The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-13
"DANSKA' JOHN'SCASH
CONTEST OVER THE POSSESSION
OF THE MONEY is NOW ON
IN EARNEST
NATIVITY IS IN QUESTION

An Effort to BE Made to Show That
the Old Man Was a Dane-Ohfo
Claimant VIII Seek to Prove That
"Danska" John Was Her Father
sVenssen Seems to Have Been
Secretive AS to His EARLY History.
Inc contest over the estate of Dan
SKA" John, the old man who died in q
novel In Swede hollow In September.
1897, leaving $1,000 in cash, and for which
whole school of claimants have arisen.
is on in earnest
Dr. Nelson, as the Danish consul, was
originally appointed administrator, under
the superstition that the dead man was a
Dane Then Vice Consul Hobe claimed
Danska' John as a Swede, and found a
colony OF relatives in Sweden, and, final
ly. woman living in Cincinnati filed a
claim for the estate on the ground that
she was the daughter of the old man.
All the parties were represented in court
yesterday-Vice Consul Hobe by G. J..
Lomen. Consul Nelson by ]. F. George
and the daughter by Palmer &. Beck.
The matter came up on proof of heir
ship, In an application for partial distri-
button of the estate, and the first wit
ness called was Mrs. Johanna Christina
Benson, OF Iowa, a daughter of 'Danska''
johns half brother, Sven. Mrs Benson
testified that she was born In Ezra Hal
land, Sweden, and the dead man was her
uncle. His name was Johan Svensson.
and he also was born at Ezra, in 1927. Al
ha o. 90 oh
left Sweden and went to Denmark, even
tually coming to this city, about thirty
years ago. Mrs. Benson described her
uncle, as she remembered him, as having
q peculiar double under lip that was not
easily forgotten. In Denmark Svensson
had worked for a man named Bendixon.
Her father had owed Svensson money,
and the latter had used Bendixon as a
medium of collection in $780, The witness
had gone back to the old country on a
visit in 1880, and remained there four
years. The family then had not heard
from John for years, and never did hear
from him until the report of the death
was noticed in a Swedish paper
SvENSSON sECRETIvE.
Capt. Berger testified that as census
cAuiuoTdtOr ne ndQ Cali6Q On SVenSSOn IN
1886, and the old man had given his BIRTH
place as Sweden Apparently, however
Svensson had been very chary in con-
versing with his neighbors about his ear
ly history, because there was practically
no direct testimony.
Louis H. Olson told about how Sven
sson had asked him at one time to write
a letter to Sweden to ascertain whether
his brother Sven was still living. Owing,
however, to a lack of ink, the letter was
never written.
Helen johnson, who lived near the cd
mon on Phalen creek, remembered Sven
sson coming to her house on one occa-
sion to have letter written.
Peter Erickson, of 21a Swede Hollow.
mad also been asked to write
Peter Larson, neighbor, told how he
had called on the old man Just prior to
MS death, and of having asked where
his relatives lived in the old country.
Svensson had replied that he had broth
ers living near Halland, in Sweden.
The hearing was continued until June
%, when an effort will be made to show
that the dead man was Dane, and the
Ohio claimant will endeavor ito prove
That Danska John was her father.