New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-09-08
GEO. ". SOMERv|LLE SHOT
Sleepy Eye Lawyer-Politician is
Laid Low by Bullets. Quarrel
Over Land Deal Alleged.
ASSailant Arrested and
Lodged in County Jail.
Suicides by Hanging.
Wounded Twice.

The citizens of New Ulm were astoun-
ded to learn that Geo. w. Somerville,
prominent lawyer and politician, was
shot twice in his law Office at Sleepy
Eye Wednesday morning. According
to the Sleepy Eye Herald Dispatch the
first bullet hit him in the left arm near
the wrist and passed through entering
his left chest near the shoulder mi ur-
ing the lung. The other evidently was
fired at the victim from behind, the
ball entering the back, going through
the body ana just missing the lower
part of the heart. The doctors, how
ever, do not agree that the last ball
entered the body from the back. The
ball struck the plaster and was picked
up by Miss Dovre, the stenographer
and is now in possession of Mr..
Hauser.
After the shooting while the assail-
ant was still in the front room, he fired
another shot that he told the editor
was meant for himself. The gun was
pointed at his head but the bullet went
wild and struck the ceiling going
through the roof
The deed was committed by John F.
Hayner whose permanent residence is
on a farm near Howard Lake, Wright
Co., MINI. After the shooting Hayner
left the room and in doing so met chief
of police Matter in the door who ar
rested him without struggle and was
taken to the lookup, but owing to the
excitement of the people at Sleepy Eye
he was hurried to New Ulm in an au-
tomobile and confined in the county
jail for safe keeping. Here he commit
ted suicide by hanging himself early
Thursday morning. It was between
IL and II o'clock Wednesday night
when Sheriff Julius left his prisoner
and went to bed. At that time Rayner
gave no indications of suicidal intent,
and the sheriff did not think it neces-
sary at that time to place a guard over
him. In the morning he found the life
less body dangling from the bed clothes
rope, attached to a bar of the cell.
The knees barely touched the floor.
Hayner had hung himself, choosing
de ath by his own hand to execution or
imprisonment by the state.
The trouble between Somerville and
Hayner arose over land DEAL A
little over year ago Hayner entered
into deal by which he transferred tc
Somerville good business property ir
Sleepy Eye readily worth $4,000 for q
tract of land-l70 acres-in Dent Co.
Missouri valued by Somerville a.
$500, and Ii shares in Minnesota Tele
phone stock of uncertain value. The
deal is said to have been negotiated
by Sleepy Eye real estate firm. Hay
ner, after the trade, evidently wen
over the facts and the results Of thi:
deal in his own mind very CAREFUL,
and had come to the decision that h
was deeply wronged. He found tina
the land not only was plastered with ;
$1,000 mortgage but was valued a
about $1,000 at the highest, one maj
Offering him $3.50 for the ITO acres
Hayner stated that he had repeated,
written to Somerville in regard to thi
matter but that all of his letters wer
''insultingly ignored" by the attorney
At this point he made up his mind t,
personally interview Somerville an,
demand some kind of settlement b.
which he would at least come out even
With this point in view he entered tn
private Office of the attorney on tina
fatal Wednesday morning. Somer
Vile received him very friendly, bu
according to Hayner's own statemen
to the editor was sarcastically Sin
formed that the 'sdeal'' must stand
When Hayner insisted on 'ssquar
deal' he was ordered out of the roor
and refusing to obey the command
Hayner states, that Somerville ad
vanced toward him in a threatenin
manner with ruler uplifted in hi
hand and that he shot to save himself
This is Mr.. Hayner's side of the story
Hayner was 81 years of age and wa
born in Minnesota. He had been mar
ried but recently divorced. His wifi
is now dead. He is survived by bot
of his parents, the father being 10, tn
mother IS years old, two brothers
four sisters and his son aged II years
One brother is in Canada and the res
of the family live seven miles south G
Howard Lake. MINI. The parents an