Wichita Beacon – April 1, 1954 – Page 3

Post Mortem

Is Scheduled

for Suicide

A post mortem was scheduled Thursday morning for a 23-year-old German DP-employed as a laboratory technician at Wesley Hospital – who took her life shortly after midnight because she "had more troubles than I can work out."

County Coroner Sam Smith said an unknown poison was the cause of death for Jutta Englehardt, of 3323 East Elm.

Miss Englehardt, in America only since 1953, was found lying almost unconscious on the third floor of the hospital a few minutes after midnight by a co-worker – Milo Brink, 18, of 4010 Arkansas. Brink said she was "violently sick."

When Brink saw the woman’s condition, he quickly summoned a nurse – Anna F. Fleandt, 28, of 1306 Gardner Drive – and together they took Miss Englehardt to another room and gave her artificial respiration.

Police Sergt. Jack Bruce said, however, that Miss Englehardt, a lab technician at Wesley since last January, did not respond and died shortly later.

A small vial and a glass of water was found lying near the spot where Miss Englehardt was fist discovered by Brink.

Coroner Smith said a post mortem will be held Thursday morning in an effort to determine exactly what kind of poison was used.

Sergeant Bruce said a note was left in Miss Englehardt’s room on East Elm. While contents of the note were not disclosed, it did in part that the young German girl took her own life because of having more troubles than she could work out.

Bruce said Miss Englehardt was living with a Mrs. Gearhart Tonn, whose husband is an army doctor stationed at Fr. Leonard Wood, Mo.

According to the police sergeant, Miss Englehardt called Mrs. Tonn about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday to tell her that she would be late coming home as an emergency case had just come into the hospital.

Later, at 11 p.m., the German girl again telephoned Mrs. Tonn to say that things "sure were in a mess." Sergeant Bruce didn’t clarify this statement.

Bruce, in his police report, said Miss Englehardt came to Wichita from Germany as a displaced person on June 10, 1953.

Downing Mortuary will be in charge of funeral arrangements.


Obituary submitted by Lonna & Bob Nevil (bobalon@centurytel.net). This page created for Sedgwick County KSGenWeb by John Schunk (jschunk@skpub.com). Not to be reproduced or redistributed without permission.