The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1902-11-28
Incidentally Shot.
Nefs Fordham Is Killed by a
Ball From His Own
Rifle.


Rifle.
BODY BROUGHT IN YESTERDAY.
Word reached the city shortly be-
fore noon on Tuesday of the find
ing of the ifeless body of Nels P.
Fordham, of the hardware firm OF
A. Hawkinson & Co., at point in
section 8, 62-18, in the Little Fork
valley some twenty-five miles north
west of the city.
The news as telephoned in from
camp 6 of the Minnesota Land &
Construction Co., builders of the
new Duluth, Virginia & Rainy Lake
road, was very meager and lacked
any point of detail, but party con-
sisting of E. HI. Chittenden, as dep
uty coroner, Henry King, James
Sullivan, John Shogren and Hugh
Leonard was at once dispatched to
the scene. arriving at about ten
o'clock, Wednesday morning, the
body having been left where found,
a guard of six men watching it in
the meantime.
From what could be learned it
would seem the accident occurred
on Saturday afternoon, Mr.. Ford
ham leaving the home of John o.
son for another homestead a couple
of miles distant early in the after
noon of that day. His absence from
Olson's over night did not excite
comment or anxiety, as it was sup.
posed he had remained over night
with the farmer at the enc of hi.
destination, but when he failed to
appear on Sunday or Monday fear
of his safety was aroused and a
searching party composed of John
Pearson and Warren Berggreen
started out to hunt for the missing
man, starting g first by roundabout
way for the home of the farmer
whom Mr.. Fordham had intended
to visit, and the men ran onto Mr.
Fordham's tracks in the woods, fol
lowing until the finding of the
body at the base of a tree from
which the smaller branches had
been trimmed with the evident in
tent of climbing same for use as a
scaffold while waiting for game
When found the gun of the de-
ceased was lying on one side and
the body on the other side of the
tree, an empty shell in the rifle
barrel telling it's mute tale of the
sad and sudden ending of a noble
life.
Upon the arrival of Mr.. Chitten.
den and party Wednesday cor.
oner's jury was impaneled, com
fposed of Henry King, foreman,
John Olson, Hugh Leonard, Chas,
Johnson, James Sullivan and John
Shogren, their verdict after a care
full investigation bearing out the
theory of accidental death, which
must have been instantaneous, the
ball penetrating back of the right
ear and flattening itself against the
upper part of the skull.
The body was brought in by way
of Tower, which place was reached
at about 1000 o'clock Wednesday
evening, arriving here on the Du-
luth & Iron Range at 11:3O yester-
day morning.
Deceased was about 35 years of
age, and aside from a brother in
Minneapolis and another whose ad-
dress is unknown, had no relatives
in this country, his mother, Mrs.
Ahli Hanson, still residing at Ryds-
gard, Sweden, where he visited for
season some three years ago.
He was a member of Mesaba
Range Lodge No. 222, I. o. O. F.,
of Modem Woodmen Camp No.
1855, and of the local lodge S. H. &
E. F. of A. The funeral services
will be held under the auspices of
the first-named society Sunday af-
ternoon, from their hall in Hawk
inson Block.
Mr.. Fordham was numbered
among Virginia's pioneers, coming
here shortly after the fire in 1893,
and in his demise the community
loses an honorable, upright, pro-
gressive citizen, one beloved by all.
And to those who mourn tor the
loss of dear son and brother is ex
tended the sympathy of many
friends, who keenly feel the loss of
a neighbor whose traits of charac-
ter had stamped him as one of
natures noblemen.