Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-05-20
A Romance and ! Tragedy.


| Fergus Falls, MINI, is the locality Of
a romance and a tragedy of no common
order. Among the people who have
lived for some time at Fergus Falls are,
or rather were, a young man named
Thomas Nelson and Miss Anderson.
Two years ago Miss Anderson and Mel
son were engaged to be married, but the
date of the wedding was not fixed 1t
was the old story; the man must win the
fortune necessary to establish home
before the marriage could take place
Full OF hope, Nelson left Fergus Falls
ana emigrated to the pineries of Wiscon-
sin, and began the resolute struggle for
money to accomplish his ends. Two
years OF hard labor surprised him; he
was shrewd, energetic and honest, and
he prospered in the pineries. Then, q
lew weeks ago, he returned to Fergus
Falls to claim Miss Anderson, and to es.
tablish her i'm the home he had labored
for He found the woman he had hoped
to marry changed. He was steadtast,
but her wandering fancy had settled
upon another man to whom she was re-
ported engaged. Nelson had expected
to be married at once upon his return,
and the falseness ofsthe woman stunned
him. He went about dazed and sad, but
expressed himself to no one. On the
23d of April grand party was
held by the young people of Fergus
Falls in vacant building of which
Nelson was part owner. He was pres
ent at the party, and during the
evening Miss Anderson also arrived in
company with her latest flame. She
danced occasionally and Nelson looked ut
her apparently without agitation, though
at heart he doubtless endured all the
agony strong men suffer when they yield
themselves up fully to the passion which
is most removed from reason Finally
Miss Anderson took seat and Nelson
approached her. She gave him her hand
and he was heard to remark: "Why are
you here tonight; don't you know can
not bear to see you hereY" The lady
rose and the two walked to another seat,
when Nelson, standing before the girl,
was again heard to- say: "You know
cannot bear to see you here,' and while
he spoke he was seen reaching into his
pocket behind him. Suddenly he drew
forth a small revolver, and, placing it
against the lady's breast, fired. Shrek
ing, Miss Anderson darted past Nelson
and down the stairway. Nelson instant
ly turned himself about, threw his head
back and discharged the weapon at his
own heart. Without uttering word he
sprang forward nearly fifteen feet rs the
report died away, dropped the pistol and
fell to the floor, dead. When Miss An
derson fled she was followed by her
friends, and it was discovered upon9thc
street that the bullet intended for her
had hattened itself upon the steel OF her
corset and retained barely force enough
in its passage to lodge beneath the skin.
SO ended the tragedy. They examined
the body of the man lying upon tho
ballroom floor, and in his pockets found
g ties and large sum of money, enough
to begin housekeeping with. They found
something else carefully wrapped up and
laid away among his valuables. 1t was
a heavy gold ring and had been intended
by Nelson as "a wedding-ring for the
woman who deserted him. The dancers
withdrew from the hall and there the
body was prepared for burial. The next
day there came to the express Office a
package addressed to Nelson--the pack
age containing his wedding suit-and 1t
arrived just in time to serve as his shroud.
Neatly clad in the wedding clothes the
body was laid out and visited by many of
the citizens, who had long respected the
character of the dead man, and among
those who came was the woman who had
been false to him and whom he had tried
to kill. Throwing herself repeatedly
upon the coffin, her reproaches and pro
testations of love were earnest and
affecting, but they brought no life to the
dead man. Miss Anderson proved her
self thorough woman, cruel to herself
and the man she loved, tickle, and repent
ant all too late. 1t was avery complete
romance. the affair at Fergus Falls, and
touched the heart Of everybody. The
last ceremonies over the dead were ear
nest and imposing. AS in Enoch Arden's
village the little town had seldom seen
nobler iuneral-St. Louis Republican.