St. Paul daily globe., 1893-07-30
COST HIM HIS LIFE.
HEDLAND BURNED HIS HOUSE FOR M
SURAAcE.
THE WIFE CoNFEssEs ALL.
She Is in a Deplorable State of
Mind, Being Impressed With
the Belief That the Authorities
Will Throw Her Into Prison
and Take Her Children-A
Mental and Physical Wreck.

Will Throw Her Into Prison
and Take Her Children-A
Mental and Physical Wreck.
The mystery of the Hedland house
excursion and cOntiagratiOn, which re
suited i'll Hedland'S death, is at last
solved, and the facts of the case are
startling, to say the least. After the in
vestigatiOn, Coroner Spring yesterday
morning confirmed the suSpici OH that
Hedland set fire to the house to secure
the insurance on the building.
Since Friday afternoon Mrs. Hedland
has been stopping with Mrs. Augusta
Larson, to whom she made confession
embodying the facts above stated.
| Coroner Spring went to the home of
Mrs. Larson this morning, nut found
that Mrs. Hedland had gone to the res
idence of Rev. E. A. Skogsbergh. to
complete the confession, it is said.
To the corouer Mrs. Larson stated
that Mrs. Hedland late last night told
her that her husband had intended to
burn the building for the purpose of
securing the insurance money. He had
informed her of the project, stating that
| he would pretend to go to St. Paul,
| while she was to save the children and
box of papers. He also informed the
people of the neighborhood aud the
bridge watchman that he was going to
st. Paul "Wednesday afternoon, but he
was seen by them later in the day.
These same neghborS aver that He'd
land wheeled away his trunk on bar
row, also on Tuesday, and last week
had load OF straw taken into the build
ing. The theory of Coroner Spring is
that Hedland, not understanding per
fectly the uses and effects of gasoline,
poured can of the substance over the
straw and did not wait until the gas had
evaDorated, and when he applied the
match the explosion instantly followed,
aud he was overcome and unable to rise
in time to escape from the flames.
Hedland, Investigation shows, was of
a very peculiar temperament. He fire.
| quently beat his wife, who is an invalid,
most brutallY, and she always stood in
| great fear of him. 1t is claimed that it
was his conduct that wrecked his wife's
| physical and mental health. AT any
rate, she feared him, and when he
| proposed his desperate act and de-
manded her silence, she readily prom
ised. When she left the house at 3
| O'Clock Thursday morning she saw her
husband for the last time. and was posi-
tive that he had made his escape in the
| darkness. So positive was she that she
did not believe the body was that of her
husband, else she would have confessed
before. She kept her silence for fear he
would return and wreaK vengeance on
| her.
The Door woman is in most deplora-
bic state of mind. She believes that the
authorities will throw her i'll prison and
take her children away, and in conse-
| quence has lost her self control. Life
has been burden to her for years, but
| her last experience has completely UNI
| nerved her. Mrs. Hedland is said by
her neighbors to be very pious woman.
Her husband was quite the contrary,
and sought to train his two children
according to his ideas.
Coroner Spring received from Mrs.
| Hedland the policy of insurance which
was the great tempter to the crime and
tragedy. 1t is the Minnesota standard
| policy, written in the name of Ii. j.
| Hedland, for 81, 100, in the Fire ASsocia-
ton of Philadelphia, dated April 80,
1892, as follows: Two hundred dollars
| OH dwelling, described as One-Story
frame house with shingie roof, situated
in Southeast Minneapolis, i'll the usual
terms of description; 5000 on household
| fur -, = ha of Il ri,
ton. Below this is the following
stipulation: ''1t is understood that the
house stands on ground leased for a
term of five years from Nov. l, 1891.
E. B. Ames, agent"
At the Ames agency it was learned
that they issued the policy at the time
it was dated, in April, 1892. The clerk
| remembered tine case. and recalled tie
| insured as a man of peculiar personal
| appearance, described to be large man
of strong and bony frame, who wore a
muStache, and who impressed one as a
fierce appearing man. Asked on what
representations the insurance was OBJ
tanned, the clerk SAID that the policy
Was issued on the mans representations
as to his property, and from the pre-
SentatiOn of an expiring policy which
he had been carrying. The old policy,
the clerk said, was in the Home OF New
York, issued by the Gale agency, and
that in making the new policy they fol-
lowed all of the descriptions in the old
one, and for The same amounts. 1t was
a cash policy; they held it for a
few davs, and the man came in and
paid the premiums and took the policy
away. The premium paid was Sl1. One
of the clerks remembered thaG when he
called for the policy he informed them
that he had purchased a new piano and
put it in the house since he took out his
policy. and that the piano cost 5000.
At Gale q Co.'s Office they said they
had had no record of the issue of the
Home policy or any other to the man
named. They thought that it might
have been issued by MILAN ~ Hastings
on the East side. On Inquiry there it
was found they knew nothing of any
such policy or Snch man.
Mrs. Hedland, in a conversation
with the GLOBE reporter last evening,
confirmed the story of her confession.
She said that she pleaded with her hus-
band not to fire the house, as she did
not wish to have the guilt of il on heI
SOUL" but he told her to keep quiet,
telling her he knew what he was doing.
He threatened her with harm if she did
not do as he wished. He also com
manded bec TO help HIM on the night OF
the fire, but that she fatty refused, say
ing he might do with her what he
wished, but that sin she would not have
on her conscience.
In recounting the story of the burn
ing, Mrs. Hedland said they all dressed
themselves, her husband putting Oh his
best suit. She and the children had
just passed outside of the door when
the flames shot up so rapidly that her
face was burned. As they moved far
ther away the walls seemed to be fall
ing over them. and they had to run fol
their lives. She was so excited all this
time that she does not remember hav-
ing heard the explosion.
While the wife and children were
passing out the husband remained be-
hind to fire the building. He was
caught in the flames and perished, but
of this she knew nothing, thinking he
had gone to st. Paul. She reiterated
L