Las Vegas Age, December 1, 2003, Clark County, Nevada Copyright © 2003 Gerry Perry This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net ************************************************************************ LAS VEGAS AGE 3/30/1912 STRANGE CASE OF SUICIDE PAULINE GORSUCH DROWNS HERSELF IN WASH TUB HALF FULL OF WATER Dead, with her head immersed in a wash tub half filled with water, with two flat irons tied together by a string hung over her neck, Pauline GORSUCH was found by her brother-in-law, in the kitchen of their home on Main street Tuesday morning. Charles E. GORSUCH came to Las Vegas about three months ago and was followed a few weeks later by Mrs. Pauline GORSUCH, who was supposed to be his wife, but who was, according to his testimony, the divorced wife of his brother, H. K. GORSUCH, of the Medical department of John Hopkins University. Since coming to this city GORSUCH has been drinking to such an extent as to practically incapacitate him from work and the woman has been almost continually under the influence of liquor. The continual debauch appears to have resulted in mental derangement on the part of the deceased, she having at various times threatened to commit suicide. She also had the hallucination that some mysterious person sought to kill both herself and GORSUCH. How the woman could keep her head under water long enough to drown even with the help of two small flat irons over her neck, is almost past comprehension, when one considers that her hands were free and that, physically, she was strong. It would seem that the natural struggles and convulsions of the body even after the woman lost consciousness, would have caused her to topple over and brought her head above the water. However all the circumstances point to the matter as being a case of self-destruction as the result of drunkenness. Chas. E. GORSUCH testified before the coroner's jury that the deceased was formerly the wife of H. K. GORSUCH, his brother, and was divorced from him four years ago. That he had lived with the deceased and her husband during their married life for many years, and since the divorce the deceased had lived with him, but not in the relation of man and wife. Relative to the events leading up to the death of deceased he testified: "When I came home from work last evening, I found her in a very nervous condition. I went down town on business and when I came home I found Mrs. GORSUCH had gone away and Mrs. HUNTING, Mrs. NEWKIRK and Mrs. LAWS were out looking for her. I went to look for her but did not find her. I returned to the house about 9 o'clock and she came home about 9:30. I retired after making a cup of tea for Mrs. GORSUCH and myself. This morning about six o'clock when I got up I went out to the kitchen and found her dead with her head in a wash tub filled with water, with a pair of flat-irons around her neck." Mrs. Mary HUNTING, the nearest neighbor and probably the closest acquaintance of Mrs. GORSUCH testified: "She had been acting queerly the past three or four days. She had been intoxicated for the past two or three weeks and steadily for about one week. For the last three or four days she had the idea that some one was going to hang Mr. GORSUCH and herself. She said she would try to get over her drunkenness if not too far gone. She intimated that she would commit suicide. Said she wished she was away; I told her not to do anything she would be sorry for. She said, 'Wait a little and you will see. She left the house about four o'clock yesterday afternoon and wanted to know where the minister lived. I did not see her alive again. She told me and my mother last Sunday out in the yard that she wanted to leave here and every time she spoke of leaving Mr. GORSUCH gave her drink. She blamed him for that. She said some one was going to hang Mr. GORSUCH and herself, and wanted a pair of overalls and a hat so that she could hide under the house until she found out whether they were going to do so or not." Mrs. J. M. LAWS testified that she heard deceased threaten to commit suicide. Mrs. Morris NEWKIRK testified: "She used to get strange ideas that someone was going to have her." The verdict of the coroner's jury was: "She came to death on the 26th day of March, 1912, in this County and State by voluntarily drowning herself in a tub of water while in a deranged condition of mind." The members of the jury impanelled by Coroner LILLIS, were Ed. VON TOBEL, Chas. C. CORKHILL, E. W. GRIFFITH, W. G. MORSE, Charles A. FRENCH and F. A. BUOL.