The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-01-04
NUMEROUS INTENT.
Ole Monson Fires at His DiyOrc.
ed Wife.
He is Locked Up and Attempts to Hang
Himself in His Cell, but
is Discovered.

Ole Monson is in the county Jail
awaiting his trial in February on the
charge of assault in the first degree.
The complaining witness is his di-
vorced wife, Mrs. Inga Monson, and
the assault is alleged to have been
committed at her rooms at No. 224
North Front street Saturday evening.
When taken before Judge Ogle this
forenoon, Monson waived an examina-
tion and was bound over 90 the grand
jury and committed to Jail, the NUM-
cipal court not having power to fix the
amount of bail.
| There seems to be little doubt of
Monson's guilt. He and Mrs. Monson
have not been able to get along well
together. They have been twice mar
ried and twice divorced, and Mrs.
Monson has been supporting herself
and her eleven year old boy by work.
ing in the Star Steam Laundry. Mon
son was at one time proprietor of
saloon, but more recently has been a
bar tender, and during the past few
weeks has been employed at the Ryan
hotel on Main street, formerly the
Washington House. He has not ceased
his attentions to his former wife and
his jealousy has frequently been
wrought up to great extent by seeing
her with other parties. He was
several months ago arrested for engag-
ing in row in her rooms and she
states that he has several times threat
ened to kill her. She believes that this
was his intent Saturday night.
Saturday afternoon Monson borrowed
a Smith & Wesson six ,chambered
revolver, thirty-two caliber, of Fritz
Polchow, who is bar tender at Louis
Orando's saloon, saying that he was
going fishing and wished to take it
with him. Between eight and nine
O. clock in the evening he entered the
Jumbo saloon, recently purchased by
VIM. T. Alcott, on North Front street,
nearly across from Mrs. Monson's
abode. There he ordered beer for him
self and the cook, saying that this
would be the last that they would
drink together, and remarking that
there would be three persons dead in
the morning. Little attention was paid
to his talk, howe yer.
1t is apparent that Monson crossed the
street from the Jumbo saloon to his
divorced wife's rooms, which are
over Hockey & McKinley's feed and
wood Office. But before going to
these rooms, he visited those of Mrs.
Schwartz and her daughter, Jennie,
over the next building to the south.
He had expected to find Mrs. Monson
there. to Judge from his talk. When
he did not find her there he went to
her rooms.
Mrs. Monson states that she saw
Monson come up the stairway and
locked the door, as she was afraid of
L.. Il I0I Cd.
she refused to let him in. She went to
calibre revolver which she had under
the next room She heard Monson
the rear stairway AS she passed
through the woodshed door Monson
fired toward the kitchen door, which
she had just gone through. The bullet
struck the partly open door and glanc-
ed off and Embedded itself in the wall.
Mrs. Monson FASTENED down the back
stairway and ran to Severt Olson's
grocery store, across the street, and
had the clerk telephone for the police.
Monsoon had disappeared and could
not be found when the patrolmen ar
rived.
Officer Morrow arrested Monson in
J. G. Seidle's drug store at about ten
O. clock Sunday forenoon Monson
denied that he had shot at his wife,
and claimed that she had fired a shot
at him when he went to her rooms
When searched he had a bottle of
whisky in his possession, but no revolt
yer. Later in the day he admitted
! that he had borrowed Fritz Polchow's
weapon and said that he had taken il
back and placed it in tin box at the
rear of the saloon. The police followed
his directions and found it there All
of the chambers were empty. Mr.
Polchow had not given any cartridges
with the revolver.
Monson was under the influence of
liquor when arrested.
At about nine o'clock a. m. Monday
Monson apparently tried to commit
suicide in his cell at the city hail. He
took advantage of the absence of
everyone and fastened his suspenders
around his neck and climbed up the
bars and fastened them high enough
up SO that his feet were several inches
from the floor. He could not have been
hanging more that a couple of mo-
ments when j. E.. Reynolds went into
the cell room from the municipal court
room and noticed him hanging by the
neck and holding on to the bars tight
| ly at the same time. He called Chief
Bowen, Officer Daniels and Janitor
May in from the front room, and Mr..
May cut the suspenders Monson sank
down into chair, but soon revived
| DIR. Osborn was summoned and gave
him a hypodermic injection which
gave him rest. Monson remarked that
he had taken these before
Monson declared after having re-
vived that he had intended to kill him
self, as he had nothing to live for and
wanted to get off of the earth. He
begged those around to hand him re-
volver. knife or even hammer that
he might make way with himself He
started to butt his head against the
steel bars but was induced to desist
by the threat that he would be hand
cuffed in such a way that he could not.>
| Mrs Monson does not take much
stock in her former husband s threats
of suicide. She says that this is an
old dodge of his to gain sympathy, and
that he has played it upon her. She
denies that she fired at him in the
| rooms. She says that Monson may have
| fired twice, but that she only heard
one shot. She was alone at the time.
Monson declared this forenoon that
he would take his own life at the first
opportunity that offered. His state
ment Saturday evening that three
would be dead in the morning may
have referred to himself, wife and
boy.