The Newspaper, San Luis Obispo Pioneer, dated Saturday August 7, 1869 reported on this story.
Melancholy Suicide
A young man named John CATHCART, formerly of Santa Cruz, but for the pass year a resident of this county, committed suicide on Tuesday the 3rd inst, near Rafael Villa Creek, in the upper portion of the county, under the following circumstances. He had been at work on a farm for Juan Soria, and on that day in question borrowed a shotgun from someone about the place for the avowed purpose of hunting. Sometime after leaving, a shot was heard by parties at the house, who thought that CATHCART was killing quail. Not returning at night, search was made the following day, but without success, and the conjecture was that he had stolen the gun and run off. On Sunday morning the attention of persons at the house was attracted to a lot of buzzards which were hovering in the neighborhood, and thinking that an animal of some kind had been killed, they went to the spot. To the horror and surprise they found the body of young CATHCART, shot through the breast, and the face and neck almost entirely eaten off by the buzzards. a new razor lay by the corpse, as if the first intention of the deceased had been to take his life with that instrument. His hat lay off one side, and contained letter addressed to his sisters and brothers, confessing that he died by his own hand, and intimating that the deed had been for some time in contemplation. Justice SIMMLER, acting Coroner, held an inquest on the body, and the jury rendered a verdict in accordance with the above facts. Deceased was about twenty-four years of age, and had been drinking and gambling pretty freely for some time, which is the only solution given for the commission of the rash act.
More is needed to complete his life and relatives that were living up north.
note: days mentioned don't match up.
John's burial location would likely be in this case, on the spot that he died. Because of the circumstances and conditions of his body, this would had been the best thing they could had done.
John Lee came down to Mr Juan ( Jose ) Soria's Ranch possibly to for his health reasons, but also he knew the Soria family, for Jose Soria came from Santa Cruz area in the first place, For his father was Francisco Soria who is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery and so is Jose.
Melancholy Suicide
A young man named John CATHCART, formerly of Santa Cruz, but for the pass year a resident of this county, committed suicide on Tuesday the 3rd inst, near Rafael Villa Creek, in the upper portion of the county, under the following circumstances. He had been at work on a farm for Juan Soria, and on that day in question borrowed a shotgun from someone about the place for the avowed purpose of hunting. Sometime after leaving, a shot was heard by parties at the house, who thought that CATHCART was killing quail. Not returning at night, search was made the following day, but without success, and the conjecture was that he had stolen the gun and run off. On Sunday morning the attention of persons at the house was attracted to a lot of buzzards which were hovering in the neighborhood, and thinking that an animal of some kind had been killed, they went to the spot. To the horror and surprise they found the body of young CATHCART, shot through the breast, and the face and neck almost entirely eaten off by the buzzards. a new razor lay by the corpse, as if the first intention of the deceased had been to take his life with that instrument. His hat lay off one side, and contained letter addressed to his sisters and brothers, confessing that he died by his own hand, and intimating that the deed had been for some time in contemplation. Justice SIMMLER, acting Coroner, held an inquest on the body, and the jury rendered a verdict in accordance with the above facts. Deceased was about twenty-four years of age, and had been drinking and gambling pretty freely for some time, which is the only solution given for the commission of the rash act.
More is needed to complete his life and relatives that were living up north.
note: days mentioned don't match up.
John's burial location would likely be in this case, on the spot that he died. Because of the circumstances and conditions of his body, this would had been the best thing they could had done.
John Lee came down to Mr Juan ( Jose ) Soria's Ranch possibly to for his health reasons, but also he knew the Soria family, for Jose Soria came from Santa Cruz area in the first place, For his father was Francisco Soria who is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery and so is Jose.
The Newspaper, San Luis Obispo Pioneer, dated Saturday August 7, 1869 reported on this story.
Melancholy Suicide
A young man named John CATHCART, formerly of Santa Cruz, but for the pass year a resident of this county, committed suicide on Tuesday the 3rd inst, near Rafael Villa Creek, in the upper portion of the county, under the following circumstances. He had been at work on a farm for Juan Soria, and on that day in question borrowed a shotgun from someone about the place for the avowed purpose of hunting. Sometime after leaving, a shot was heard by parties at the house, who thought that CATHCART was killing quail. Not returning at night, search was made the following day, but without success, and the conjecture was that he had stolen the gun and run off. On Sunday morning the attention of persons at the house was attracted to a lot of buzzards which were hovering in the neighborhood, and thinking that an animal of some kind had been killed, they went to the spot. To the horror and surprise they found the body of young CATHCART, shot through the breast, and the face and neck almost entirely eaten off by the buzzards. a new razor lay by the corpse, as if the first intention of the deceased had been to take his life with that instrument. His hat lay off one side, and contained letter addressed to his sisters and brothers, confessing that he died by his own hand, and intimating that the deed had been for some time in contemplation. Justice SIMMLER, acting Coroner, held an inquest on the body, and the jury rendered a verdict in accordance with the above facts. Deceased was about twenty-four years of age, and had been drinking and gambling pretty freely for some time, which is the only solution given for the commission of the rash act.
More is needed to complete his life and relatives that were living up north.
note: days mentioned don't match up.
John's burial location would likely be in this case, on the spot that he died. Because of the circumstances and conditions of his body, this would had been the best thing they could had done.
John Lee came down to Mr Juan ( Jose ) Soria's Ranch possibly to for his health reasons, but also he knew the Soria family, for Jose Soria came from Santa Cruz area in the first place, For his father was Francisco Soria who is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery and so is Jose.
Melancholy Suicide
A young man named John CATHCART, formerly of Santa Cruz, but for the pass year a resident of this county, committed suicide on Tuesday the 3rd inst, near Rafael Villa Creek, in the upper portion of the county, under the following circumstances. He had been at work on a farm for Juan Soria, and on that day in question borrowed a shotgun from someone about the place for the avowed purpose of hunting. Sometime after leaving, a shot was heard by parties at the house, who thought that CATHCART was killing quail. Not returning at night, search was made the following day, but without success, and the conjecture was that he had stolen the gun and run off. On Sunday morning the attention of persons at the house was attracted to a lot of buzzards which were hovering in the neighborhood, and thinking that an animal of some kind had been killed, they went to the spot. To the horror and surprise they found the body of young CATHCART, shot through the breast, and the face and neck almost entirely eaten off by the buzzards. a new razor lay by the corpse, as if the first intention of the deceased had been to take his life with that instrument. His hat lay off one side, and contained letter addressed to his sisters and brothers, confessing that he died by his own hand, and intimating that the deed had been for some time in contemplation. Justice SIMMLER, acting Coroner, held an inquest on the body, and the jury rendered a verdict in accordance with the above facts. Deceased was about twenty-four years of age, and had been drinking and gambling pretty freely for some time, which is the only solution given for the commission of the rash act.
More is needed to complete his life and relatives that were living up north.
note: days mentioned don't match up.
John's burial location would likely be in this case, on the spot that he died. Because of the circumstances and conditions of his body, this would had been the best thing they could had done.
John Lee came down to Mr Juan ( Jose ) Soria's Ranch possibly to for his health reasons, but also he knew the Soria family, for Jose Soria came from Santa Cruz area in the first place, For his father was Francisco Soria who is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery and so is Jose.
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