The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-13
BLEU DID THE DEED
CONFESSES THAT HE MURDERED
HIS BEST FRIEND, JOHN
PROSSER.
THE BOYS WERE HUNTING
WHEN HE YIELDED TO LIE TEMP
TATION TO KILL HIS COM
PANION
FOR A FEW PALTRY DOLLARS.
Murderer Found In n WOrkhouse-
His Mother Heart
broken.
THE BOYS WERE HUNTING
FOR A FEW PALTRY DOLLARS.

of the finding Of Prosser'S body near
Herman, MINI. This morning it tells
of the crime, crime as brutal as ever
committed in this tate. Without pro-
vocation, other than a desire to obtain
a paltry sum of money, Daniel Bleu put
bullet through the head Of the man
who had befriended him, who had
given him bread when he was in want
and who had placed every confidence
in him.
The murderer and his victim are both
Minneapolis boys, the former but
twenty-one years of age and the lat
ter, at the time of his death, in his
eighteenth year. They had left their
homes in Minneapolis last July. Pros
ser had secured work with a farmer
named H. G. Hanson, near Herman,
and shortly after his arrival there Sc
| cured employment for his friend Dan
Bleu, on the farm of Peter Nelson. in
the same vicinity. He paid Bleu's eX-
penses to the home of his new employ
er and befriended him in other ways.
The men spent considerable time to-
| gether when thus employed. On Sun
day, Oct. 2, they left the Nelson farm
house to go hunting. Prosser never re-
turned. Bleu went back to his employ
er's house on the evening of the same
day. For two days he stayed there.
His employer was indebted to him in
the sum of SAP, but Bleu pleaded anX-
iety to return to Minneapolis, and Of
fered to settle for SO. This his en-
ployer gave him, and he left.
]. H. Prosser, residing at Ala Fiji
teenth avenue southeast, this city,
father of John Prosser, learned of the
disappearance of his son, and inquiries
were sent in all directions. For a month
the anxious father kept up his search
His son had been in the habit of writ
ing to him regularly, and the sudden
termination of all communication and
the mysterious disappearance of the
boy convinced the parent that harm
had come to his boy.
The service of the police department
was enlisted, but nothing could be
learned until kilograms received in
Minneapolis Thursday brought the in
formation that the body of Prosser
had been discovered on a farm about
two miles east of Herman.
Suspicion was, of course, attached to
Bleu. The recovery of the body with
the bullet hole in the back of the head
left no doubt as to the cause Of death.
Yesterday morning a reporter called
at the residence of Mrs. Thompson, 800
Fifteenth avenue southeast, and in
quired for Dan. He was at the work
house, the mother said. During the
morning, Also the police discovered
that the man they wanted was serving
term at the workhouse on the charge
of larceny.
Supt. Smith and Inspector Doyle, of
the police department, Immediately left
for the workhouse. Supt. Maloy sent
for Bleu and in the office of the super
intendent the alleged murderer told the
story of the crime. At first Bleu would
volunteer no information. He would
simply answer questions as they were
asked him. Gradually the officials drew
from him an account of his actions up
to the day of the murder.
"Now, Bleu did you not murder
Prosser?" asked Inspector Doyle.
BLEU CONFESSES.
Eyes, I did it." repeated the man
slowly, with an apparent sigh of re-
lief. He had carried his secret for a
month or more, and though he might
hang for his crime, with the load once
lifted he was anxious to tell the whole
horrible tale, of how he had killed his
best friend; killed him for the money
he would perhaps have given him. The
confession is as follows:
1t was Sunday afternoon, the date Bleu
could not remember. John Prosser had pur-
chased a new gun which he intended taking
| with him to the city, but having nothing to
do Sunday he suggested to Bleu that they
go shooting. Blow got his gun and they
started. They left about o'clock in the
afternoon. They kept walking until they had
/ al,nI CrAnf h6ty ft1rn Nno1 1o1yn
about half a mile from the farm house of
Peter Nelson, for whom they were working.
Prosser was walking on the left hand side
of Bleu, who was carrying his gun with the
muzZle resting over his left arm, and point
ing directly at Prosser's head.
"When we started out" said Bleu, AZ
had not intention whatever of doing any
harm to Prosser, who had always been a
friend of mine. I knew that he had money
in his clothes, and all of a sudden the
thought of shooting him for that money
came to me. 1 do not know what made
me do it. The moment I thought of it, I
pulled the trigger, and Prosser fell to the
ground without saying a word. The back
Of his head was blown off and when q
looked at him he was dead"
Continuing Bleu said that he then re-
turned to the farm house and got shovel.
He went back to where the body of Prosser
was laying and went through his pockets,
taking therefrom about 500 or $54 He then
dug hole in the ground about three feet
deep, put the body in it, and covered it over
with the earth. Taking Prosser's gun he
walked over to the edge of the water and
| threw the gun as far as he could into the
| lake. The lake was only about 100 yards
| from the spot where he had killed Prosser.
| After this Bleu returned to the farm house
where he stayed for two days. He was
| frightened, however, and anxious to gel
! away. He could not help thinking of the
murder and did not want to remain in the
whom he worked, owed him S42, and he
(Bleul offered to settle for $40 if Nelson
would give it to him Immediately. This
Nelson did, and Bleu came to Minneapolis.
| visiting the East Side walked across tbe
steel arch bridge, dropping the gun into
| the water but few yards from the bank
| at the west end of the bridge.
| Before coming over he had gone to the
barber shop of Sam Reynolds 400 Four
| teenth avenue southeast, where he changed
$40 in silver, which he had procured from
| ProSSer'S pockets, for bills.
He said that he had expended most of
| his money for liquor in various saloons
about the city, and had bought few ar
tieles Of clothing. He and Prosser had al
together great deal during the past few
years, and Prosser, he said, had never
done anything to injure him in any way.
! He did not know why he. had murdered
him. The idea of doing so and the KILN
was all over in a minute, and then he had
to make the best of it. When he retnrned
10 his home he said his sister had asked
MN Where Prosser was, and he said he did
not know NJ uiu
Toward the end of his story, Bleu broke
down and cried like a child.
THE MOTHER HEARTBRoKEN
my Cod now I shall die" was the
brokenhearted cry of Mrs. John M
Thompson when informed by report
er yesterday evening that her son was
arrested for the murder of John Pros
| ser. Il have stood it when he went to
the Workhouse and when he did little
things, but now if he goes to prison
for life or hangs, Twill poison myself y