St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-14
STORY OF THE CRIME.
Narrative of an Event Whose
Atrocity Has Few Parallels.


Atrocity Has Few Parallels.
The crime for which Holong was ex-
ecuted was particularly atrOcious one.;
He was employed as farm hand by the
Field family, in the town of st. Olaf,
Otter Tail county. The household con-
sisted of Mrs. A. W. Field; Charles,
son of twenty-eight years; Lille,
fifteen-year-old daughter, and Clark,
son aged six years. The father COM
mitted suicide about year ago. Holong
had worked for the Fields over year.
He had always shown a partiality for
Lille, while she regarded him not ex-
actly with dislike, but with entire in
difference. He was an inoffensive-ap-
pearing individual, and, though he
had pestered her little with
his attentions, there was no thought
that his feeling would ever lead
to any trouble. The details of the
murder are as follows: On the MORN
ing of Thursday, May 26, 1887, Mrs.
Field and her son Charles came to
Fergus Falls, leaving Clark, Lille and
the hired man, HOlong, at home. AT
about 9 o'clock that morning Holong
told Clark to take scoop shovel over to
Torger Olson, who lived a mile away,
and said he might stay and play the rest
of the forenoon. Clark went, and after
an hour or so went to the house OF Mr..
Leryick, another neighbor, and spent
some time there. Before noon he came
home and was unable to find either
Lille or HOlong. He remained around
home until o'clock in the afternoon,
when Tom Erickson came by on his
way to singing school. Erickson had
not seen the
TWO MISSING ONES,
and Clark went again to TOrger OlsOn's
house to inquire for them. The OlsOns
had not seen them. The boy came home
and fell asleep on lounge, where he
was found by his older brother and
mother when they returned from town.
Nobody had seen Lille, but it was con-
cluded she had gone to some neigbor-
hood gathering, and the family went to
bed. HolOng's absence was scarcely
noticed and reused no suspicion. When
Mr.. Field went out at o'clock Friday
morning to do chores, he noticed that
the cattle had not been fed. He also
noticed a gate open, and went over to
shut it. On his way back he passed
through what is known as the hog
yard-quite little field, where the hogs
were allowed to run at large. The
front part of this yard is cleared, but at
it's rear there is heavy growth OF
willows. AS the brother passed through
these most horrible sight met his eyes.
There Law the body of his missing sis
ter, not only dead, but horribly mutt
lated and partially eaten by the hogs.
Every vestige of clothing was removed,
even to her shoes an d stockings. Her
throat was slitted and haggled, as if,
after the knife had penetrated, it had
been twisted about. All the principal
veins and arteries were severed. After
this had been done. the fiend had taken
the knife, which was very sharp one,
and cut open the girls body from neck
to abdomen, so that it gaped open
several inches along its en-
tire length. In addition to this
there were many minor cuts. The
hogs had gnawed great deal of flesh
from her limbs. The body had been
rolled around in the dirt until it was be-
grimed almost beyond recognition as a
once living human being. Such was
the sight that met the eyes of Charles
Field that morning. AS soon as he could
recover from the shock
HE GAVE THE ALARM.
and Coroner Bedford was notified and
went at once to the place. Suspicion
pointed to Nels Holong at once, and men
started in search of him. Traces were
day night at Wendell, station on the
Minneapolis & Pacific road, fifteen
miles from where he committed the
crime. The sheriff went there Satur-
day morning and arrested him. No vio-
lence was attempted, though ten hours
after HOlong was safe in Fergus Falls
Jail the whole country had become
aroused and he would have been strung
up to the nearest tree if found at large.
Holong was visited after being locked
up, and told his story of the crime very
readily. He said he sent Clark to the
neighbor'S with the shovel the morning
of the murder, but not with any inten-
ton of committing the deed; that he
then went into the house and asked Lii
lie to make him some tea, as he was not
feeling we'll; that she refused; that he
then asked her to give him picture of
herself, which she had promised him;
that she would not do it and they had a
quarrel; that she said he was wicked
man, called him bad names and threat
ened to kill him; that she tried to strike
him, and he struck her on the back of
the neck, she being so near he could
not hit her in the face; that she fell I'M
mediately, and he carried and dragged
her into the pasture, aud, finding her
dead, cut her up; that he must have
been crazy when he took off her clothes,
but that he made no attempt to ravish
her; that he stayed there half an hour
and then got scared and ran off, first
washing his hands, and then hiding
until it was night; and that his idea
was to get into Dakota. Holong's first
request, after being jailed, was for
minister, and he has been visited by
preachers constantly ever since. The
coroner's jury brought in a verdict in
long was arraigned within a few days
and bound over to the grand jury, which
found a true bill against him. The
trial occurred at the November term of
tho dictaiot court