The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-10-13
GIRL KILLED HERSELF
SAYS JOHN P. Brake

John p. Brake of Lakefield
takes exceptions to d number OF
sensational statements that have
been published in connection with
the recent tragedy in his village
and with a view Of correcting what
he has reason to believe is misinfor.
NATION he wrote the following let.
ter to The WINDOW Citizen:
The Lakefield dispatch to Man
kato papers in your issue Of the Attn
inst. in connection with Martin
JOhnsons murder is SO full OF mis-,
information that | cannot let it pass
by without making some corrections.
1t would seem quite unnecessary at
this time to mix a scandal of TWEEN
ty-siX years ago with the recent
tragedy in Lakefield.
Nicknamed Mule Johnson.
In 1885 this mentioned Muel
Johnson and brother (should have
been Mule Johnson, a nickname he
got for driving mules), rented his
fathers John Johnson Sivesind's }
farm on section 80, Delafield town
ship, and not one near Lakefield,
twenty-five years ago. This farm
borders large slough, which in the
pioneer days was called Rush lake.
Mr.. Helmer Johnson Chat was the
name he went by in business), put
up shanty on the farm and lived
separate from his parents and
brothers and sister, with his family.
You will here note that not only is
the Mankato dispatch wrong in
name and time, but also as to loca-
ton.
Facts in the Case.
Now as to the facts: This SiveSind
girl, Emilia, by name, had under
gone great change in the spring
and summer of 1885, her mind be-
coming unbalanced. You may ask:
How do you know? l will tell you.
During the haying time that year
Emilia's father came to my place to
get wagon tongue fixed. While
we both worked on the tongue, the
conversation drifted on to a near
neighbor of mine, who had that
spring been committed to the. insane
asylum. Mr. Sivesind. Emilia's
father, then wanted to learn from
me how to proceed to get Emilia
to the insane asylum, as she was
showing signs of insanity and had
to be watched all the time. l ad-
vised him not to be in too great a
hurry. No human being overheard
our conversation. Later, one San
day evening, had an errand which
took me to Mr.. Sivesind's place,
and sure enough saw the girls
mother was guiding and watching
her daughter all that evening. I'm
the first days OF September that
year her mother came travelling
afoot inquiring il any one had seen
Emilia.
Mother Suffered Much.
The sight of the agony that
that mother suffered, is one Of
the most pitiable I ever saw. No
one had seen the girl. Then a
searching party secured Rush Lake,
(nOt Mink Lake near Lakefield as
the Mankato dispatch has it, and
found her body floating in the water.
If my memory is right it was on
September 5, 1885. Why the
county coroner could not be gotten
right away. | have forgotten. but
next day DIR. C.. r. j. Kellam Of
Heron Lake came and held an ex.
animation i'm place of the coroner.
DIR. Kellam ordered me to go in
the lake and pull the body ashore.
the water being in the neighbOrhood
of from three to four feet deep, and
| did SO. The body was then taken
to Mr.. Sivesind's granary, where it
was examined. Upon DR.. Kellam's
feuuest | assisted in the eXamina-
ton. DR.. Kellam searched diligent-
" for marks of violence, but found
none.
Brother Proved An Aiibi.
After the funeral of Emilia her
that Helmer j. Johnson and another
brother had murdered the girl and
thrown the body in the lake. The
brother proved an alibi, and sus-
picion centered on Helmer j. John
son. This ugly rumor spread like
a raging prairie fire, and excitement
ran high. Because of this the
coroner summoned jury, had the
body eXhumed, and re-examine1.
The verdict of the jury was that the
girl had come to her death by
drowning. But the murder runor
had got such strong foothold in
the minds of the people, that the
grand jury that same fall, 1885, de-
termined to make an investigation.
Several witnesses were called and
the testimony and the findings of
the coroner's jury gone over. with
the result that the grand jury could
not find any crime had been COM
mitted. From what 1 learned per-
sOnally / will state that the
Sivesind family had frequent quar-
rels and fights among themselves
that were often annoying to neigh
bors. From the facts l have here
presented, / do not wish to be
understood as defending any of the
Sivesinds or Johnsons, but merely