The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1905-04-05
WEEKLY 0LYMPIAN COMMENTS
ON LOUIS CHRISTENSeNS DEATH
Places the Blame for the Suicides Aw.
full Act on the Man Mentioned in
the Letters He Left.

A few days ago, alone on his lonely
ranch near North Yakima, Louis Chris
tcnson, an aged and respected Norwegian
farmer, placed the muzzle of Winches-
ter rifle to his ear and with a stick
touched the trigger. Letters that he
left show that it was great, kind
heart that ceased to beat few minutes
later. They show too, that if. as the
old man believed, his name had been
banded about, there is man in Yakima
county named John Russell who should
be avoided as pcstlence, pointed out
as black, unclean monster; the muir
derer, in sense, of poor old sensitive
Louis Christensen.
H. L. Tucker, of North Yakima, said
after the tragedy:
Il have known Christensen for more
than % years. | first met him in Ia
coma in 1875, or about that time. He
was working in the old Tacoma saw
1888 and opened meat market in Yak
ina city. lie came to this place and cs
tablished himself in business and later
sold out to Cort Meyer. Later he took
up the land he lived on when he killed
himself as a homestead and has got a
patent for it. l never heard him say
that he had relatives in this country
was one of his best friends in the val
ley and often helped him out in money
matters"
Away back in the early days referred
to by Mr.. Tucker, something, vaguely
limited at, might have happened the
knowledge of which gave John Russell
a hold upon Louis Christensen and this
devil incarnate seems to have bounded
the old man until driven to despair, eth
or by fear of disclosures or his cnemy's
DIGGING, the poor old man sought peace
in suicides grave. No hint of what
Rus5ell's knowledge might be is given
in the letters left by the unhappy man,
but there is evidence unconsciously Civ
en- in them that Russell coveted the
things that were Christenson's; in short
that he had attempted cxtortion, and
there is, too a proud ring to the words
that would lead one to the conclusion
that RusSel's charges whatever they
may have been. Were false. Notwith-
standing that the victim of his busy
tongue, sought death =. a means of cs-
cape.
But it is not this that distinguishes
Louis Chri,tenson's letters there are
twol. Both show that the man was
sane, but more than this, they show
that a kind gentle heart ruled the man
up to his last thought; that the weltate
of the things he loved, his horses, his
chickens, his cows, was on his mind to
the last. Take care of what you find
here" 4 Let some good man
have my horses if YOU don't want them.
You are II kind man" Get
somebody to take care of my cows"
There is hen that will be
Matching next week, the 30th." Pasted
to the upper corner of one OF the letters
was II faded pressed flower and under
meath the line, This is Norwegian
flower
Poor old man! IIoundcd to death by
a relentless enemy. The leap into the
darkness of Eternity determined upon
and his plans laid, he yet thought al
The last of his horses, his cows. and even
the little chickens that would not peep
from their shells until the next week.
They must be cared for and by good,
kind men, was his thought. And he
thought too, of his native land and to
his last missive pasted a flower that he
had perhaps cherished for years, and,
who knows, plucked with his own aand
from some garden plot or meadow of MS
native land There can be nothing wick
ed about the man who, facing death, can
center his heart upon the dumb friends
that surround him, and plead in the last
moments for care and kindness to little
chickens yet unborn.
1t is a pitiful story; one that calls
forth the deepest feelings of honor and
respect for the troubled old man who
died to save his name. and too, died
thinking of his pets and how it would
be with them, him gone.
For the man who broke this kind old
heart now still in suicides grave, even
I, L., IL
there are no words of condemnation too
scvere.-Olympian.
We have seed oats, seed Ball Barley