The Mankato free press., 1902-06-06
MURDER CHARGED
Coroner's Jury Fears There
Was Foul Play.
Carlson Had SettIed,for the Injury to
His Eye Received
Last Winter.

The coroner's jury that heard the
evidence yesterday afternoon concern
ing the death of Edward Carlson re-
turned the following verdict:
"That said Edward Carlson came
to his death by receiving a blow upon
his head with an instrument, club or
bludgeon in the hands of some party
or parties to this jury unknown.
This verdict charges that Carlson
was murdered. 1t is said that the jury
VISA influenced to this conclusion
largely by the position of the body
and the surroundings where it was
found.
The evidence taken at the inquest
was substantially the same as the ac-
count published by the Free Press
yesterday. There was nothing brought
out pointing to murder other than
published. The most important evil
dence on this point was given by
David Young, who saw a man run
away from the river bank at the point
where the body was found, and pass
between the @. & N. w. freight depot
and the j. I. Case building. This
was IL p. m. Saturday. The man did
not stop when called upon to stop.
He was of medium size.
The evidence showed that Carlson
had been drinking beer at one or more
saloons Saturday night up to ten
O. clock, and that at that hour he was
not drunk He had no money, and a
friend gave him fifty cents with
which he bought handkerchief and
some snuff. He did not buy any
drink, unless i5 was the bottle of
whisky. 1t is likely that he consumed
number of glasses of beer. and if he
then took a quantity of whisky the
chances are that he got pretty drunk,
as this is the effect of mixing beer
and whisky.
Carlson did not go to his lodging
place Saturday night. To one friend
he had said that he had little money
in st. James bank, that was left
him from his mother estate.
Two gangs of men were seen by
the town operator to walk down the
track toward ST. Peter about 80 a.
m. Sunday. One of the first gang was
so drunk that he had to be steadied.
Other than these, TO one was noticed
in the yards. The point where Carl
son was found is quite ways from
the tower.
The water is deep and dark just
down..from where Carlson lay, and if
anyone had killed him, the body
could easily have been sunken from
view. There were no signs of a
struggle at the point, and one witness
who was there first testified that he
saw no foot prints in the mud around
where Carlson lay.
DR.. Bjelland testified that the
wound must. have been made by
logged instrument, as sharp rock.
Another witness said that there was
a sharp rock just above Carlson's
head, projecting from the riprap.
There seems TO have been no motive
for murder unless it was robbery, yet
Carlson's pockets did not seem to
have been disturbed. Had another
person gone down the bank with him,
there must have been foot prints in
the mud. The rain was not heavy
enough to wash these out.
Carlson carried no accident insur-
ance, neither did Contractor L. M.
Erickson of st. Peter, for whom Carl
son worked when injured last winter,
have his men insured. Mr.. Erickson
carries liability policy in the Ocean
Accident and Guaranty Corporation
of London, to protect himself from
suits growing out of accidents to his
men The company assumes all liza
bility for accident that might other
wise fall upon Mr.. Erickson, up to
SO, 900 for an Individual.
When Erickson was injured by a
blast last winter, A. T. Ryan of Min
neapolis, state adjuster for the COM
pany, came to Mankato and made an
Investigation into the causes of the
accident. He concluded that there
was no liability on the part of the
company for Mr.. ERICKSON. but he
was authorized by the company to
make settlement rather than stand
the chance of long litigation. The
company agreed to pay the doctors
and hospital expenses and about $3.50
in cash to Carlson. This was done, a
check for $500 being left with the
Sisters to carry --out the terms of the
Carlson signed release
to the company. 1t is said that con-
siderable of the money which he re-
ceived went for drink
The police have not made any fur
ther discoveries in the case, and no
new evidenced of Importance has come
to light since the coroners inquest,