OBIT: Traugott WIEDEMANN, 1890, Altoona, Blair County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by JRB Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/blair/ _________________________________________ A MYSTERY NO LONGER. THE BODY OF TRAUGOTT WIEDEMAN DISCOVERED. He Had Wandered Away from Home, While Temporarily Insane, and Committed Suicide by Shooting Himself Through the Head. His Funeral Will Take Place To-Morrow. HIS BODY FOUND ON BRUSH MOUNTAIN The Tragic Ending of a Life - He Had Been More or Less Melancholy for a Month Past. At about 6 o'clock yesterday morning William Miller, E. G. Wagoner, and W. R. Shindedecker, all of this city, started on a hunting trip to Brush mountain. After wandering around awhile, Miller became separated from his companions and while passing through a piece of wood thickly set with pines made a very unpleasant discovery. Lying between two trees, his head almost touching one, his feet the other, and his face covered with clotted blood from a bullet hole in the head was the body of a man. The discovery greatly unnerved Miller and he hastened with all possible speed in the direction his companions had gone, and after overtaking them informed them of his find. The three men then returned to the locality and decided to come to the city and notify the authorities, Miller notifying Coroner Poet and the other two men the city officials. The body was found at 7 o'clock, and not long after the news reached the city a crowd of people were attracted to the scene and several positively identified the body as that of Traugott Wiedemann, who mysteriously disappeared from his home, at 1219 Fifth avenue, on Wednesday morning last, and whose continued absence alarmed his friends and family to such an extent that a search was made for him, but which resulted in failure. The scene of the tragedy was in a pine thicket a few rods from a path up the side of Brush mountain and nearly on a straight line with the Sixteenth street lane. From the condition of the body when first discovered the unfortunate man must have been sitting down when he fired the fatal shot and death must have been instant and painless. There was no trace of pain on the dead man's face, but its expression was calm, and though he had probably been dead for twenty-four hours there was no sign of decomposition. He lay partly on his left side and back, while the right was thrown across the chest, and on the ground between the body and the left arm lay the weapon of destruction just as it had fallen from his grasp. The revolver was of 38-calibre with three chambers empty. The dead man wore his working clothes, except that over his woolen blouse he wore a heavy overcoat and instead of shoes he had on a pair of slippers. The left side of his face and arm were slightly discolored by exposure and the blood from the wound, which had run over the face and into the hair, had become clotted. The ground directly under his head was saturated with blood. The spot selected for the commission of the deed was well chosen, as after leaving the road, which ascends the side of the mountain, Wiedemann was required to descend into a ravine and directly on this in a clump of pines he sent the leaden messenger on its fatal mission at a time known to none. It was nearly 2 o'clock when Coroner Poet reached the scene of the successful attempt at suicide and by this time quite a crowd, attracted by curiosity, and a few of the dead man's friends had assembled around the body. The coroner had no trouble in securing a jury and the following gentlemen were sworn: David Swanger, foreman; Jacob Reight, Sylvester Noel, William Peck, T. D. Mort and John Smith. After an examination of the body had been made and the testimony of William Miller had been given and the surrounding circumstances taken into consideration, the jury rendered the following verdict: "That the deceased came to his death by a pistol shot in the head, said shot being fired from a pistol in his own hand." In conversation with Max Wiedemann, son of the deceased, he stated that his father had appeared to him to be laboring under some mental trouble for a month or more past and at time he was greatly depressed and latterly had become subject to fits of melancholy, for which he would give no reason. Last week the family noticed that his mind, under the continued strain, had been seriously affected. He never intimated to the members of his family any intention of suicide. Young Weidemann also stated that his father had gotten out of bed on Wednesday between 2 and 3 o'clock, but nothing was thought of it and no attempt was made to follow him. He did not return home all day Wednesday and the family became alarmed and instituted a search for him and sent inquires through the country. He was seen in Frankstown on Wednesday and that is the last heard of him until the announcement was made that his body had been found. The revolver, said the son, with which the deed was committed was a new one. It had never been about the house. The weapon with the three loads still in it was given by the coroner to the family. After the coroner had concluded his work the body was placed on a wagon and given in charge of Undertaker J. B. Hickey, who, after preparing it for burial, conveyed it to his late home, 1219 Fifth avenue, where the funeral services will be conducted at 2 o'clock on Sunday afternoon, by Rev. H. J. H. Lemcke, of the German Lutheran church. At the conclusion of the service the funeral cortege will proceed to Oak Ridge cemetery, where interment will be made. Traugott Wiedemann was born in Silesia, Germany, June 2, 1841, and was consequently aged 49 years, 5 months and 3 days. In 1864 he was united in marriage with Miss Ernestina Laufer, also of Silesia. Four years after his marriage, or in 1868, he, with his wife, emigrated to this country, remaining in Philadelphia until 1871, when he came to this city, where he has since lived, for many years working in the machine shop in this city under Ludwig Keifer. He worked at his trade until Tuesday evening, and was apparently no worse than he had been for a week past, but seemed to be in better spirits. He was a quiet, unassuming man, and was always attentive to his work. He was a member of the German Lutheran church for many years. His wife and one son, Max, survive. Morning Tribune, Altoona, Pa., Saturday, November 8, 1890 Note: Name is spelled different ways throughout the obituary.