JOHN HERIAN

From Der Nord Westen, 26 Mar. 1908: (From the correspondent in Two Rivers, 23 Mar.)
John Herrian was buried Saturday afternoon. He died in the mental facility
in Manitowoc where he had been a patient for many years. Herrian, who came here
from Mishicott, operated a harness shop and enjoyed a fine reputation. He sold
the business and retired and a few years later was declared to be mentally ill
and sent to the state mental facility in Oshkosh, later being transferred to the
Manitowoc facility as incapable of being healed. His family, consisting of his
widow and several grown children, still live here.
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From Der Nord Westen, 26 Mar. 1908:
John Harrian of Two Rivers, who has been a patient in the local mental facility
since 19 July 1900, took his own life Thursday morning last week. He had often
threatened suicide and was kept under close watch, but with the mentally disturbed
it is often impossible and despite all surveillance, exceptions occur. By profession
he was a harness maker and had lived in Two Rivers for a long time. When he became obsessed with making a perpetual machine producing electricity, his mind snapped
and he was sent to the state mental facility in Oshkosh and then later transferred
to the local mental facility here and placed under a suicide watch. In some way he
found out that the facility's mechanic kept a shotgun in his bedroom. On Thursday
morning he noticed that the mechanic had failed to lock his door. He went in, took
the weapon, cocked it, tied a string from his apron to the trigger and the other
end to his foot, put the muzzle in his mouth and fired it with his foot.
(Article goes into specific detail of the aftermath.) Harrian was 51 years old and
leaves a widow and 7 children in Two Rivers. A coroner's inquest was held.
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From Der Nord Westen, 30 Apr. 1908: (From the correspondent in Two Rivers, 27 Apr.)
Last week Mrs. John Herrian received a check of $2,000 from the "Modern Woodman"
Order as payment of her husband's life insurance. It is said that Herrian is the
first member of that order to have died.
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A SAD MISFORTUNE.
John Herian Adjudged Insane. Is Father of Seven Children.
John Herian, of Two Rivers, was adjudged insane in county
court this morning. For the past four years he has shown
symptoms of insanity, but the malady has never assumed a
violent form. He traveled quite extensively of late and
on his return from a recent trip, he acted very strangely.
Friends petitioned that he be taken care of and he was
brought to this city last evening and taken to Oshkosh
this morning. It is supposed that constant worry over
business matters was the direct cause of his misfortune.
The case is sad in that he is married and is the father
of seven children, the youngest being but four years of
age. He was rather unwilling to enter the hospital but
the physicians who conducted the examination ordered that
he be taken care of. The family is in comfortable
circumstances.
Manitowoc Daily Herald, Manitowoc, March 4, 1899
*****

JOHN HERIAN

ASYLUM CHARGE IS A SUICIDE
John Harrian(sic), Former Two Rivers Man, Kills Self at County Asylum
TOP OF HEAD BLOWN OFF WITH A SHOTGUN
Harrian, Aged 50, Insane from Study of Perpetual Motion Nine Years Ago;
Widow and Seven Children Survive Him
Using a shot gun, which he had taken from the room of an attendant, John
Harrian, a Two Rivers man and inmate of the county insane asylum,
committed suicide at that institution early today, the dead body being
found during the morning in a room of the asylum, terribly mutilated
from the effects of the gunshot. District Atty. E.L. Kelley was summoned
and made an investigation of facts surrounding the suicide. The body
will be given into the hands of relatives at Two Rivers for burial.
Harrian was found dead in the engineer's room at the asylum when the
latter went there on an errand and through the open door the tragedy
manifested itself plainer than words. The patient had taken his life
standing up with the butt of the shot gun between his legs. To the
trigger of the weapon, the man attached an apron string which dangled
from an apron he wore and the other end he tied to his foot. After these
preliminaries he placed the muzzle of the sot gun in his mouth, released
the manner with his foot and blew the entire top of his head off.
Portions of brain, blood and skull were splattered all about the room
which presented a terrible sight.
Harrian, who was 51 years of age, was formerly a harness maker at Two
Rivers and resided in that city for years. He was adjudged insane March
4, 1899 and was committed to the Northern Hospital at Oshkosh where he
remained until July 19, 1900 when he was returned to the county asylum
here as incurable. Harrian,since his commitment here, has proved an
unusual patient in many respects. Except for his peculiarity in the one
subject, he appeared rational and possessed a bright mind. He was never
violent but often caused annoyance and required attention of the asylum
management. Four months ago, Harrian, was missed from the asylum and was
later located at Two Rivers where he had visited his family. The man, in
some manner, had learned where the home of Judge Chloupek was located
and aroused Mr. Chloupek at 4 in the morning.
From the facts developed in the inquiry at the time, Harrian was under
examination and was committed, the man's mind gave way under strain of
study over perpetual motion and electricity and it is said that at that
time he had been experimenting with various devices to demonstrate
perpetual motion. Harrian was twice married and was the father of seven
children, the youngest aged 11 at this time.
The tragedy is the first of its kind to occur at the local asylum in
many years, if ever before. It is a rule of the institution that any
article which might be used as a weapon by the patients to injure
themselves or others be withheld from them and that Harrian was able to
secure a gun was due to the fact that the engineer had neglected to bar
the door of the room which patients are supposed never to enter. Harrian
executed the suicide in a deliberate manner, indicating that he had been
imbued with the thought for some time and, in fact, it is said that the
man had threatened to take his life on several occasions. Except for his
frequent attempts to leave the asylum and return to his home at Two
Rivers, Harrian had caused little trouble.
Harrian was a member of the Two Rivers lodge of the Modern Woodmen of
America and was insured for $2000 in the Order. The Woodmen may have
charge of the funeral plans for which have not been made.
Manitowoc Daily Herald, Thurs., Mar. 19, 1908