Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1901-04-05
Terrible
Tragedy

we're shocked Friday evening by
the news that Emil Segerlin, a
we'll to do farmer residing in
Morris township, about eight miles
northeast of this city, had killed
his three daughters and then sui
cided. The news at first was not
believed, but Sheriff Rutten,
States Attorney Anderson and
Coroner Nimmo hurried to the
Segerlin home and found that tho
story was only too true. It seems
that Della Segerlin, aged Z, and
Lilly, aged 5, had goneto the barn
little distance from the house,
where they we're in the habit of
playing. and swinging in a large
swing hung in the barn. The
father and children not returning
to dinner at the usual hour the
other girl Esther. aged 9 was sent
to the barn to call them at about
one o'clock. From the condition
sof things and circumstances it ap-
pears that the children were
swinging and that Segerlin killed
one of the younger girls while she
was so amusing herself and then
killed the other one. When
Esther went to the barn to call
her father he also killed her, using
in each instance as weapon OF
death, large jackknife and a
common pillow hammer, with which
he enacted the horrible crime.
Previous to the commission of the
deed Segerlin carried in supply
of straw which he placed in one Of
the stalls, where after putting the
innocent little children to death
he laid them on the bed of straw
in row, as If he were putting
them in their cots to sleep. Then
with the same knife which he
used in the other instances, Seq.
erlin cut his own jugular vein and
sank to the floor of the stall but q
foot or two from where he placed
his victims and here he was found
with his back to the wall hall
leaning and half sitting, dead
Della was not killed instantly and
when found tried to tell Of the
deed, but was not able to speak
She soon became unconscious and
died shortly after found.
Segerlin was sent to the James
town asylum for the insane in the
fall of 1889 where he remained
until about June, 1890. When he
returned he appeared to be fully
recovered. He was born in Swe-
den thirty y-eight years ago and
when eighteen years of age he
came with his parents to the
United States, settling on a farm
in Otter Tail county, where he
remained until 1885 when he re-
moved to this county and took a
homestead in Morris township,
which is now a part of his $50
acre farm of the county's most
valuable land. In 1891 he was
married to Miss Anna Peterson
who is now an invalid and prostrat-
ed with grief. She was taken to
this city and is staying here with
friends. She had an especial at
tachment for her youngest girl and
amidst her prayers and tears states
she would not feel that all were
lost if even one child remained
alive. Mr. Segerlin often made
threats to the effect that he would
commit the deed he was guilty of
on Friday, but his wife did not
think he meant it and took no
action, because she did not believe
anything would be done, as her
husband appeared rational in other
regards. A few nights before the
fatal Friday the mother dreamed
that Segerlin would commit the
deed and from that time until
Friday was in constant terror.
Deceased had no fear Of here
after and often stated that death
ended all, the same with a human
being as in the case of a dog or