The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-08-08
NUMBER so.

turned upon the back, when a sickening
sight was revealed and the circumstances
attending his death were decided beyond
! question in the minds of the jury and all
present. He had taken the string from his
powder horn, tied one end to the trigger,
drawn it through small ring back of the
lock, and it being found too short for his
/ purpose he had fastened small forked stick
to the other end. He had raised the ham,
mer, sat down upon the log, placed the muz-
zle Of his gun over his heart with one hand
then taking the forked stick in the other
/ pulled it, sending the leaden missile ON its
errand of death; and thus in moment the
/ spirit of Martin Petersen was released from
It's mortal coil and transferred to the realms
Of eternity.
The deceased was a native of Norway, and
was forty-eight years old on the oath of last
June. He came to this country in 1866 set
Ting first in Iowa. Here he remained about
two years, when he emigrated to Minnesota,
where he lived till September, 1877, when
he came to this county. During his resi-
dence amongst us he had shown himself pos
scssed of that high degree of honesty and
thrift characteristic of his countrymen. He
was q good neighbor a peaceabe citizen,
and his loss will be felt in this community.
He had been supposed by the people around
here to be man of sound and contented
mind. But from statements made by his
wife since his death, it seems that this was
not the case During the past two years he
had shown at various times symptoms of in
sanity; and within the past few months had
suffered considerably from the delusion that
his neghbors had turned against him and
had conspired to rob him of his wife and
children and send them back to friends in
Iowa. On Sunday last he acted rather
strangely and wanted to take his gun and 90
out into the timber; but his wife became
somewhat alarmed and persuaded him not
to 60. On Monday he appeared all right,
and proceeded to his work as usual. Ho
worked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,
clearing land for Mr.. Anderson, and showed
no unusual symptoms until Wednesday even
ing when he returned home by circuitous
route, with the avowed intention, his son
| says, of avoiding being seen by the neighbors
! living along the way On Thursday morn
ins soon after breakfast, he told his wife that
he would take short hunt before going to
his work. He accordingly took down his
gun and it appears that he put on an extra
/ coat He started out east of the house and
soon disappeared in the brush. This course
was evidently taken with view to deceive
/ his family. as he was found ON the north
/ side and almost within sight of his house.
/ The uncertainty as to the place from whence
! the report of the gun proceeded was doubt
/ less owing to the mufed sound caused by
/ the muzzle of the gun being pressed upon his
clothes when discharged. The remains were
washed, dressed, placed in a coffin and inter
red last evening in the cemetery near the
/ United Brethren church. This is one of
those sad cases where the sympathy, kind
ness and generosity manifested in the dis
posa of the dead should be turned at once
and exercised with equal interest for the
care and welfare of the living A weakly
mother, with six small children upon her
hands, is left in INDECENT circumstances to
grpple with the many obstacles incident to
the support of such family, and IN making
home IN a tImbered country. No human
agency can TN the painful void that is felt
IN that household. The tears will flow and
the heart viii ache under the most favorable
circumstances; but the desolate home may
bo relieved by the hand of benevolence, and
the voice of sympathy may send cheering
rays 10 the sorrowing heart. There are
mouths to feed, bodies 70 clothe and minds
TO educate, that cannot be ignored by a gen
erous public. 1t is truly sad case, and it
is TO DE hoped that our County Commission
ers viii next meeting take some steps to
ward the relief and support of this uniortu-
nate woman and her children. Il.
Eliza Pinkton's recantation proves
/ to be a fraud. She declares that
her original statement of atrocities
against her husband and herself was
strictly true, and denies that She
ever knowingly declared otherwise,
though she was offered and refused
$4,000 TO recaut.
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Virginia is the mother OF Presidents,
Ohio the mother Of ofiice-holders, and
! Louisiana the mother of lies