The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-14
BODY OF MORTENSON
IT MAY BE AN ISSUE IN THE
NORTH ST. PAUL ELECTION
TODAY
UNDERTAKEN A CANDIDATE

Keep Records of the Village
Friends of the Dead Man Are
Hunting fra Vain for the Corpse
Mueller Sent 1t to the Dis
sectors.
John Mortensons suicide at North st.
Paul week ago last Sunday may yet
prove an issue in the village election, to
be held there today.
Public feeling is running high there
over the consignment of the corpse of a
popular young man to the dissecting table
of a medical college. and the undertaken
who is now running for recorder may find
when the votes are counted tonight that
he has been the victim of an unfortunate
combination of circumstances.
III. H Stay, foreman of the piano works
where Mortenson was employed. who was
chiefly instrumental in the taking of the
collection for the burial of the remains.
visited the medical department Of the
state university in search Of the body.
but in vain. He also consulted DR.. Park
Richie. dean of the department, but with
out eliciting any information Of a con-
solatory nature Later he called to see
the county attorney.
Yesterday Undertaken Joseph Mueller
announced that If the friends of the I'M
fortunate young man desire he will bring
back the remains tomorrow from the
medical department of the state univer-
Sity for interment. Furthermore, although
the county attorney has been consulted by
persons who are taking an interest in the
matter. the undertaken declares that in
disposng of the body as he did, he was
acting under his rights and Is not amena-
BILE to the law. In statement to The
G o b yesterday Mr.. Mueller said:
'Mortenson committed suicide Sun
day and died early Monday morning. Dur
ing the forenoon l telephoned the coroner,
who came out and viewed the remains. He
decided that an inquest would be unneceS-
sary. At noon / went down to the probate
court. following the advice of some Of my
friends and secured the appointment of a
special administrator of the estate. All
that Mortenson possessed was claim for
1894. due him from the Earhuff Piano
company, for whom he worked.
when | got back to North St. Paul I
was approached by Charles Waldin, with
whom Mortenson had roomed and Olaf
Nelson, the owner of the house. They
told me that they had claims against the
estate for s32. which consisted of money
loaned and unpaid rent They said they
wanted the money.
about 3 o'clock on Tuesday I called on
c. A. Hillstrom. a real estate dealer.
whom some of the people that started
this fuss have claimed to be my fellow
conspirator.' 1 went to him as q friend
and asked him, as / had not time myself,
to go to Waldin and Nelson and explain
to the boys that if they would permit me
to dispose of the body as 1 wished I
would see that they get 500 or more out
OF their claim. They had previously told
me that they were willing to accept half,
as they did not want me to defray the
cost of burial myself. He said he would
go over in an hour to see the boys. When
he came back l asked him if they were
satisfied. and he said they were
Then I put the body in case Waldin
came over and helped me, and while we
We're fixing the case I asked him if he
was satisfied with the arrangement and
he said he was. Up to this time l had
only thought of giving the body a pauper
burial. but then ! got to thinking and
telegraphed DR.. Erdman, of the state
university, Have body of suicide. re-
cefVed an immediate reply to send the
body over, and on IL o'clock Tuesday the
requisition came and I shipped the body"
The claim that l said l was going to
not true What is more in telegra phing
the university l was obeying the law.
According to the law it is compulsory
Tor an undertaken to. deliver. the body to
the university under penalty Of inprisou-
ment for not more than ninety DAYS. or
a line of from s25~ to $500. AS for the nav
there Is nothing said. OF course, the au-
thorltles can pay S. or $50 or 500, If thew
desire This applies to all cases where
the body is not claimed by the friends
OF relatives within thirty-six hours. And
py the way the only relative Mortenson
had was an uncle in Wisconsin some
where. who was telegraphed and has
never responded
men IL appears. some of Mortenson.s
aIiehuS were not satisfied. Waldin and
Nelson claimed that 1 had promised "a
bury the body at Forest eemetery A.
least they say they Understood it so :
am not responsible for what they under
STOOD Mine was d business pronosition
70 them and l did not think any one else
had any interest in the matter at all
On saturday Waldin and II. H. Stav
lor "hon Mortenson had worked. called
on me and L told them all the circ,r,~
stances. I said, IF YOU are NOT satiSsna
LII go and bring the body back waIdin
was satisfied. but Stay was NOT T u,art
over 10 minneapolis right away and con,
VI Erdman. who said could act accord,
ing TO my Judgment. The BODY hos hao,,
emoalmed and is in better shape now fo,.
burial than ever before without h,er.
lsh except the bullet holes and q blac-
eye. L arranged to have the body Ieft
at my disposal until "Wednesday ana
men, II any one wants it buried will
oury 1t and take my charges out of the
estate. ' VI lhe
These people agitated this affair ~
seems TO me. for long time before com
ing TO me. as they should have done Is
there had been any wrong done I was tho
person to right it, Furthermore tbere
was no subscription taken up for burial
nave had experiences with these snh.
scripuons before. and have two or tbrea
accounts on my books now The tro,,bIe
Is that these people are looking at this
matter from sentimental standnoint
ana L from the point of view of an nm
dertaker' " OH un-
nave been called on by certain mar
eies III reference to this Mortenson az
Ialr. said County Attorney BireIow VOC
terday. L told them that l wanted fsc+s
ana they promised to produce them Tha1
nave not done SO yet. However II -
an lnolsputable fact that even q cornss
mas some rights under the law p'e