Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-02-25
MYSTERY CLEARED r.

Some days age an account xas uub
lisbed IN these columns in regard 10 tn.
death Of svede named Angus, Erick.
son, at Lopez Island. whom it vas re.
ported had been buried under eircum
stances which led 70 the suspicion thai
ne mad been murdered. Accordingly
rom repFeesntations made 10 him by
one L. M. MaurItzen, Mr.. A. ChiIberR,
o. this city. Vice Consul of Sweden and
norway, called the attention Of Prose
cutting Attorney Calhoun to the maftar.
ana an investigation was held, which
showed conclusIyely that Erickson had
DIED OF natural causes, and bis remains
Lao been property buried, and also thai
MT. ChtioerR had besn mislsd by the
false statements made to him BY M.Q-
nizrn. Among the many letters re-
eelved By Mr.. ChilberR in regard to
this matter was one from JohR l.
Shearer, respected citizen Of LoCez
Island. from which NE have been per-
mltted 10 make the following extracts :
! have been shown your letters, both
20 The Coroner and TO the Prosecuting
Attorney, requesting an Investigation
into tbs cause of she death of a Syede
named August Erickson, who. you have
been informed, was probably murdered
ey bis partner, German named Peter
Gfath- Allow me to impart to yoa the
following information in regard 20 The
matter: Your informant, I. M. Man.
ritzen, has grossly misrepresented the
true facts Of the matter, which are az
follows: This man Mauretzsn Travelled
over the island claiming to be a can
q fer Nh. 49, 4saa
pobllshed In Seattle. On his travels he
no doubt heard something of Erick.
sons death and barial. On the "a
instant. while at Friday Harbor. met
MHaFttzen, who stated that be had been
appointed deputy prosecuting attorney
by the Swedish Vice Consul. with an
thority Go inquire into matters of in
terest to Scandinavian, and that he
had heard of q SWede having died very
suspiciously, and requested me, As jus
tics OF the Peace. to exhume the body
and hold an inquest. This | declined
to do, a. l had no authority 20 act.
then advise the mao to give you a true
statement Of the cAss, and allow yoa to
consult an attorney, or to secure an or
der from the proper authority 10 that
could legally act. Thus the matter
H~NCA a1NA t9HA AAAAAA4aFt NuEu tue EO9
ecuting Attorneys letter and your letter
to the Coroner were shown TO me, re-
questing an investigation, which was
held the following day. BY j. II. Bart.
lett II was proven that Martin Thomas
procureI lot in the grave yard, in
which Bartlett is trustee, in which to
bury the body OF Erickson, vhish was
done the following day, January I'd, in
the presence Of ave men, viz: Thomas
Upson, hot srt Cousin, b. b. Woodruff,
Martin Thomes and Peter Grath. BY
the testimony of Martin Thomas il was
proven that on December 26, 1884, p.
Grath aud Erickson arrived at Healand
Bay, Decatur Island, from Port Town
send. Erickson being sick and oom-
planning of pain in his breast, cough
isg and splitting blood. At the request
of the sick man Thomas went to Ana
cortss and got him two bottles Of medi-
cine. Thomas and Grath went to take
Erickson 10 hotsi, but coald not, on
aoeannt OF the tide, but they watched
over and waited on hitu until his
death, on the night Of December S0th,
after which they had coffin made and
buried him, as above stated. Grath
told ms today that he aud Erickson
bad been friends and shipmafss for the
past sir years; that last year he met
Erickson IN Seattle, Just recovering
from spell Of sickness and in desti.
tute condition; that be gave him $l5
and brought him 10 his home, where
Eriokson had remained and fished with
him. The price Of oil being low. and
Erickson's health being poor, il took
about all be could make 10 pay doctors
bills. medicines, ETC.; that when Erick.
son died Grath took what oil there was
left and sold It to pay the necessary IN
neral expenses and the money he had
advanced to ths siek man. Thus you
will see that the information from Mau-
riszen is without any foundation what
ever. From his many misrspresenta-
tions, and from what | can learn Of
him, consider him dangerous person
20 be at large, and feel that this com
munity has iust cause for being indig
nant over his acts"