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Subject: [NYMONROE-L] RE: Eleanor Ratigan
Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2001 19:02:27 EDT

Marcena
the article you requested

Rochester, Monroe, NY
Democrat & Chronicle
Nov. 10, 1917

DROWNS SELF AND CHILDREN

Throws Girls in Cistern Before Suicide

Was Probably Insane

Husband Comes Home For Dinner to Find Note Telling Him to Look in Cistern for
Bodies and in Bank for Money - Coroner Investigates

Churchville, Nov. 9 - Mrs. Eleanor RATIGAN, 43 years old, wife of John T.
RATIGAN, drowned herself this afternoon in the cistern beneath the kitchen of
her home, about a mile east of this village, in Savage road. Before
destroying her own life, she prepared the same fate for her three small
daughters, Eleanor M., 7 years, Mary H., 6 years, and Martha C., an infant of
three months. Violent insanity is believed to have been the cause.

It had been customary for Mrs. RATIGAN to carry dinner to her husband, who is
flagman at the Savage road crossing of the New York Central, about a half
mile from the home. When RATIGAN, after waiting beyond the usual time, came
home to inquire for his dinner, he found a note in the kitchen which read:

"Good bye everybody, Our bodies are in the cistern. You will find plenty of
money in the Monroe County Savings Bank with which to bury us."

RATTIGAN quickly summoned Frank KALAHER and Edward EHRMENTRAUT, his
neighbors. Looking through a small trap door in the floor of the kitchen over
the cistern, they found the body of the woman and her four children in four
feet of water.

Dr. E. H. VAIL, of Churchville, was summoned, and later Coroner Frederick R.
Smith came from Rochester to investigate.
****

Nov. 11, 1917

DAILY RECORD OF DEATHS

Mrs. Lena RATIGAN and three children, Elnora, Mary and Martha died in Savage
road, town of Riga, on Friday, November 9th. The mother leaves her husband,
John RATIGAN; her mother, Mrs. Elnora LOCKMIER; five brothers, John, George,
Marvin(?) Reinhart and Charles LOCKMEIR, and a sister, Mrs. Mary REYNOLDS, of
Greece.

--
Glenda Whitaker Subyak
Monroe Co. & N. Y. State News Coordinator
Find your Ancestors at:
http://www.newspaperabstracts.com/NY/Monroe/index.html

Assistant Coordinator for Pike Co. ILGenWeb site
http://PikeCoILGenWeb.org

Please visit my Web Page
& sign my Guestbook
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~glendasubyak

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