Salt Lake Tribune | 1903-04-04 | Page 1 | Tolled His Own Knell

TOLLED HIS OWN KNELL Church Sexton at New Haven Ind I Commits Suicide by Hanging to the Bell Rope Fort Wayne Ind April IJoseph Kroch hanged himself to the bell rope in the belfry of St Johns Catholic church at New Haven of which he was sexton and tolled his own funeral knell One rope is used to toll the bell for funerals fu-nerals or when members of the congregation congre-gation die The knell was heard to sound but only once and It was supposed sup-posed to have been an accidental tug at the rope After the early morning service an altar boy was sent to the organ loft on an errand and in passlng through the belfry found Krochs body dangling from the end or the rope used to toll the bell When he swung hlrn self clear of the floor the bell sounded once and that was the signal of Krochs death He had been nervous and suffering from insomnia According to Catholic church laws a suicide or any crime committed In a church desecrates It and St Johns must be reconsecrated before It can be again used for divine services