The Saint Paul globe., 1897-09-25
DEATH FOLLOWED THE BLOW.
Andrew Carlson Believed to be the
Victim of a Saloon Row.

Andrew Carlson, about twenty-three
years of age, laborer from Richfield,
Mimi, died this morning at the Gen.
trail hotel, 122 Second street south,
managed by Nelson Bros, presumably
from a fractured skull, or concussion
of the brain, the result of murderous
blow on the head from an unknown
hand Thursday night. Nelson's ante
mOrtem statement was that he had
been assaulted by two thugs on Sec
ond street, and that one of them struck
him with a bottle. There is reason to
doubt that he received the fatal blow
in that manner however, as robbery
does not appear to have been a mo-
tive. In the absence of any informa-
ton as to the circumstances under
which he was assaulted, the police,
who are thoroughly mystified, are III
clined to think that he was the victim
of a saloon row.
Carlson went into the saloon run
in connection with the hotel, shortly
after o'clock Thursday night. He
bought glass of beer. He exchanged
a few remarks of an inconsequental
nature with Nels Nelson, and then
left the place. He walked down Sec
ond street toward the Milwaukee
yards at Third avenue south.
Nelson states that Carlson staggered
into the saloon again about fifteen
cut an inch in length on the upper
left side of his forehead, said that two
men set aupon him within a block of
the lodging house. His story was that
he was walking quietly along the
street before reaching the railroad
yards, when his assailants .sprang out
from a vacant place, one of them
smashing a bottle over his head and
knocking him senseless before he
could offer resistance. When he be-
came conscious he claimed to have
missed a dollar which he had in his
pocket, and insisted that he had been
robbed. Carlson was asked If he want
ed the wound dressed, to which he re-
piled that it was not serious, and that
he had already applied piece of
sticking plaster He complained OF
being dizzy and appeared to be slight
ly out of his head. AS he was also
sick at his stomach the proprietor
mixed him a drink of bitters, for
which he paid 10 cents. His statement
that he had been struck with bottle
was borEe out by the fragments of
glass found on his hat, and the fine
pieces with which his clothes were
powdered.
Nelson said that he wanted to stay
all night and was shown to room
by c. Peterson, porter. When Harry
Johnson, a laborer, who occupied an
other bed in the room, retired some
time later, Carlson was snoring loudly
and muttering in his sleep. When
Johnson arose yesterday morning,
Carlson was still alive and was talking
incoherently. Thinking that he was
dreaming his room mate paid no at
tention to him, but went away.
Peterson entered the room an hour
later and found that Carlson was dead.
He informed the proprietors, who at
a
ner.
Detective John Hoy and Inspector
Joseph Ryan went at once to the lodg-
ing house, and, after viewing the re-
mains, made systematic search for
any evidences of a struggle along Sec
ond street They found nothing in the
nature of a clue on which to work. They
afterwards visited the saloons and
Questionable resorts in the neighbor-
hood, but could find no one possessed
of any information as to a fight which
might aid them in throwing any light
on the mystery. Detective Hoy be-
lieves that the powdered glass found
on Carlson's clothes could not have
come from a bottle with which an
ordinary blow had been struck. He is
the opinion that Carlson might have
wandered into some resort in the neigh
borhood, become involved in quarrel
with some hard character, and that the
latter hit him on the head with a glass.
In his dazed condition it would have
been difficult for him to describe the
assault as it actually occurred after
ward.
Deputy Coroner Nelson viewed the
body, and after searching the clothes,
ordered it removed to the county NOR
que. The condition of the body, he
said, indicated that death was due to
an injury of the brain In one of his
pockets was found small money bag
containing a silver dollar, a 25cent
piece and 2 cents. The finding of the
money indicates that Carlson was mis-
taken when he said that he had been
robbed. The only other articles found
in the pockets were cigar and an un-
marked note book. He had evidently
died hard, as his fists were tightly
clenched and his features distorted He
had also been seized with a fit of nau-
sea.
The wound did not have the appear
ance of being fatal. 1t looked like a
simple abrasion of the skin. Deputy
Nelson accounted for the absence Of
blood stains on his clothing by the fact
that the wound was of such a nature
that little or no blood would have es-
capped.
Nothing is known as to Carlson's an