The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1900-01-31

q Il
HOLDEN IS INSANE.
The Murderer Of Frank Dodge Goes
TO Rochester Asylum. !
A Saltwater special of Jan. 24th
states that Clifton cClelland Hold
en-, who was sent up from this coun-
ty for life for the murder Of his
cousin, Frank Dodge, about the
same time that Rose was .jerked into
eternity, has been adjudged insane
and ordered taken to the Rochester
insane asylum. His arrangement
was brought about by brooding
over the fact that other lifers had
been released from the pen,, while
he was compelled to remain there
without any interference on his
behalf. His insanity will uudoubt-
eddy result in his death, which may
be looked for during the next few
years. When Holden was last seen
at the Saltwater prison by repre-
sentative Of this paper he seemed
to have been reduced to almost
physical wreck, and it was stated
then that'he would probably be in
an insane asylum before many years
passed away.
On the morning of Nov. "a, 1888,
two young men, returning from a
dance, discovered what proved to
be the lifeless form of Frank Dodge,
in clump Of weeds just few rods
west of the ruins of the old creamery
on Bridge street. The young men
informed the proper authorities.
and an investigation commenced at
once. This resulted in the arrest
of Clifton Holden, who has just been
transferred from Saltwater to Ro-
chester
1t appears that on the evening be
fore Holden and Dodge were coming
Ito Redwood Falls together from
Morton. They were cousins and
Holden was to take the train from
here to his home in Rochester. A
team was secured at Morton. When
a few miles east of the city and after
dark, Holden pulled a gun from his
pocket and shot Dodge through the
head, killing him instantly. He
allowed the body to remain in the
buggy until after he got to the
clump of weeds on Bridge street,
when he stopped his team, removed
the body from the box and placed it
in the weeds. Before doing this,
however, he took quite a large sum
of money from Dodges clothes and
placed it in one Of his pockets.
Holden stayed around town that
night, but the next morning re-
turned to Morton. When the au-
thorities commenced an investlga-
ton Holden was ordered placed un-
der arrest, and was brought to this
city and placed in the caboose.
While confined in this lookup he
told various stories, admitting his
knowledge of Dodges death, but
saying that he killed himself. The
buggy used in the drive to Redwood
Falls contained blood.
The day after the crime had been
committed aud Holden was placed
under arrest he was ordered to re-
move his clothing. Determined
not to let Sheriff Mead see the mon
ey he quickly threw the roll in a
bed tick. In doing SO so bill
fell to the floor, which the sheriff
shortly afterwards found. The bed
tick, however, was also removed,
and the next day Holden asked a
caller what the sheriff had done
with the money in the bed tick.
The caller didn't know anything
about the money, but promised to
find out. The sheriff was found
and the oed tick was taken into the
clerk of courts Office and contents
emptied on the floor. Nothing was
found in the straw but the roll was
eventually found in the chaff. This
furnished the foundation Tor motive,
and was the most important evil
dence against Holden in the trial
On May Is, 1889, Holden was in
dicted for murder and on May II he
entered plea of not guilty. On
May % a jury was empanelled and
Holden S trial commenced. On May
18th, after the attorneys on both