Show JUMPED INTO nEATHS ARMS Suicide of Capt Niedenhofen 1 a Prominent Butte Man HIS MIND WAS DERANGED I Climbed to the Roof of the Wey Hotel I And Deliberately Hurled Himself to the PavementDeath Was Instantaneous In-stantaneous Had Been Despondent Despond-ent For Some Time and Was Here for Medical Advice Only Six Weeks Ago He Married Pretty II Miss Mary Talbot Daughter of I the Butte Banker She Will Accompany Ac-company the Remains to Butte Tonight I Captain H A Niedenhofen clerk of the district court at Butte destroyed I himself in this city yesterday afternoon I S after-noon by jumping from tlie roof of the Wey hotel into an alley in the rear of I the building In thus inflicting death Xiedenhofen was but true to a sworn II resolution that he would turn the final leaf on the threshold of a new year He was a fatalist in its most liberal s < nse While dangling from the eaves of the building by hib hands he asked with immoderate composure what was the date Then in the assurance that the pulse of 1897 had begun to beat Nie dtnhofen fell swiftly a distance of 50 7 fet the body making several rapid evolutions striking upon the top of the skull and Causing a fracture of the odontoid process at the base of the brain His lips never moved after the concussion and 15 minutes later the remains were removed to the morgue behind which the body had fallen STORY OF HIS LIFE SJORY Niedenhofens story conveys a moral to this rapid age of young men He came to Butte years ago with his family and engaged 1 business From the beginning his overweaning ambition ambi-tion was to attain great wealth and in lose sympathy was a desire to bios sum into an orator He emerged into policies and had bestowed upon him ly the Republican party various positions posi-tions of public trust Finally succeeding succeed-ing in receiving the appointment to the i office of which he was the incumbent i at the time of his death The battle 1 1 r popularity and political fortune in the fast places of Butte life attracted i the young man to companionships I which laid the foundation for his death Unseasonable hours and at I tnant dissipation wrecked his nervous I nerv-ous system and left him unfit to perform per-form the duties of his office on several occasions Xiedenhofen was ordered I svay for recreation but his constant I desire for personal aggrandizement and advanCement brcught him back in I feverish haste to the swift pace of the Montana metropolis His energy was of the steam engine type he would force himself to prepare tasks wholly inadequate for three men Jenhofens motner was in affluent circumstances having been peculiarly fortunate in conducting a large con 1 tionary business in Butte and she i as notably fond of her bright young son lavishing upon I im many advantages j advant-ages that were calculated to bring him social favor He moved in the i Lest society of that wealthy city and I became so involved by maintaining an j unequal position in social circles that j he slipped into debt yet not so deeply Lut that he was enabled to preserve I th same bold front To his numerous friends Nieden I 1ofen A ould predict for himself a lyVHant future A prophecy that was ciouraged and applauded by they I the-y < ung bloods of his set At other times he was gloomy and doubtful and went for advice and tonic to some of the mos prominent men of Butte who admired ad-mired the nervous young fellow enough to pat him on the back WOOED MISS TALBOT Xiedenhofen determined that a high matrimonial alliance was indispensable I to reach the goal at which he was srooting his arrows of fortune He courted many of the acknowledged belles of Butte and among them found 115 heart was in the keeping of Miss Talbot the accomplished and beauti lul daughter of James A Talbot presi i cent of the First National Bank of Butte and one of the wealthiest men L of the community The result was a match About six weeks or two months ago the marriage was celebrated with 1 much splendor at Butte yet beneath all of his anected gaiety on that event al ful night Xiedenhofen was moody and apprehensive of impending trouble He whiskered some of his misgivings misgiv-ings to friends but they were accustomed accus-tomed to his vagaries and laughed him out of countenance but they failed to cheer his flagging spirits Just as the bride and groom were about to step into a hack to start upon their bridal tour and while surrounded I sur-rounded by a throng of wellwishing relatives and friends the team became rdates frightened by the slipping of Captain I denhofens trunk which the driver I was attempting to JaG upon me seat The baggage fell upon the backs of thehorses and they broke the hitching st ap in a mad dash for liberty The 1 lines were jerked from the mans hands and the frightened team tore down the street The foreman of the Butte waterworks water-works was upon his knees examining a damaged hydrant by lantern light Before he realized his danger the team and heavy hack swept over him crush lg his ribs and back from which injuries he died a few hours later This incident worked up a climax in Niedenhofens mind Despite the fact that the guests used every artifice to brighten him and in the face of his ov n domestic happiness Xiedenhofens spirits sank so that by the time he gKasped the last hand at parting that I of his most intimate friend Joe Wilkins Wil-kins he had to gasp My God things are coming rocky Joe TERRIBLY DISAPPOINTED I was the comment at the time that the now dead man was terribly disappointed because his fatherinlaw had not realized the young grooms expectations ex-pectations but Mr Talbot did not choose to endow the young people then with any emoluments A few days after their departure wtfiij cssss from Chicago that Nieden hofen vas in a most critical condi J 1 = 1 I tion and was on the way back to Butte He was removed in a closed I hack from the depot to his own home and different rumors were afloat as to his condition i some grossly exaggerated and others nearer the truth Niedenhofens prominence prom-inence and good standing among the young men of the town gave the stories wide circulation I was repeated re-peated that his marriage had taken place at an inopportune time that he I was suffering from nervous prostra tion and that he was financially involved in-volved While these reports were current cur-rent Xiedenhofen and his wife were on their way to Salt Lake City where he was being conveyed for medical treatment his mental condition having become so serious that the families entertained en-tertained grave fears for his sanity I After reaching this point he was taken to a private house but Niedenhofen was not satisfied with the arrangements I arrange-ments that had been made He knew A Fred Wey and besought the latter lat-ter to provide for him at his hotel About three weeks ago Wey furnished Xiedenhofen with a suite of apartments apart-ments on the first floor of the hotel which were occupied by Mr and Mrs Xiedenhofen Joe Wilkins deputy clerk of the district court visited the city about that time and appeared to be dissatisfied with the attending physician phy-sician so Dr A J Hosmer a recent arrival was engaged on December 15 to take charge of the case After an examination he declined to act and advised that Xiedenhofen be sent to an asylum but neither the patient nor his wife would consent to such an arrangement ar-rangement and on the earnest entreaties en-treaties of Mrs Niedenhofen and Wilkins kins Dr Hosmer finally yielded and began a course of treatment I SUFFERED FROM HYPOCONDRIA He found Xiedenhofen always rational ra-tional and without any hallucinations but suffering from the form of dementia I de-mentia known as hypocondria vherein he dwelt upon his own infirmities I magnifying them far beyond their merits and fully convinced that he I would never get better Frequent disparaging dis-paraging remarks induced the physician physi-cian to order that a constant watch be kept of the patient Mr Wey performed per-formed these duties Niedenhofen was never permitted to leave the room I without being under surveillance Wey and Niedenhofen were to have attended the matinee at the Grand Opera House yesterday yester-day but at the last moment Xiedenhofen changed his mind Ed Potting of Butte an employee of Xie denhofens mother had arrived from Butte the dav previous and remained with his friend About 2 oclock Sic I denhofen said he was going up on the next floor to the toilet room and foor left Potting in the apartment After I a moment or two Pottings vigilance suggested that he follow As he reached the upper hallway a chambermaid I came to him in an excited manner to say that the sick man was I CLIMBING THE FIRE ESCAPE Paralyzed with fear Potting was helpless for a second then recovering he ran to the bath room window and looked out Sam Gordon an attache of the hotel had already taken in the I situation and was ascending the fire I escape in Xiedenhofens wake The i I escape Js a simple iron ladderway with landings at each floor and extends upward up-ward to the roof Xiedenhofen was too sprv for his I pursuer and was sitting on the edge of the roof near the corner of the building build-ing while Gordon was on the ladder Come back come back here captain cap-tain demanded Gordon Niedenhofen I said nothing and Gordon persisted in II his efforts Nledenhofen coolly regarded Gordon and said What date is this I Sam Gordon waxed earnest and about this time Niedenhofen lowered his body over the eaves until it hung by the arms his hands gripping the edge of the roof He turned his head toward Gordon then relaxed one hand was suspended for a second by the other hand and then dropped DASHED TO THE EARTH Three circles were made by the body as it dashed toward the earth Gordon saw it strike on the head rebound a few inches and settle down into a shapeless heap ftle gave the alarm and 15 minutes afterward I after-ward Dr Hosmer resuonded but Nie denhofen was drawing his last breath The body when reached by several men working about the building lay in a cramped posture the right arm twisted beneath the breast the neck awry but otherwise perfectly natural There was not a scratch upon the remains except on the forehead and the clothing cloth-ing was not noticeably disarranged I 1 In a pool of murky water near by was I found a diamond stud valued at 750 I the setting and stone being broken from the screw by the shock Other than a Knights Templar charm with I the mark H A X and a few trinkets in the pockets there were no personal elfects Niedenhofen had fallen into I the rear alley directly behind the coroners cor-oners office and the remains were conveyed but a few steps through the I back door to the morgue EMULATED MCULLOGH I has been suggested by friends of Xiedenhoteii that ins method of suicide was suggested by the reports of Editor McCulloghs death at S1 Louis the circumstances of Xiedenhofens departure de-parture being nearly identical with those of the venerable journalist who was also suffering from mental collapse col-lapse Niedenhofen had been commenting upon the McCullogh suicide just a few hours before and talking of turning over a new leaf on the first of the year An autopsy will be performed this morning followed by an inquest The remains will be shipped to Butte at 730 oclock this evening accompanied by the widow and Edward Potting Xiedenhofen was insured in a first class Xew York insurance company for 25000 the policy being fully paid Mrs Xiedenhofen who is a very young woman is prostrated by the shock The deceased was only CO years of portioned age of medium stature and well pro I |