The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1884-07-05
A Tragic Ending of "a Criminal Trial.

In our tlrcut court, on FRIDAY or
last week the case of State of Wis
consin VS. Frank Anderson, was called.
The prisoner Anderson Was the man
who more than year ago shot and
wounded sheriff Thompson and Mr..
5. +. Tubbs of this city, the partieu-
lars of whish our readers already fa-
miliar with
The man when arrested at Mime
apolis two or three months ago, made
a desperate but unsuccessful fight for
his liberty, but since being confined in
/ our Jail he has been quiet and order
ly. When brought back to Superior
he denied having eyer seen the place,
or of ever having been here before.
He maintained this attitude until a
+ day or two before the trial came on,
I but when put upon the stand he drop
+ ped that story, admitted that he had
been here, was here at the time of the
shooting and that he was the man
who did the shooting, but further
claimed that he did the shooting in
self defense, in that while no assault
had been made upon him, he still be-
lieved that Nlessrs- Thompson and
Tubbs (who We're walking behind him
at the time) were planning for his
/ death, and were about to Kill him, ard
! that when he turned 10 face his sup
| posed deadly enemy. MIR. Thompson
had his revolver in his hand 1t was
clearly proven, however, that this was
not the case, and further that these
/ gentlemen had no feelings against the
i stranger, and in fact he was not want
/ eel at all, as it was his friend or COM
/ panion who was wanted, and the man
who did the shooting was coming back
/ to town of his own free will and ac-
cord, and that there had not even
been a quarrel of words or argument,
hence no cause for violence or threats
of violence on the part of either Mr..
Thompson or Mr. Tubbs.
/ With all of these facts with more
of like character, the jury was out
/ but a few moments when they return
ed verdict of guilty as found in the
/ indictment, viz, Assault with intent
to kill, which verdict was announced
4 Saturday morning, and the prisoner
was returned to the Jail to await the
sentence of the court. Nothing I'M
usual was at any time noticed in his
conduct more than would be expected
Of man in such circumstances. The
/ Sheriff visited him every day, and on
Tuesday, the day Of the tragedy, saw
him at about half past four in the af-
spirits, and when he visited his cell
again at six o'clock, he was Mortified
at finding the man hanging by the
neck. dead. He had taken the belt,
narrow leather strap, from his waist,
attached it to a hinge on the window
which opens and closes from the in
side, adjusted u slipping moose about
his neck, and then deliberately bent
the knees and drew up his feet and
hung there until dead, one Of the most
deliberate suicide on record. The
Sheriff summoned help and medical
attendance at once but life was extinct,
and later in the evening an inquest
was held over the dead body and a
verdict rendered as given below:
/ In an inquisition taken at Superior. Douglas
County Wisconsin. on the LIST day ofJuly 1884, be-
/ fore James Newton ono of the Justices of the
/ peace OF said county uUon the view of the body
! of Frank Anderson there dead by the jurors
/ whose names are hereunto subscribed who being
duly sworn to inquire i'll behalfof the State when
/ in what manner and by what means the said
I Frank Anderson came % his death, upon their
/ oath do say that said Frank Anderson came to
his death the 1st day Of July 1884 in the County
Jail, in Douglas county Wisconsin, between the
| hours of four and six P NJ Of said day by strang
| ulation by his own hand. In testimony whereof
the said Justice of the peace and the Jurors of
I this inquest have hereunto set their hands the
day and year aforesaid.
/ IIMEE NEWTON
HARRIE STILLNAN,
JOHN KEAOUGH
WM. YOUNG
a. F.. PHILLBROOK
JOHN SAMMON.
JURORS
The deceased was a Swede, and so
far as known has no friends in this
/ country. Many theories are advanced
for committing the act but all is guess
W ,rk. One is that some previously
committed and greater crime had
been done which was likely to come
to light if sentence was carried out in
/ this case Some think he was Il crank,
! but cranks do not kill themselves,
/ they prefer to have some one else for
the victim. He was buried Wednes-
day morning, and it Is doubtfulif we
shall ever know his history. 1t was a
tragic ending of the trial surely.
Dsfufss Iufantjcide.
Last Sunday evening, says the Du-
luth papers, a young girl named Lizzie
Johnson, employed as a domestic at
John Lindbeck's :, ON First avenue east,