Emil Wurgler Suicides - 1910

WURGLER, WIDMER, RICHARD, GRABER

Posted By: A.M.W. (email)
Date: 5/26/2004 at 23:06:54

2-23-1910 – Wayland News

EMIL WURGLER SUICIDES

Last Friday afternoon, Emil Wurgler was found dead in his barn on the old Rittler farm, about six miles northeast of Wayland, now owned by Mrs. Widmer. It was evidently a suicide.

While his wife was preparing dinner, Emil said to her that he would go to the barn and feed the horses. He went out and did not return for dinner. His wife thought perhaps he had gone to the neighbors. After dinner, Willie Richard, who works for John Widmer, who lived on the place last year, came after some articles which had not been moved and among these was a trough which he could not well load alone and he went to the house to ask Emil to help him. Emil’s wife said he had gone to the barn before dinner and had not come back to the house. She called the neighbors but did not fine him. Her brother, Pete Graber, came over and after a search, Emil was found on the hay dead with a bullet hole in his right temple. An old style old country automatic 30 caliber revolver was found near him in such a position as to indicate that as he shot he had dropped the revolver and fallen backward. The place where he was found was on a shed roof. The side of the bars had been removed and a shed roof run out from it and some hay was thrown over this roof which was several feet lower than the regular hay mow and this space was quite dark. Emil had been apparently in perfect health and nothing strange or wrong in any way had been noticed about his actions. He was 26 years old and had been married just three weeks and two days. He was in Wayland on Thursday and took out large loads of furniture and on the morning of the day that he took his own life he had been at Noble.

The coroner was called to investigate the case and expressed himself as having no doubt that it was a clear case of suicide. No cause can be assigned for the rash act. We have given the facts as we got them from report and they may not be accurately correct as to detail, but they are substantially correct as to substance.