Unfortunately, life is full of tragedies, and that was in the case of Miss Maud Bentel. At the age of seventeen, she was a telegraph operator at the Hotel Amedee when she committed suicide on June 8, 1894, Charles Ball who was drunk at the hotel had became a big nuisance towards her. He called Maud a various assortment of obscenities with some vile threats. This upset her terribly and she left the hotel and went to the drug store of Mrs. B.A. Keser.
Mrs. Keser talked with Maud, attempting to console her. Maud remarked “you don’t know what you are talking about. I can never look at a man in the face in this town. I’d rather be dead than do it.”
When Frank Fischer, came into the front room to the store, Mrs. Keser left Maud alone, so she could attend to her customer. When she returned she found Maud in a spasm and Maud told her she had taken strychnine. Maud had second thoughts now and pleaded to be saved. Mrs. Keser gave her some syrup of ipecac to induce vomiting but it was too late and Maud died shortly thereafter.
It was believed the actions of Charles Ball at the hotel provoked the whole incident. Ball could only be charged with a misdemeanor and was fined the maximum of $200 for his actions. District Attorney N.J. Barry implemented criminal actions against Lewis Brubeck in the matter for keeping an inn in a disorderly manner. It was thought if Brubeck had stopped Ball from harassing Maud, she would not have killed herself. Brubeck was found guilty of a misdemeanor and he too was fined $200.
Maud was buried in the Susanville Cemetery, and there is a small marker for her grave. It was my intention to photograph her grave,. Alas, the cemetery is still closed due to the damage of the horrendous windstorm in November.