The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1908-11-02
BODY SCATTERED
FOR OVER A Mile
GUST MoeREN, EMPLOYEE OF
o'NEiLL HARDWARE CO., or
FARGO, NET HoRRisLE DEATH
BENEATH GRINDING WHEELS
OF A FREIGHT IN MooRHEAD.

To be literally ground to bits be-
meath the wheels OF freight train
and to have his dismembered body
scattered along the N P. right of way
through the heart of Fargo and Moor
head for distance Of over mile was
the horrible fate of Gust Mogren, an
employee of the O'Neill Hardware Co.
Of Fargo on Sunday morning.
The terrible discovery was made by
Bert Homer. lunch counter man for
the Rustad saloon who was crossing
the N. p tracks at Fourth street in
Moorhead on Sunday morning at about
3 o'clock when he saw a mans arm
lying along the track. He Immediately
reported to the Moorhead police.
search was made and the head of the
unfortunate victim was found near the
Tenth street crossing In Moorhead.
1t was easy to see from the marks on
the ties, rails and roadbed, that it was
at the Tenth street crossing in Moor
head that the accident occurred, and
it is the belief of those who made the
investigation that Mogren was lying in
drunken stupor directly in the center
of the railroad track that the freight
train which struck him hit him In
such a manner that his clothing be-
came entangled in the wheels of the
engine and held part of the body there,
portions of it dropping off as the train
sped on.
A leg of the unfortunate victim was
found directly. in front of the water
tower that stands opposite the west
end OF the N. p. station in Fargo and
the greater part of his body was found
on the Fifteenth street crossing in
Fargo, near the old roundhouse. 1t is
believed that some of the body fell into
the river as the train crossed the
bridge.
Was Faithful Employs.
Mogren was "A years of age, a bach
elor, who has been employed as stove
store in Fargo for the past FIVE years.
He was faithful and skilled work
man, Mr.. O'Neill stating today that
he believed that he was without ques-
tion the best stove repair man in North
Dakota. He was hard worker and
his one fault was the habit of going on
periodical sprees which finally ended
in the one which cost him his life.
Life Mystery.
Before working for Mr.. O'NeiIl Mo-
gren was employed by Hans Brothers
who at one time owned the shop that
is now run by Emery and Johnson and
Mr.. Emery was about as well ac-
quainted with Mogren as any person
in the city. So far as it known Mo-
gren did not have single living rela-
tive and he made no intimate friends
His past has always been considered
by those who knew him to be some
thing of mystery There was one
thing which Mr.. Emery has always
considered him to be little off on
and that is the fact that ASogren SEEM
ed to believe that some person was on
his trail all the time for the purpose
of doing him an injury. Because of
this belief Mogren was always ex-
ceedingly close mouthed. He lived by
himself in small house back of the
Boston hotel.
He was social member OF the Mod
ern Woodmen lodge and until a short
time ago was a member of the Eagles
but he had become SO far delinquent
in his dues that short time ago his
name was dropped by the Eagles.
about all that could be learned
about Mogren was his age and the
fact that he was asnative of Sweden.
ALI of the remains that were discov-
cred were taken to the Beck and
Wright undertaking rooms In Moor
head where they are held at present.
Owing to the fact that the death oc-
CURED In Moorhead the Clay county
officials will take charge of all inves-
LEGATIONS into the cause of the death,
etc.
Mogren was last seen alive in a
Moorhead saloon shortly before IL
o'clock. He was at that time almost
stupiffed with liquor and there is little
doubt but that he met his death while
asleep on the track. He was struck
by an extra west bound freight that
passed through Moorhead about 1880
O'Clock Sunday morning