Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-07-15
WAS ANDERSON POISONED?
Authorities Have Started sn InvsstiRs.
tto" and Exhumed tho Body at Lake
Elizabeth Yesterday.

t'oR and Exhumed tho Body at Lake
Elizabeth Yesterday.
Ever since the deathof Nicholas An.
derson, which occurred some over two
years ago at his Lake Elizabeth home.
many rumors have been circulated as
to the real cause of his death, and
short time ago, during a severe illness,
his widow, who was again married,
made confession which leads to the
present investigation.
The former Mrs. Anderson is now
Mrs. Pauline Mattson, wife of Frank
Mattson, and they have been occupy.
ing the old farm, which Mrs. Mattso on
inherited after her first husband's
death. For some time she had been
doing considerable worrying and she
was finally taken very ill and it was
feared that she would not survive.
Her mind became deranged and she
was subsequently brought to Willmar
to be examined before the board of in.
sanity. She was adjudged insane and
committed to the Fergus Falls hospital
on June 26, where she is still confined.
Circumstances were of such q nature
as to lead her neighbors to suspect
that something was wrong and her
actions greatly alarmed the commune
ty. Becoming unbalanced in mind
she had strange hallucinations and
imaginations' of murderous charac.
ter.
During her illness she feared that she
could not live much longer, and fin al
ly summoned Rev. Mohn to her bed
side. To him she stated that she
wished to secure peace, and that some
thing weighed very heavily on her
mind. It is said that she confessed
to having poisoned her first husband
with paris green, but as her mind had
been so deranged it was question as
to whether or not her statement could
be depended upon. Finally the atten-
ton OF the authorities was called to
the matter, and it was deemed advis-
able to make the proper investigation.
Yesterday morning Coroner E. S.
Frost, Assistant Coroner 81. E. Frost,
Sheriff Lundquist and Assistant
County Attorney Olson drove out to
Lake Elizabeth for the purpose of
holding q coroner's inquest over the
remains. They were exhumed and
taken to the home of Hemmipg Mel
son, where the following jury had
been summoned to sit in the case:
Hemmtng Nelson, Nels Lund, Anton
Larson, James Hanson, Matthias
Mattson, and E. Johnson. The
following appeared as witnesses: Rev.
Chris. Mohn, Minus Nelson, John
Signal, Mrs. Martha Johnson and
Mrs. Olof Solomonson.
The case occupied the greater part
OF the day, and all the testimony taken
will be preserved for further action.
Mrs. Mattson's condition at present is
such as not to warrant any legal pro.
ceedings until there is possibility of
her full recovery.
Coroners Frost after the body was
exhumed removed the stomach, liver
and part of the intestines, which were
placed in large bottle and will be
analyzed to see if there are any traces
of poisoning, SO that the matter can
be settled in the proper manner.
The question is whether Mrs. Matt
son was in her right mind at the time
of making her confession, which WAS
made In the presence of the women
above named. The examination for
traces of poison will be awaited with
much interest. It Is said that the
body was quite we'll preserved and
that the features we're easily recog-
nized.
1t is stated that Anderson had re-
quested before his death that coron-
er's inquest be held over his remains
should he die suddenly, and this lends
a great deal of suspicion to the case.
Probate Matters.