Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-04-05
Nels Nelson, of Hiteman, Commits
Suicide in River Bottoms.
BODY DISCOVERED. THIS MORNING.
Two Hunters Find Grewsom. lsody
Hanging to Tree Near the Morrell
Leo House, West Of tho City 'is
Nelson q Miner
From Wednesdays Daily.

n Nels Nelson, Hiteman coal miner,
committed Suicide last night ~ hang
ing. His lifeless body was found about
o'clock this morning suspended from
a willow tree near .he Morrell ice
house in the west end by 10 Jacques
and U. S. Grant, who had been duck
hunting in that neighborhood. The
police were Immediately notified and
Chief Williams and Officer Noah TAX
ing the patrol wagon, went 10 the
scene Of the crime, cut. the body down
and conveyed it to the undertaking es-
tablishments Of 3. wv: McIntire; & Co.,
where. Coroner Powell will hold an in
quest tomorrow morning. isl9sr
Early this morning 10 Jacques and
U. S. Grant went up the river where
the ducks are supposed to be thickest,
and after tramping around for some
time, concluded to return. When about
100 yards east of the Morrell ice house
and close to the waters edge, Mr.. Ja-
ques discerned something hanging
from a willow tree that had grown in
a slanting position. A closer examina-
ton revealed the fact that the object
was man with short length of
doubled clothes line around his neck.
After satisfying themselves that the
man was dead, both men hurried TO a
telephone and notified the police.
Chief Williams, Officer Noah and
Courier reporter at once went out to
the place in the patrol wagon. Out
Second street went the wagon until
the first street east OF the ice house
was sreached;' near the river the road
turns west again and a. short distance
from this turn the body was found
kneeling on the soft ground with the
rope sunk into the neck and small
crowd of West End people viewing the
sight. 10y 9S5s+
Hefaced! the east and the bright sun
shining OH. his dead body presented
anything but pleasant sight to the
onlookers. His hat was still on his
head, his mouth was wide open, his
eyes CLASSY and staring and his knees
were dug into the soft ground. A
nearly new overcoat lay on a bush a
few feetfrom the body and pint bot
| tie of whisky lay underneath it. Still
another bottle containing half piut
Iof the stuff was found on the inside
pocket of his coat. Chief Williams re-
moved his watchtfronf the pocket and
BIT was. still running, thus showing that
the deed. was done some. time last
night. The chief cut the body down;
it was loaded into the wagon and
ibroughS to the city. The body was
taken to j.. w. McIntire's undertaking
establishment where an inventory of
his effects was taken. 1t was found
that besides the watch which is of the
Aurora make, he had $3.15 in money,
a 32-calibre revolver with three cart
ridges in the cylinder, pair of spec
tacles, half dozen cigars, snuff box,
a knife with bone handle, m enve-
1ope with Cheadle q Ford's address on
it, and card on which was the name. of
clerk in a down town clothing store.
George /. Woollett was called to
the undertaking rooms and identified
the man as Nels Nelson, a miner, who
lived in Hiteman. At is said Nelson
and four or five other men, residents
of Hiteman, have been in Ottumwa
since Friday, celebrating, and it is sup
posed that Nelson in fit of despond-
ency, largely induced by a too free in
diligence in whisky, conceived the idea
of suicide. He procured about ten
feet of worn clothes line some place
and selecting the river bank as like
ly place to do the job. doubled the line,
slipping one end thru the loop made
by doubling the line and tied the 9th
er end to the slanting tree. He must
have been well fortified with whisky
to do the work, because, the tree to
which the rope was tied was no high
er than his breast. He. deliberately
knelt down and let the rope around his
windpipe do the. rest His watch was
still running and when Chief Williams
took it. from the mans pocket, the
hands pointed to;9:i5. u. I