grave import

Obituary

Miss Frances Bock, aged 18, is dead at the home of her mother, Mrs. Ernest C. (Emma) Bock, of Sunnyside Avenue, a victim of strychnine taken with suicidal intent. The fatal draught was taken at 3:30 yesterday afternoon and she died eight hours later at Burlington hospital, despite the heroic efforts taken to save her life by the attending physicians, Drs. AC Zaiser, Roy F. Karney and Horace Kriechbaum.
A telephone message to her affianced lover, Herman Ranke, of the H. Ranke Co., received a few minutes after she had taken the poison, informed him of her deplorable act. Dropping the receiver Mr. Ranke rushed in a taxi cab to her home, where he found her in her bedroom. At that time she showed no physical signs of the poison. Without loss of time, Mr. Ranke to her to the Burlington hospital, and physicians were summoned, but all their efforts were futile.
A note to her mother and family said farewell to them and stated that she was tired of living. She wrote no message to Mr. Ranke, but her last note to her family is said t have contained a sentence saying “Say goodbye to Herman.”
A member of the family, in speaking of Miss Bock this morning, stated that he had no explanation to offer for her deed save that he believed that she was still suffering from the nervous strain of the automobile accident of a month ago when she and Mr. Ranke were thrown from his car and she sustained painful injuries.
After leaving Miss Bock’s room in the hospital last evening, Mr. Ranke became delirious. He was taken to the reception room of the hospital where his frantic cries of “Frances,” rank throughout the hospital. Later he was taken to his home by two physicians. Shortly afterward he returned to the hospital, accompanied by Night Police Captain Anderson and Patrolman John E. Curran, and was given medical attention. He remained at the hospital the remainder of the night.
When seen by a reporter at the H Ranke Co. store this morning Mr. Ranke showed signs of the mental ordeal through which he had passed. He was calm and talked coherently, however. He stated that he and Miss Bock were engaged and were to have been married after the war or perhaps sooner. He could offer no reason for her actions. He did say that the thought of suicide seemed to be in her mind, and that following every little disagreement she would threaten to take her life. In fact, so many times had she made such a threat that upon the receipt of her telephone message yesterday afternoon, though greatly alarmed, he believed it to be a “fake”. Mr. Ranke is naturally much distressed and is suffering great anguish of mind and heart. “What will I do without her?” he sobbed as the reporter left.
It develops that Miss Bock must have harbored designs upon her own life for some time, as she purchased the strychnine two weeks ago at a local drug store, signing the necessary statement demanded by law for such purchases and declaring that she wanted to poison rats.
Mrs. Bock, the mother, was not at home when her daughter took the poison and was not informed concerning the tragedy until her return home from a downtown shopping expedition late in the afternoon. She had left her daughter at home, suffering from a severe cold.
Miss Frances Bock was the daughter of the late Ernest C. Bock, a prominent nurseryman, and one-time park commissioner. She was born in this city eighteen years ago and has always lived here. Of attractive appearance and pleasant manner, she was a favorite with her companions and highly esteemed by all who knew her. She had been employed in the H. Ranke company store for some time. Surviving to mourn her are her mother, her brother Jerome Bock, her half-brother, Clarence Bock, and her half-sister, Mr. EC Cook of Clinton.
The funeral will be held tomorrow morning at 10 o’clock from the family residence on Sunnyside avenue with burial at Aspen Grove Cemetery. The funeral will be private.
Coroner BA Prugh was not advised of the death of Miss Bock until this morning. He had no information concerning any request by the family for an inquest and says there is no reason for one to be held. The coroner said that the report to the report to effect that he would institute an investigation of the circumstances leading to the tragedy was utterly without foundation in fact.
Herman Ranke of H. Ranke company, whose betrothed Miss Frances Bock, committed suicide Monday night by taking strychnine tablets, is reported to have attempted to purchase strychnine of two local drug stores today. In both cases, the druggists refused to sell him.
This afternoon Ranke in company with his father called at the police station and had a conference with Chief of Police Goodman and Desk Sergeant John Hughes. Both officers advised the young man to seek rest at a hospital and advised his father to see that he did so and suggested that he be kept under guard until his nerves became quieted down.