The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-02-22
SEARCH FOR
MISERY'S GOLD
Mysterious Maneuvers in a
Michigan Town.
A ROMANCE
Greed of a Swede and His
Miserable Life.

district, surrounded on every hand by
factories and commercial institutions
teming with busy life, there stands a lit
parently deserted frame structure, which
Is passed by the young with an air Of
awe and by the old with curiosity The
building, so entirely out of keeping with
its surroundings, looks as if il had a his
tory. It's walls are decayed and tottering,
its cobwebbed windows are barred and
boarded and the place has a general ap-
pearance of desolation and abandon
ment. Yet, If the deathbed confession of
its former eccentric owner, the miser
Larson, is to be believed, the ruin is of
more value intrinsically than several of
the huge factory buildings which stand
on every hand.
About the mysterious actions of this
man is woven weird tale of the robbery,
years ago, of national bank in Norway
Of a fortune, of the arrest and conviction
of the perpetrator of the crime, his subse-
Quent confession to a fellow criminal Of
the hiding place of his i'll gotten wealth,
the laters flight to America after he had
unearthed the treasures and of the life
of continual fear of exposure the posses
sor of the money led in different parts Of
the country
In the early seventies the most sensa-
tional robbery which has ever occurred
in Norway was successfully perpetrated
in the city of Trondhjem. One night the
national bank was broken into and ESQ.,
900 dalers. or more than S30S, 900 in Ameri-
can money, was carried away. After
many months of diligent search the de-
tectives located and arrested a noted GRIM
inal named Jasperson, who was tried
convicted and sentenced to prison for life
for the crime. Although every conceiv-
able method Was employed to locate the
hiding place of the fortune, all attempts
proved futile. ABOUT a year after Jas
persons conviction sturdy woodturner
named Ole Larson committed an assault
on a fellow workman during heated
alteration. He was arrested on the
convicted and sentenced to prison for
two years. His cell was next to Jas
persons, and the two men in the course
of time became close friends. A year
and a half passed away, and as the time
for Larsons release approached his
bosom friend became strange and preoc-
cupied in manner and at last limited
of buried treasure. the knowledge of the
hiding place of which he alone possessed.
Larsons greed for gold was great and
he finally induced his fellow prisoner to
talk. Jasperson then unfolded a scheme
for his own release. If Larson would aid
Him in carrying out the plan he would
tell him where the money was secreted.
The latter was to go to a certain noted
criminal lawyer and arrange the details
of a web of false evidence which would
give the famous burglar new trial and
in the end win for him his liberty. For
this service the lawyer was to receive
one-half of the hidden treasure, and Lar
son was to have the remainder. The
woodturner took a good solemn oath to
carry out the scheme, and the day be-
fore his discharge was told where the
money was secreted. Put again his mis-
erly instincts showed themselves. Instead
of seeing the lawyer he dug up the trea-
sure and fed to America. Then began
his retribution. He was continually in
fear of the Norway government detec-
and he dared not use any of the stolen
money. being afraid it would create sus-
picion. He finally drifted to the North
west and buried himself from pursuit in
the pine forests of Wisconsin. where he
worked in the lumber camps. In the
rough life. and hard. unremitting labor
from early morning until late at night
he sought forgetfulness of his deed. But
in every stranger who visited the camp
he saw a detective from the old coun~
try or an avenger sent by Jasperson-
Finally, when he could stand the strain
no longer. he suddenly disappeared. leav-
ing no trace behind him.
After a few months of restless wander
ing from place to place he came to Mus
kegon This was about the year 1876. BY
his frugal mode of living and saving habits
he had managed to accumulate few
hundred dollars. and with this he pur
chased a farm I'm Dalton township, some
seven miles from the city, and became
tiller OF the soil. Soon after taking the
farm he met a pretty Norwegian lass.
who lived on the adjoining place. and as
the months went by they became sucn
friends that ole at last forgot the dark
past and asked her hand in marriage.
He was accepted and their nuptials soon
followed In one of his trips TO the city
for provisions Larson became acquainted
with an eccentric Scotchman named John
Guild. who was in many respects similar
in nature to himself. This friendship
was the last and only one he was des-
tined to form with man before his death
Guild In time became a frequent visitor
10 the Larson farm. One cold October
morning he was found dead in his bed in
the guest chamber. This was in lSSS-
The ueishbors became suspicious OF foul
pIav and carried their half formed tales
to the authorities.
An investigation followed. and on Octo-
Der u Larson and his young wife. karon.
were arrested. charged with the murder
of their guest \ mass Of ciTcumstanti2l
evidence was secured. and on January
y OF the next year the greatest and most
sensational murder trial in the history OF
Muskegon county was begun. Mrs Lar
son was tried first The stomach OF the
dead man had in the meantime been sent
to Ann Arbor for chemical analysis. and
Professor Prescott; had discovered large
quantities of arsenic. On February IL
the case was given 10 the jury. and that
body. after twenty-five hours Of delib-
Grafton. brought in verdict Of guilty o,
murder by arsenic poisoning The young
wife was sentenced on the third of The
rext month 20 solitary confinement II
Jackson prison for Efe. Before the t-iai
OF Larson new and important evidence
was discovered. which tended 10 show
that Guild had committed suicide A
drug store proprietor at North Moskegon
having sold tie Scotchusn
a quantity OF arsenic the night before
the TRAGEDY. and another w.tneAs was