The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-02-01
Murder of the Dahls Near
Blackjack, Mimi.
SUSPECTS ARE BEHIND BARS
Father and Daughter Killed More
Than Two Years Ago; History
OF Affair.

Bemidji, Jan. 24-'Murder will ont
After lapse of nearly two wears, it i,
very probable hat the actual perpetra.
tors of the Dahl murder. which caused q
sensation throughout the whole state
of Minnesota, have been apprehended.
On Saturday last, Deputy Sheriff John
Bailey, was given information from
Blackjack, which warranted the asser.
ton that the mystery that has sur
rounded the famous RIrder was ON the
point of solution. County Attorney
Henry Funkley was, consulted, with the
result that Mr. Funkley made complaint
against George Cyr, and Paul Fourier
of During, charging them with the kill
ing of n. A. Dahl and his daughter
Aagot, during the month of April, 1904
Deputy sheriff John Bailey and Arne
Solberg were given the warrants, and
accompanied by the county attorney,
they went to Blackjack, Saturday even
ing, prepared to arrest Fournier and Cyr.
Fournier and Cyr live on claims a few
miles northwest of During postoffice
and about twenty-three miles from
Blackjack, in the vicinity of the scene
of the Dahl murder. The two deputy
sheriffs drove to the homes of Cyr and
Fournier and accomplished their arrest,
without any resistance trouble on the
part of the men wanted. The men were
not informed of what they were actually
charged with until they were taken to
the homes of three men who were want
ed as witnesses and who lived near
them. Then, when a brother of Fournier
was subpoenaed as a witness, Paul Four
nier and Cyr became suspicious of the
actions of the officers, and they were
told the exact nature of the charge. The
accused men said but very little, after
Owen Fournier, Eugene Caldwell and
William Creiger had been subpoenaed as
witnesses. They were taken to Black
duck, and from there were brought to
Bemidji this morning and lodged in the
Beltrami county Jail to await prelim-
mary hearing on the charge of murder.
Both men have previously been arrest
ed charged with completely in the Dahl
murder, but both were subsequently re-
leased, the evidence against them not be-
ING of tangible nature.
N. A. Dahl and his daughter Aagot,
who formerly lived in Crookston, came
to Blackjack during 1903. Both took
claims near During postoffite, about
twenty miles northwest of Blackjack.
They erected cabins on their land and
began making their homes on their
claims. The country in the vicinity OF
During is heavily timbered and difficult
of access, and is a place that was rare
ly visited at the time the Dahls took
up their residence there. There were
several families living in the vicinity.
but there was not much intercourse
among the pioneers of the forest.
About the middle of April, 1904, it
was noticed that the Dahls had not been
seen i'm Blackjack, and that they had
not been to the postofice at During for
their mail; they had also failed to write
to relatives who lived at CrookstOn, for
some time. No alarm was felt at their
not appearing, as their home was so
isolated that the people in Blackjack
thought that the Dahls had decided to
remain at their home in seclusion for
some time However, the relatives in
Crookston became suspicious that all
was not well with Mr.. Dahl and his
daughter, and C. c. Strander and O. C.
Rood, sons-in-law of Mr.. Dahl, came to
Bemidji and went to During to ascer-
tain the cause of the sudden breaking
off of correspondence with the Dahls.
The gentlemen visited the cabins of the
Dahls, but were unable to find any trace
of either Mr.. Dahl or his daughter. Dill
igent search among the neighbors and at
Blackjack failed in obtaining any infor-
nation as to their whereabouts or throw
any light as to the cause of their strange
Rewards were offered for
the recovery of the bodies of the Dahls,
and any information leading to/fheir
whereabouts. The county officials work
ed diligently to solve the mystery of the
of the Dahls, but nothing
that would tend to throw any light on
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