The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-11
He Isl DANGEROUS Crank.
John O. Petersen Irnagines He
Is Heir to a Fortune.
THREATENS TO KILL ATTORNEY
NIELSEN.
Claims to Have Had Revelations
From God and the Devil-Letters
Which Show That the Man Has a
Disordered Brain.

ABOUT TWO years ago an individual
named John Oscar Petersen, who resided
at Murray and who appeared TO be labor
ing under the Authorization that someone
= Sweden. of which country he is a ma
tive, had bequeathed aim large fortune.
called upon Attorney c. NJ Nielsen, whom
he informed that 1t had been revealed 70
him in dream that Nielsen was the only
man who could obtain the money for nin.
He gave Mr.. Nielsen just a month ID get
u1S property. and q -dne same told the at
torney that if ne failed w.tnin the spec
fed time TO turn over the cash, he was
commanded by the devil 10 kill the at
torney. he made several cai-s on Mr..
Nielsen within a short time, and repeated
Ms statement and threat and would not
Listen to reason or argument. ard things
were getting very ugly when suddenly
Petersen disappeared, and il was learned
that he had gone 20 Chicago
Nothing more was hearu of him until
about ten days ago. when Mr.. Nielsen
received a letter from him ated at Muir
ray, and written in the swedish IAN
ton of the communication:
HILDA AND CHRISTINA.
Murray, July 80. 1897
Attorney C. NJ. Nielsen:
Again L take my pen in hand to write
you 10 ask you what you intend To do
with my money. / have in accordance
with q revelation from on high written
10 The Norwegian government and in
formed them thai You and Miss Hilda and
Snrisf.na, Daniel Harrington and a.
Grip, minister from Sweden and Norway
TO the United States, have entered into a
conspiracy TO rob me of my inheritance.
1nis IS IN accordance with the knowledge
tna- / have received by revelation. Now,
do not believe that You intend to steal
my money, but you are a genuine Morse
man. and the girls came from the same
place. and You intend TO help them 10
rob me- Now. you know that l am A
married man and have a good wife and
children, and l will not forsal1e them to
marry those two girls. You intend 10
they get Judgment against me you Will
have the money TO turn over TO them.
Through revelation | have obtained the
keys TO the tree of life. What do you and
Harrington intend to do, anyway? | want
You to understand you have a man 10
deal with, and you must be prepared to
take the consequences.
y ours very truly.
JOHN OSCAR PETERSEN"
1t appears that Petersen consulted At
torney Harrington about getting his sup
posed fortune, and that is how Harring-
tons name comes TO be mixed up IN the
affair.
ANOTHER LETTER.
A few days ago Mr.. Nielsen again heard
from his peculiar client. A free trans |
lation of the letter is as follows:
Murray. Aug. ), 1897.
My Dear Attorney G. NJ. Nielsen:
Il wrote you on July 80, but can see |
that neither you or Mr.. Harrington pay |
any attention to what l write you. You !
cannot any longer make fool of me in |
this way. know positively that the |
money has come TO you lawyers. This /
has not been conveyed to
me by man, but by my father in heaven.
more days to turn over that money. Be
like a man and come out to me ana take |
out of court that case you have against |
me on behalf of Hilda and Christina. The
charge they have brought against me is
without foundation. / have. never had
anything TO do with them and | don't |
away from you. am sorry that you are
so easily influenced by girls l can swear
before the almighty that those girls have
no claim against me. They are con-
can tell the girls when they come up to
your office again that the best thing for
hem 10 do-is to turn over the money you
nave to Petersen and let him go to Norway
10 receive the balance of his fortune, and
then when he comes back they can get
he whole thing. Yours very truly,
JOHN OSCAR PETERSEN"
Petersen is evidently dangerous crank.
VINO the girls, Hida and Christina are
having been left a fortune is a pure inn
sgining of his own brain, but it is an
dea that he has chung to for years and is
itill pursuing.
FROM THE SWEDISH MINISTER
Mr.. Nielsen, when Petersen consulted
i'm two years ago wrote to the Swedish
.bout the affair and received the follow
ng reply:
c. NJ. Nielsen. Esq, Salt Lake City:
Dear Sir-In regard to your letter
bout one ]. o. Petersen, wish to inform
'ou that the same person has been writ
ng to this legation for years concerning
N inheritence that he claims from two
elatives in Totem. Norway. He has also
written to the department of the interior
n Norway and after due investigation
10Th the government at home and our
elves find there is nothing at all in his
tatement: He must be either a practical
oker or else he suffers from slight dis
rider of the brain. Yours truly,
A, GRIP. Minister
Mr.. Nielsen has consulted the county
ttorney about the matter and some steps
viii likely be taken TO restrain Petersen
rom committing any breach of the peace.
S he appears to be quite dangerous. He
as wife and family living at Murray
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