Obituary: Winnebago County, Wisconsin: Mrs. Charles FISHBECK ************************************************************************ Submitted by Kathy Grace, June 2005 © All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************************************ Daily Northwestern January 19, 1901 p. 1 Suicide at Eureka Mrs. Charles Fishbeck Takes Her Own Life Used a Knife and a Razor Discovered Dead on Kitchen Floor When Her Husband Returned Home from Town for Supper- Wife Seemed Cheerful and Contented When He Left Her at Noon- Husband a Well Known River Captain Eureka, Wis.- When Capt. Charles Fishbeck returned home from town yesterday afternoon for supper, he found his wife dead on the kitchen floor, lying in a pool of blood and with a gaping wound across her throat that told the story at a glance. Nearby was a blood stained razor with which the fatal deed had been done. The indications were plain that she had taken her own life. Quickly satisfying himself that his wife was beyond all aid Captain Fishbeck called in some of the neighbors. A search of the house revealed everything in order to explain the rash act of his wife. A large butcher knife was found, however, with blood on it, indicating that the unhappy woman had first tried to cut her throat with that, but finding it too dull had resorted to her husband's razor. Capt. Fishbeck recalled the fact that when he left his wife at noon she seemed to be cheerful and contented and nothing was said to indicate the fearful tragedy impending. A few years since Mrs. Fishbeck was troubled with spells of despondency and about a year ago she suffered a stroke of paralysis. Since that time, however, she had been in fairly good health and had seemed to be contented and happy and spent much of her time in the perusal of her bible, becoming deeply interested in the subject of religion. In fact it is thought she brooded over the matter until she became temporarily deranged. A coroner's jury was impaneled and after reviewing the remains and taking testimony returned a verdict of suicide. Mrs. Fishbeck was nearly sixty years of age and had resided in this village for over thirty years. Her husband is a well known river captain, having had charge of the steamers Fashion and other boats in seasons gone by. He is also a member of the G. A. R. They have one child, Mrs. Koch Gill, who resides in this village. The funeral will occur Sunday afternoon. Capt. Fishbeck is a brother of Thomas Fishbeck, the postmaster here.