Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1898-03-18
Suicide of Walter Van Ettan.

ILNt SilSCIrtLS C1UUV CuUnuCLlC. TUG or Pho.
II c. c. c. fail to cure, druggists refund money.
Suicide of Walter Van Ettan.
The st. Paul Dispatch gives particu-
lars of the suicide of Walter Van Ettan,
a son of Attorney Thomas Van Ettan of
Sank Rapids, and one of the best
known old timers in Bismarck, who
came to Bismarck in 1873, and was a
resident of the city for ten years. He
practiced law in Bismarck for a number
of years, held a position as justice OF
the peace, and owned a farm east of the
city, which he sold just before the
boom for a large sum-. Van Ettan
moved to his old home at Sank Rapids
after selling HE property. The Dis
patch says:
John Pauls showed out his skiff from
the foot of Olive street yesterday about
10 o'clock, intending to make a line
fast to something floating down the
Mississippi. Pauls mistook the object
for a log of wood, and, as his business is
the collection of fire wood, he thought
the log a prize.
He padded near the object with pow.
erful sweeps, and as he approached
closer, the floating thing twisted in the
current, and the boatman saw the pal
lid features of a dead man.
Pauls made a line to the corpse and
towed it to the bank. and after making
it fast, he ran up and notified a police
officer.
Coroner Nelson ordered the body
dragged out upon the bank. It immed-
lately became evident that the corpse
was in an excellent state of preserva, lou.
The features were those of a man whose
walks of life had evidently been in
! pleasant places. He wore a splendid
suit of dark clothes, and had on a pair
of closely woven wooden mittene, but no
%overcoat.
Coroner Nelson ordered the body
taken to the county morgue; and there
made a closer inspection of the body.
The dead man was evidently about 80
or IS years of age. medium height, wore
a dark mustache, and was a rather
handsome man, with smooth skin.
In the clothing we're found a number
of letters which seemed to indicate a
repetition Of a story told SO often dur
ing the past few years Of financial de-
preston. The dead man had evidently
been down on his luck and in a moment
Of acute depression had jumped into
the icy waters of the river.
1t was ascertained from the contents
of the. clothing that the dead man was
Walter Van Ettan, son of County At.
torney Van Ettan, of Sank Rapids.
The letter quoted above was not the
only one which suggested than Van
Ettan had been a victim of hard circum-
stances. There were kindly letters from
Thomas Van Ettan, presumably the
dead mans father. Two or three of
these letters contained the information
that money had been sent, and all re-
peated the urgent invitation, "We wish
you would come home"
There were other letters, and some
contained glowing recommendations in
behalf of the unfortunate, from men he
had worked for. Walter Van Ettan
was evidently a clerk and bookkeeper,
Still another letter was discovered
which may possibly suggest a love-af-
fair and disastrous results. The letter
bore no signature and was full of sug.
gestion. It read thus:
Mr.. Walter Van Ettan-
Dear Sir: I heard you were in Min
odpOl 6uu WdutI W $50 YOU very u1uCu,
if possible. If you receive this, let me
hear from you. Address in care of c
department, Golden Rule, for two
weeks. After that, same old address.
There was no'signature to this letter.
The writing was in a delicate feminine
hand. The letter was dated December
26.
Other letters dated December % were
also found in Van Ettan's pockets, but
at that date the letters either ceased O
the young man ended his life. A wallet
containing one cent vas found in hi
trousers pocket.
It is evident that the dead man com
mitted suicide. No marks of violence
were found upon his person. The cor
oner believes the body has been in the
water two months, but the icy condi
ton of the water has preserved the
features we'll.
Coroner Nelson has wired County At
torney Van Ettan of the finding of the
body and is awaiting instructions as tt
it's final disposition.