A Cold Case

We had a television show here in the U.S., about detectives that tried to solve murder cases that had been left unsolved.....A very popular show... it's name was Cold Case, and it ran for about seven years on CBS. I am sure that there are multitudes of murder cases that go unsolved around the world, but did you know that we had one here in the little mining town a very long time ago?

The superintendent of the Hidden Treasure Mine, a German immigrant, returned to Germany to bring back his wife and infant son. The beautiful young wife lived with her husband in a spacious home, high above Lake City, at the mine sight.Not much was known about this relationship, although someone noted that there was a considerable age difference. The Superintendent  was forty nine years old and his bride, Pauline, was only twenty four.

Above is a rare photo of the pretty Pauline on the right.

On the afternoon of April 16, 1902 a young Italian miner entered the family residence, and shot Pauline in the head, killing her, and then turned the gun on himself.

There was all kind of speculation as to why, but no one ever knew for sure...what the reason was?

 

Her grave at the upper Lake City Cemetery.

From all accounts her husband and small son returned to Germany, where there were reports that he remarried. I wonder if any of her descendants have ever visited her grave here?

I guess this wouldn't actually be an unsolved case....as it was seemingly  a murder suicide...

I wonder too about the plastic flowers....who put them there?

*UPDATE! I just talked to the President of our Historical Society, and he said that to his knowledge, no one has ever come to town inquiring about Pauline, but a relative of the young Italian miner , accused of shooting her,  came to town just last summer to see this area....

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