SHELBY COUNTY OHIO
***********************************************************************
OHGENWEB NOTICE:  All distribution rights to this electronic data are
reserved by the submitter.  Reproduction or re-presentation of copyrighted
material will require the permission of the copyright owner.  
***********************************************************************
File contributed for use by
Lora Topinka
ltopinka@sutv.com
May 2003
***********************************************************************


The Wapakonita Courant, June 20, 1872
Mrs. ________  Stork died Sunday last at Shelby Co. Infirmary, w/o Henry Stork of New Knoxville, Ohio.

The newspaper article reads:

Suicide-On Monday morning Mr. Howe, Superintendent of the infirmary, brought the intelligence to Sidney that Mrs. Elizabeth, (Stork) the woman who nearly succeeded in killing her husband with an ax in Van Buren township about a month ago, had committed suicide by hanging during Sunday night.  In the absence of the Coroner Justice A.J. Robstock was authorized to act in the capacity of that official and after selecting a jury proceeded to the infirmary to make an investigation of the sad affair.  Three weeks ago Mrs. Stork was adjudged insane, and placed in the infirmary for safe keeping until the necessary arrangement could be made to convey her to the asylum.  during her first week at the infirmary she was very reticent and seldom conversed with any person.  The second week she was more communicative and seemed anxious to talk freely but her inability to speak English made it impossible for anyone connected with the institution to converse with her to any considerable extent.  She frequently engaged in devotional exercises.  On last Friday she wrote a letter to her sister, appealing with strong affection for her to take care of her children, for whose welfare she appeared very solicitious.  In closing the letter she stated that aif she sould not get better she would bid them all good night, indicating that she then contemplated suicide.  She desired Mr. Howe to mail the letter, which was written in German, but he could find no address and so was unable to send it.  On Sunday she was very eager to talk, and spent most of the day in prayer.  In the evening, about nine o'clock, Mr. Howe visited her in the cell for the last time, when she was laying on the bed and praying.  In the morning about five o'clock one of the inmates of the infirmary went to look after her at the direction of Mr. Howe, when she was discovered to be hanging, dead, by a towel fastened to the lowest bar of the iron window grating.  She had taken a large handkerchief and stuffed fully half of it in her mouth and throat.  Then taking a short towel and drawing it across the bar, put her back against the wall and the towel around her neck, fastening it in front by simply three laps.  Her body was only about half raised from the floor.  The bruises around her neck and the sides of her head showed that she struggled violently.  Her friends were notified of the affair and they buried her in the infirmary graveyard on Tuesday morning.  Mr. Howe is firmly of the opinion that she was insane.  All her children are grown.  She was about 50 years of age.

June 17,1872-Age 53 

Lora Topinka