GAVIGAN.ORG

Hearing rumors this morning that a woman had drowned herself in a well near Hamacher’s Hotel, we set out to investigate them, and ascertained the following the facts: 

Yesterday afternoon Mrs. Johanna Janeck, a German woman some 85 years old, wife of Mr. Gustav Janeck, for more than a dozen years employed in Mr. Darwin Clark’s Cabinet and Furniture establishment, and for some time foreman of the shop, went to visit Mrs. Lang, who lives in the first ward, about a block south of Nolden’s Hall, near the edge of the flat north of the depot.

While there she seemed a good deal worried about herself and her children, saying she could not dress them as she wanted to, and expressed a desire to come and stay with Mrs. Lang, who endeavored to make her feel easier in her mind, and told her she was much better off than she was.

Mrs. Janeck has shown evidences of mental derangement for several months past, and has been treated by differ but physicians, but as her insanity did not seem to be dangerous and it was hoped would pass away, she was not sent to the Hospital for the Insane.

Yesterday she talked and acted strangely while at Mrs. Lang’s, but nothing particular was thought of it, and late in the afternoon Mrs. Janeck and the two children whom she had with her went home.

About 12 o’clock, Mr. Janeck, who, we are told, is a very steady, hard-working man, came home from a meeting of the Odd Fellows Lodge, of which he vas a member. Ilia wife took a fancy that be was drunk, and declared that she would not sleep with him, but would go up stairs to her son’s room, and stay there, which she did. His wife not waking him, usual, in the morning,

Mr. Janeck slept later than common, and was finally wakened by the son, inquiring for his mother, and replying to his father’s query, that she was not up stairs; and, while searching and wondering where she could be, heard that she had drowned herself When the people at Mr. Lang’s went out this morning, they found the windlass rope and buckets of the well gone, and a woman’s chemise and white woolen stockings, a man’s coat and a boy’s jacket lying on the ground.

On investigation, the body of Mrs. Janeck was found in the well. It appears that she had got up about two or three O’clock {in the mourning, and putting on her only the garments above mentioned, one of the stockings in her baste and bewilderment having been put on wrong side before; had run across the town, from her home near the Pennsylvania House, in the 2nd ward, about half a mile, to Mrs. Lang’s, there stripped off all her clothing and got into the bucket of the well, and gone down to death, her swift descent carrying windlass aid all after her.

She leaves a husband and tour children – three girls and a boy-to mourn her sad and untimely death.

A Coroner’s inquest was held at Mrs. Lang’s, by Justice J. C. Scuette, with a jury summoned by Deputy Sheriff Buckley, | consisting of Messrs. G. W. Stone, Hugh O’Neil, W. WH. Williams, Frank Schmidt, Fred. Hummel, and Henry Junaman. Dr. A J. Ward made a postmortem examination of the body. No injuries were found except some slight scratches on the back, and there was no doubt that she died by drowning. The jury rendered a verdict that the woman threw herself into the well while in a state of distraction of mind, and that no one was blame able for her act of self-destruction.

Note: Forest Hill Cemetery records show an entry for Johanna (listed as an infant) and an Unknown (listed as an adult). Current belief is that these entries are both for Johanna and a note has been entered into Forest Hill’s records stating such. It should be noted that they updated “Johanna’s” record vs “unknown” so it still shows the infant/baby grave usage.