Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1900-01-19
SUICIDE.
O,,e of the Most Horrible Hap
1essSsgs That tho Record Has
Had Occasion to Report.
Christiass Hanson, Takes a. Shot
0ssss and, s0tth the A,szxle to
HIS Forehead, Fires,
The Deceased Leaves q Wife and
Stc Children, the Oldest About
Nine Years of. Age.

!, Last Sunday evening about half
past 8 O'Clock the family of Christian
Hanson, living in this county few
miles from Westfield and not far from
the state line, retired to bed as usual,
in happy ignorance of the terrible
tragedy that was to visit their home
before the rising of the morrow's sun.
a little after 10 o'clock Mrs. Hanson
.awoke and found that her husband
was not in the house. She arose and
called her son, about II or IS years old,
the child of former husband. On q
table was box Of shells that was not
there when they retired; also, a brief
note written by Mr.. Hanson, saying,
81 die for the family" Further in
vestigation revealed the fact that the
shotgun was missing. AS Mr.. Han
son had for some time seemed morose
and troubled and had acted strangely,
the wife and her son feared to go out
side to search for the missing man,
fearing that he might do one or both
Of ,them injury. So they did nothing
until daylight Monday morning, when
. search was begun. That search was
brief. Lying near wagon, about a
rod from the southwest corner of the.
house, was the body of the husband
and father. And what a sight the
wife and stepson beheld! The dead
man had evidently rested his shotgun
across the wagon-box, cooked it, tied
the trigger to one of the uprights of
the bolster, placed the muzzle against
his forehead and then drawn the gun
toward him, the frightened string pull
ing the trigger and discharging the
load. The upper part Of the face and
most of the skull had been blown
away. The brains had been scooped
out and scattered. In the language
Of the Records informant, who saw
the body before it was moved, ga per-
son could look right into the inside of
his head, the brains being nearly all
sco0ped out." The gun was 1T No; II
caliber, but the shells must have been
heavily loaded, for q piece of the skull
was picked up five rods distant from
the body, and piece Of the brain half
the size Of mans hand was lying on
the roof of the house next to the point
where the body was found, while an
other part Of the brain about the same
size was lying on the other side Of the
roof.
Coroner Bollinger was sent for and
held an inquest Monday evening. The
jurymen were John Kuiper, B. J. Sto-
lee and Wieger Rodenburg, and they
rendered a verdict of suicide.
Christian Hanson was about fifty
years old. Besides the stepson before
mentioned, he leaves six children, the
oldest not being more than nine years
of age.
Mr.. Hanson had for some time
shown slight evidence Of not being in
his right mind. He had not slept for
four nights just previous to the one on
which he took his life. According te
remarks which he had made, he i'm.
agined that many people were con
spring against him, and that he was
to be arrested for some crime that
these imaginary enemies were charg
Ing him with.
Deceased was tall, heavy, powerful
man, and had the reputation of being
the strongest man in the neighbor
hood where he lived. The family Ii
said to be left in fair circumstances
there being, besides other property
some twenty-five or thirty head of cat
tie and horses. Mrs. Hanson, who
asister of Mrs. Anton Nelson, of Lin
ton, is said to be saving and industri
GUS. But the unhappy wife and moth
er is the object Of genuine sympath!
from her neighbors, as the children
with the exception Of her Oldest son
are all very young, and for severa
years they cannot be Of much assist
ance Is bread-winners,