Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1901-04-19
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'Ni,c Observation-Disclosures Particular.
The coroner's jury in the case of
Frank Ringius, who suicided Wednes-
day of last week, were in session
Saturday at Braddock, before Justice
Lee, and foasld u verdict in cehso-
nance with tlse facts made public last
week. 1t seems that Ringius did not
go direct to Olson's after he had shot
at Levin, but to the Melander place,
where several men were at work mov-
ing a house for Mr.. Davis, a neighbor.
Ringius did not seem to he unusually
excited. lie t;tlkea some, and pai1
Mr.. Davis so cents that he owed him.
Olson was bending over, arranging to
puta lever under the building. Frank
stepped up to Olson, quickly drew his
revolver, and, putting the muzzle
close to the latter's head, fired. The
ball entered under the right ear and
came out at the left side of the lower
jaw.
After Ringius shot Olson he walked
to his buggy and drove off, picking up
his shotgun as he entered the buggy.
About eighty rods from the place
where Olson was shot, Ringius was
seen to fall from the buggy, although
the sound Of a shot was not heard by
the men at the house.
In the mean time Levin had reached
Braddock and reported the attack on
himself. Constable Shepard at once
started out to arrest Ringius. On the
way he met party en- route to Brad
dock with the second victim. They
gave him the location of the spot
where Ringius had been seen to fall.
He 1T once drove there ard found Bin
gius, dead His face and skull were
torn open by the load from the shot
gun, and his brains were streWn over
the prairie. He had removed a shoe
and stocking, placed the muzzle Of the
gun in his mouth, aud pushed the
trigger with his toes. Two shotgun
shells were found in his pocket, one Of
them being the shell that missed fire
when he snapped it at Levin, as stated
last week. The gun was Of the kind
known us Zulu" being an old-style,
siagle~barrel, muzzle-loading musket
changed TO a brecch-l loader.
Ringius left letter with his wife,
in which letter he complained that
many Of his neighbors had worked
against him and prosecuted him; but
why SO many people allied to him by
ties Of former nationality-.all of them
old settlers who had had no serious
trouble among themselves or with
other neighbors-shculd seek him out
for continuous persecution, rather
than some QUE else, he did not state,
He had evidently brooded over imag-
mary wrongs until his brain was
turned.
Ringius was of Swedish birth and
about thirty.fve years old. A wife
and two children survive him. He
leaves some property. His mutilated
remains we're inferred in Braddocls
cemetery, Friday.
Mr.. Levin was not dangerously hurt.
The. ball pierced his wrist to. the
bone, touching an artery without
rupturing it and came out about an
inch from where it had entered. A
stoud leather cuff, through which the
bullet penetrated, when Peter threw
up his hands to Shield his face, prob.
ably prevented serious injury. He
was not confined to the house by his
injury, but remained ut the residence
OF Postmaster Brown, in. Braddock, SO
that DR.. Snyder could attend the
wound.
In his statement last week Mr..
Levir said tAsat Mr.. Ringius fired six
balls at him. Tie afterward. learned
that this was mistake, as a flattened
bullet was found inside Of bis coat.
The ball that went through his collar
was evidently this one, and it prob
ably first struck the. spring. Pc
ter's first impression was that the seat
spring and the. collar were struck by
different balls, making a total Of six
fired. The fact that the only ball
left in the revOlver'wa fired at Olson
also leads. t. the belief that but five
bullets were fired at Levin.
!. Olson was much mere seriously
injured than Levin. The. revolver
bullet went in almost against the.
jugular vein, but missed the jawbone,
and passed out through the left lower
jaw, without penetrating the bone on
that side, either. Olson was also stop
ping. at Mr.. Browns, where he could.
more easily receive medical attendance
than at home. -.