The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-11-10
HUNG HIMSELF.

evening in the mysterious disappear
ance of L. P. Nelson, who left his
home north of the city Wednesday
evening, and the fact OF bis threats
to end his life and his peculiar actions
of late were referred to as pointing to
suicide. The fears of his relatives
were confirmed this forenoon when
his lifeless body was found in thicket
of woods and underbrush about a
mile from his home.
Saturday Frank Svartengren
and his ten year old SOD, Philip,
started out tohunt rabbits, and about
y O'Clock the boy found the body or
Nelson. 1t was partially lying upon the
ground at the foot of a ten foot rise
in the ground, in thick growth OF
underbruSh and young trees In
horse pasture on the Chapman farm,
about four miles north OF the city
hall. A rope much smaller than such
as is used for clotheSline purposes
was fastened about his neck IN
Shining moose and was tied to a small
oak tree about five feet from the
ground. The distance from the point
where the rope was attached to the
tree to the mans neck was about
thirty inches, so that while the body
was lying on the ground face forward
and facing away from the hill the
head and shoulders were held up by
the rope The body had stiffened In
it's bent position-bent backward and
little to the left, the face looking
slightly upward and the eyes partly
open. The face was not blackened by
strangulation, and the rope did not
press upon the throat at the wind
pipe.
The rope had bloody spots upon it
up to the place where the knot on the
tree was. The mans left hand and
wrist were blood stained, and under
the hand was pool of clothed blood.
Six feet in the direction of the house
was another and larger pool of blood.
In Nelson's coat pocket was an Ordi-
nary jack knife, and the large blade
was covered with blood. From the
appearance of things it was evident
that Nelson had first cut the artery
of his left wrist and after loosing con-
siderable blood had tied the rope to
the tree and tried to make sure work
by hanging himself. 1t would be dit
ticult to say for a certainty, but it ap-
peared as though the cause of death
was loss of blood rather than strangul-
alton. In trying to hang himself,
Nelson had stretched himself out at
full length so as to throw his weight
upon his throat. with his feet and
knees on the ground behind him and
up hill.
The place where the body was found
was far from any road, and more than
a mile from the main St. Peter road.
1t was only reached by driving along
private road and taking down wire
fence and driving across the pasture
to the woods.
Mr.. Svartengren came to the city
as soon as he found the body and noti-
fed the officers at 10 o'clock. Coroner
Shoemaker, Deputy Coroner Brown,
Chief Yates, Chas. Anderson, of John
Klein & Co.'S, and a FREE PRESS re-
porter Immediately drove out to Mel
sons house and thence to the place
where the body was lying still I'm.
touched, where it had probably been
hanging since Wednesday evening
The remains were brought to the city
and taken to Klein & Co.'S under
taking esta blishment.
Mrs. Nelson was found at her home
very small. house opposite McMul
lens stone quarry. She was greatly
distressed over the death of her hus.
band. She stated to the FREE PRESS
reporter that her husband was born
in Sweden and was 4S years old, and
that they had lived in this country
ten years. Said she:
During the rs years that we have
been married, whenever anything
went wrong my husband threatened
to kill himself. He did this every
once in while. We bought farm
last Saturday, near Eagle Lake, and
were to be allowed to occupy the up
per story. We drove out Tuesday and
| had 10 sleep in d cold room and eat
cold food. When my husband came
out Wednesday morning we worked
hard in the corn field all day, and at
night | told him could not stay IN
the cold room and eat cold food any
longer. He hitched up the horse and
we drove home. After putting ur
the horse at home he went out with
out saying anything and went to a
neighbours. John Johnson. On the
way home he said to me that he want.
ed to be dead. said [ could not get
along without him and could not at
tend to things. We haYe had eleven
children, but only one, a daughter, is