said that it would be good to have it repaired and have the cartridges taken out, and that he would ask the blacksmith. He asked the blacksmith, who told him he needed to see the weapon. That is how things remained for the time being. Then, on last Friday afternoon, he was in the garden shortly before the mishap. About 15 minutes before, he had spoken to his hired worker, Leopold Eichner, and had given him various instructions concerning the garden, vineyard, and other grounds. He then went to his bedroom, where he remembered the rusted revolver which lay in his towel drawer. We must note here that the revolver had been loaded about nine years earlier, when the writer [of this article?] was still a teacher at Hillsdale. It had not been shot since then. It was a .32 caliber. As the Rev. Father was examining the firearm, looking in the barrel, the hammer cocked, his attention must have been drawn to the window on his left side, through which he could look out to the yard. During this sideways movement [of his head], he got too close to the trigger. The shot went off and the bullet entered his right temple at an upwardly sloping angle. Death must have been almost instantaneous. The worker with whom he had spoken earlier, heard the shot. The housekeeper heard the fall and hurried upstairs. She tried to open the door, but was unsuccessful because the body lay just inside. He had probably fallen from the chair on which he must have been sitting. The firearm lay under him. In falling against the door, his face was bruised on the forehead and nose. Due to the deceased’s heavy weight, it is easy to imagine that the fall must have been a hard one. The housekeeper, Miss Mary Warning, believes that he looked at her one last time when she tried to open the door and saw his face.

The other possibility is this. The Rev. Father had recently been suffering terribly. For many years, and especially in recent weeks, he suffered from asthma and neuralgia. In addition to these old ailments, he recently developed malaria with total costiveness. He bore all these ailments with the patience of Job. He dutifully performed his duties as pastor in spite of his suffering condition. Neighboring priests, who visited frequently, kept him from calling on the sick and made the visits for him. They knew his condition. On the morning of the day of the mishap, he came to the church in order to say mass. When it came time to read the homily, he suddenly closed the mass book and went to the sacristy, where he almost collapsed. The teacher and organist, Mr. Wm. Langenfeld, Jr., went to him and asked him how he felt. He complained that he was dizzy and had a headache, and that he generally did not feel well. After a time, he continued with the mass and finished it. When he turned around at the last “Dominus vobiscum” and looked into the church, his eyes were frightfully glassy as he looked toward the teacher. A short time before the moment of the mishap, perhaps around 5:00, Langenfeld spoke with him. He paid some money to the teacher, who then departed. The priest then went to his upstairs bedroom. He lay down on the bed. The housekeeper looked in on him several times and asked if he needed anything, which he did not. When she asked how he was feeling, he answered that one must now just have patience. A short time later, the incident occurred. It could be that he suffered a momentary mental instability as a result of his excessive torment and suffering, and that he did the deed in this mentally incompetent state. It could be! But who knows? Only the Eternal Judge in the starry Heaven. He always had a ruddy complexion, and his constitution was prone to apoplexy. A few months earlier, he complained that he thought he had suffered a stroke during the night. After that time, he no longer wanted to drive alone in his buggy because he feared that another such incident might occur. It may have been that a sudden seizure took hold of him as he looked into the weapon while examining it. A suicide, even in death, holds onto the weapon that killed him with a frenzied, clenched fist. The expression in the features of a suicide still reflect the despair. But where is that in this case? The weapon did not lie in the immediate vicinity of the hand, and the facial expression of the body as it lay on the bed was that of one softly sleeping, so peaceful was its appearance. Yes, truly, “Judge not, lest ye be judged!” The life and the deeds of the Rev. Father are the best proof that he did not act intentionally. The thought that he acted intentionally is sacrilege. Why should he take his own life? Was there some reason? No! He lived in peace with the whole world. He had countless dear and true friends, and no enemies to fear. He had a parish that loved and honored him like a father, and to which he was truly a loving father and loyal pastor. He made a comfortable living. He took joy in his garden, vineyard, orchard, and the surrounding grounds, which were unequalled anywhere in western Iowa. The church and school were in flourishing condition. And there is no end to the good deeds he accomplished. Ask the people who came to him seeking help whether he let them go without providing the requested assistance. And if one listens to them, then one will realize what a large, wide, and loving heart beat in his breast. He was a philanthropist in the true sense of the word. In spite of his not insignificant income, what did he leave behind? Nothing except the money his beneficiaries will receive from the Roman Catholic [Mutual] Protection Society of Iowa, and from Connecticut General, together about $2847, as well as the inheritance left to him by his late brother Bernhard. He spent everything for good and charitable purposes, but nothing for himself. Yes, it’s true! The Hillsdale community grieves for him, and with good reason. But Hillsdale does not grieve alone, but together with everyone who knew him. At the funeral which took place on Monday, it was apparent how deeply and genuinely he was loved, and how highly he was respected by the people. Despite the cold and abominable weather, a crowd numbering in the thousands had gathered from all parts of the county. The funeral, in which eight priests took part, was deeply moving. The Levitical Requiem was performed by [Fathers] B. A. Schulte, celebrant; J. P. O’Connor, deacon; and P. Peshong, sub-deacon. The funeral sermon was read by Father J. Anler of Mt. Carmel. Men and women broke down crying, and deep sorrow was imprinted on every face as the clods of earth tumbled onto the coffin and the grave was closed. He is dead, and Hillsdale, Carroll County has lost not only a devoted and true pastor, but also a true upright German, a patron of the German language and of German social life, a loss that is almost irreplaceable. His parish is one of the most thriving in Iowa, and it is entirely German. He leaves behind a brother, Franz Wegmann, one of the best and most progressive farmers in Wheatland Township.

Father Johann Theodor Heinrich Wegmann was born on 27 November 1844, in Hilltrup bei Münster [Hilltrup near Muenster], in the province of Westphalia, Germany. He attended Gymnasium [advanced high school] at Münster and Coesfeld. After passing his graduation exams with glowing marks, he went to Löwen in Belgium, where he attended the Theological University, studied Philosophy, and prepared himself for missionary work in America. He was ordained a priest in 1869, and in that year he arrived on American soil, where he obtained a position in Centralia, Marion County, Illinois, Alton Diocese. In 1872, he was moved to Quincy, Illinois, where he remained until 1875. In that year he came to Mt. Carmel, in this county, seeking relief, and possibly a cure, from his asthma. He appeared to have partially succeeded. At that time, Mt. Carmel happened by chance to be without a priest, and he answered the call of the parish. With the permission of the Bishop of Dubuque, he served for 10 months until he was relieved by Father Fendrich, now of Carroll. He then obtained a position in 1876 in Algona, Kossuth County. In October 1877, the Bishop sent him to Hillsdale, where up to then the parish had been administered by Father F. W. Pape of Carroll, and consisted of 40 to 50 families. Through his devoted and tireless efforts, the parish has flourished markedly. The parish quadrupled in size within a few years. The parishes of Templeton and Pleasant Valley branched off. Hillsdale is one of the most flourishing parishes in Iowa. The church property is one of the most valuable in the state, and is debt-free. May he rest in peace!

In accordance with his will, which he made in 1885, and which was signed by him and witnessed by Joh. Frenkling and his wife, the teacher Wm. Langenfeld is to receive the money from the [Roman Catholic] mutual insurance company. From this, $500 is to go to the Alton Diocese, and $100 is to go for prayers for the soul of the deceased. He also receives the vineyard and the orchard. The housekeeper was left $1000 from Connecticut General. And his brother Franz was left his [Father Wegmannn’s] share of [their brother] Bernhard’s estate. His very valuable library was left to Theodor Warning, the housekeeper’s brother, who will be ordained as a priest in June and is now completing his studies in Canada.

NOTES: The same year that he died, there was a short biography of Father Wegmann published in the “Biographical and Historical Record of Carroll County, Iowa” (1887). It mentions that the church in Roselle was built in 1874 and enlarged in 1880. It was a frame structure that held about 500 people. The parochial school had 50 to 60 pupils, and that the parish consisted of about 130 families.