 West Hill Cemetery Sherman, Texas Sherman Register 4 March 1887 AN OVERDOSE OF MORPHINE IS WHAT THE CORONERS JURY Pronounced the Cause of the Death of Pauline Heidrich Yesterday morning a German by the name of Gustaff Heidrich went to the drug establishment of G.W.Marshall and called for ten cents worth of morphine, and it was given to him. Later on at night, probably 9:30 o'clock, he came back and stated that he wanted something to make his wife sleep. He was given a grain of morphine divided into four doses, and he took this back and found her lying on the floor frothing at the mouth. He at once gave the alarm, and one of the mill employees who lives on the same street, East Houston, came up town in post haste for medical assistance, and procured Dr. S.C.Nesbit, who went at once to the scene and applied all the remedies that he could apply. She lingered on during the night in a dead stuper and in which she died this morning shortly after 9 o'clock. The coroner was notified at once and a jury of inquest summoned. They at once repaired to the scene of the unfortunate occurrence and the following evidence was adduced before them. Dr. S. C. NESBIT being duty sworn deposed and said: "I was called to see Mrs. Pauline Heidrich at 10 o'clock last night, the 3rd of March, 1887. I found her in a dying condition, and on inquiry learned from her husband that she had taken ten cents worth of morphine at noon yesterday, eleven hours before I called to see her. I remained with her all night, and used all remedies to counteract the effects. She DIED AT 9 O'CLOCK this morning. From the best information I could get I think she took between four and five grains. I have the label that was on the powder, it reads "morphine," and the same is now in possession of the court. That amount was sufficient to kill a person not accustomed to taking it. I have no doubt that she died from th effects of an overdose of morphine." GUSTAFF HEIDRICH, husband of the deceased, being sworn deposed and said, (through E. Arnold, interpreter): "I did not see my wife take the morphine. I was outside of the house at the time, but when I came in I saw the glass that she took it from. I bought ten cent's worth of morphine yesterday morning from Marshall's drug store. There was nobody in the room at the time she took it. When I went into the house she told me that she had taken it, and that it did not taste very good. She had been suffering with the piles for about three weeks. I think at the time she took the morphine she was suffering so with pain that she did not know what she was doing. The deceased was 34 years of age. I never told the deceased how much of the morphine to take as she knew more about it than I did. It was about ten hours, I think, from the time she took the poison until the doctor came. After she had taken the morphine she intimated to me that our domestic relations had always been pleasant. This was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon. She was a little out of head at this time." After a few minutes consultation the jury returned the following VERDICT "We, the jury, sworn to inquire into the manner, means, cause, time, place and circumstances of the death of Pauline Heidrich, find that she came to her death on the morning of March 4th, 1887 at her residence in East Sherman, from the effects of an overdose of morphine taken by herself with innocent intention. Given under our hands March 4th, 1887. C. J. Hinkle, J.P. A. B. Slytnaker Thos. Balfour Jurors J. M. Heaton T. H. Parker J. A. Long THE DECEASED was but lately of Leipzie, Germany, and had been a nurse in a hospital to that city for a number of years, and it is seen she must have been suffering intensely to have forgotten the amount of drug necessary to take. She had been away from the old country about one year, and had been married shortly before her departure for Sherman. Both herself and husband had worked hard since they came to the city, and had succeeded in getting a little home in a pretty fair shape of improvement. This is one of th saddest events that has taken place in Sherman for a long time.  Sherman Register 5 March 1887 BURIED All that was mortal of Mrs. Pauline Heidrich was laid away in the city cemetery today. The funeral service was conducted by Rev. J. C. Carpenter. Gustav Heidrich requests the Register to extend his heartfelt thanks to the kind friend who stood by him in this, his hour of sorrow.  West Hill Cemetery Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |