New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1911-07-12
Chas. l. Petrehn Suicides


Roller Mill Co. st that placs, lest
week ended his life BY taking poison.
The cause or causes Of thiss tragedy
must % found il. tie esger desire sof
the decsased to win an automobile IN
the 81. Paul Dsfly News contest. Y
This contest brought Petrehn, who
for the past four years had been .
sober and industrial man: in contact
with different kinds of people and in
the effort to be popular and win many
votes he neglected his busfEess, was
ian oil around good fellow" and kept
on treating freely. He pursued just
exactly the same methods that three
fourth Of our politicians use each
election year, with this difference IT
the end Of the contest that half Of the
politicians keep on living to the great
annoyance of their fellow men while >
sensitive fellow when he finds himself
at the end of the road takes poison.
A complete account of the sad affair
is published in last weeks Sleepy Eye
Herald Dispatch as follows:
Charles I. Petrehn has been q resi-
dent of Evan for the past six years,
first coming to Evan and conducting q
Schell saloon for year, later he ran
the hotel and restaurant and in 1870
be sold out and began work for the
Eagle Mill Company as wheat buyer.
He was faithful and Industrious man
for his firm. About two months ago
he became one of the contestants in
the St. Paul Daily News Rural weekly
in the hope of winning an automobile.
He worked hard and secured q lot Of
subscribers and told his friends that
he was sure of winning the car, The
contest closed on June 9th, and the
awards were to have been made on
Wednesday June %. He was to have
net II. c. Peterson Of Sleepy Eye at
the News Office in St. Paul on that day
but never was seen 10 St. Paul,
although he left home at Evan the day
before. The car was awarded TO
another party and Petrehn was fifth
or sixth in the race. On leaving home
it is said he had about $50 worth OF
subscriptions that would have given
him at least third place and possibly
second place but he never showed up
and the subscriptions never turned in.
His friends did not know where he had
been all week. Before returning home
Tuesday he is said to have beenAat La
Crosse, to see his parents. On the
morning of July 5th he returned to
Sleepy Eye and after arriving at the
latter place at 1:30 q. m. walked out
towards Evan. He stopped at the
home of Henry Paulson's and got a
drink of water. The latter also gave
him breakfast and it is said he ate
hearty meal. After breakfast he went
out TO the grove and laid down, where
he remained until 10 o'clock. In the
meantime Chris Mogensen and others
at Evan had been notified that Petrehn
was at Paulsons. They came out to
the farm and instituted hunt for
him. On finding Petrehn, he was
lying on his back in terrible con-
dition. Beside him was an empty
bottle, he had drank its contents being
strychnine enough to kill fifty men
when taken in smaller doses. DR..
Welcome was notified and with the
swiftness of q machine went to the
scene of the Door man. At first he
denied that he took poison, but finally
told the doctor he wanted to die and
absolutely refused any aid whatever,
passed away after nearly six hours OF
intense suffering. The oody was re-
moved to Evan where it was prepared
for burial.
Deceased leaves a wife and two
small children.