Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1910-03-03
.P|T|FUL TRAGEDY
OF WAR HiRRANG
DIES BEFORE MILWAUKEE JUDGE
COULD CLEAR RECORD OF
SUSPICION.
PASSES QUIETLY AWAY WHILE
TRYING TO LISTEN To LET
TER FROM MOTHER.

Milwaukee, Feb. 2S.-Ivar Bernard
Harrang has played out his pitiful lit
tie tragedy to the end.
The great white plague closed it all
on Friday afternoon. 1t snatched away
| it's victim three hours before Judge
John C. Ludwig sustained the verdict
| that ends forever the suspicion that
young Harrang murdered the woman
| who had befriended him.
Tauntingly making the tragedy
deeper and darker, it struck at the
heart of the dying boy even the dear
privilege of having read the letter that
| had come that morning from his bro
ken-hearted mother, from Trondhjen,
Norway. 1t shattered his dream OF
the home going. 1t wrote its despair
! ing ''Finis" to her prayer.
1t was Wei along in the forenoon
| when the attendants watching the
| boy who has fought so long, saw that
the end was coming. He, being al
| most a graduate physician, knew that
| he must die.
The body was worn to mere skel-
eton. The hands, thin and weak,
lifted themselves to steady it. The
blue eyes burned with fever.
In whispers, broken by coughs, he
asked that his spiritual adviser be
sent for. Rev. Harry E. Olsen pastor
of Trinity Lutheran church, was
called. The minister came, knelt by
the little cot in the hospital ana
helped fight through this last fight.
Reads Mothers Last Letter.
Then came the letter from Norway
mothers letter. The boy understood
what it meant, nodded for the minis
ter to read it to him. 1t brought news
of mother, of father, of brother and
sister waiting for him. The first few
sentences he understood. Then the
fever overcame him. The tired mind
could fight no longer; the worn body
had almost finished it's work.
Mr.. Olson, his own voice breaking
watched the boy. Whenever, for just
an instant, the fever left the eyes
when full consciousness seemed to be
returning-he read few more SEN
fences. But it was not to be. The
letter was never to be heard by the
boy who needed it so much.
Then the minister spoke to young
Ivar of his last resting place. He
understood, and whispered Slough
ton" 1t was to Stoughton that he had
come when he first worked his way
westward. 1t was in .Stoughton that
he had spent what little vacations he
could spare from work. 1t was IN
Stoughton that friends had prepared
benefit last night-a benefit that can
hardly be longer needed
The minister nodded that he I'M
derstood. He spoke to the boy of the
old churchyard of Christ's Lutheran
church, Stoughton. The eyes told
more than the lips could utter.
TN the church cemetery?" asked
the pastor, kneeling by him, ana he
whispered Eyes"
Then low words of the church were
spoken. Ivar Bernard Harrang was
at rest forever.
Then the thought turned to the
waiting mother in Trondhjen-the
mother whose prayer was to go un-
answered. To her the blow must be
light as possible. Wishing Ivars
coming brief cabled word from her
had told what it all meant.
''Ivar Cannot Come Home"
'Ivar cannot come home" was the
cabled word that went back to Nor
way yesterday morning. "Ivar can
not come home"
For several hours then the minister
waited, until he deemed the import
of that message had been read. Then
| away sped the second message, telling
her that her boy was beyond the
jurisdiction of every court; that his
body would rest in the consecrated
ground of the old church cemetery IN
Stoughton, that his dying wish would
be granted.
This morning to the place where
he lies at peace, came great bou-
quet of roses. They came from the
Office of the district attorney, and the
cards that hung from them bore the
names of District Attorney August G..
Backus, Special Assistant District Al
torney c. A. A. MCGEE, and Assistant
District Attorney Norman L. Baker.
Classmates in Marquette university
sent in their flowers, and a delegation
from these students who worked with
Harrang will follow him out to his
| biding place in Stoughton. 1t was
this class that, learning of the brave
| fight he had made, raised the funds
that would have paid the tuition for
his senior year. They could not
know, then, how it was all to end.
Rev. Mr.. Stub, pastor of Christ's
Lutheran church, Stoughton. reached
I Milwaukee yesterday and the body
/ was taken on its last journey to
Stoughton.
Tomorrow afternoon at l.: 80 o'clock
it will be lowered into the earth of
| the quiet old churchyard cemetery.
The church will carry out its last rites,
and with its "Requiescat in aeternam"
the tragedy will end.
Rev. Mr.. Stub and Rev. Harry E.
Olsen will conduct the services. Then
there will be only the letter to write
back to Trondhjen the letter that will