Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1911-09-07
A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY
OUT NEAR KIMBALLTON
Mrs. Carl v. Anderson Kills Her
StepSOn, Wounds Her Illus.
band, Fires The House
And Attempts
SulclhA

band, Fires The House
And Attempts
Suicide.
The most quiet and orderly communi
ties are sometimes thunderstruck, be
cause of an occurrence that is so unusua
that It becomes extremely shocking II
the sober sense and finer feelings Of tn
people. Because o neighborhOOd il
quiet and commonplace in its ordinary
Of the slums Of large city, becomes al
thunderbolt from clear SKY. So Il
is not any wonder that the good people
in the town Of KimballtOn and the
country surrounding were greatly
wrought up last Friday morning to heal
Of the dreadful tragedy that had beer
enacted right in their midst; and that
one life was taken, two persons were
wounded and one home was destroyed
by fire.
TELEPHONE For SHERIFF CRIES
Along about two o'clock Friday morn.
ing September l, 1911, Sheriff Crees had
q telephone call from Chris Nelson OF
Kimballton, asking that he and County
Attorney Mantz should come out just
a. soon as they could because of trouble
at the home Of Mr.. and Mrs. Carl v.
Anderson who lived about q mile east of
town. The sheriff replied that as it
was family quarrel it would probably
soon be over and that his going would
not be necessary. But Mr.. Nelson
urged the matter so strongly that he
and Mr.. Mantz and Deputy Sheriff
Sunberg secured car and drove out
with as much haste as possible, arriving
there about o'clock. They found
everything quiet and no signs Of trouble
either past, present or future. The
house was dark and they found it diff
cult to waken Mr.. Andersen, who with
his son. Victor, 10 years Of age, was
asleep upstairs. When asked about the
trouble, he declared up and down that
he wouldn't stand it any longer and had
determined positively and irrevocably
that he wouldn't live with his wife any
longer; that he was willing she should
have their home consisting of house
and Ave acres of land and that he and
the boy would take the team. his car
penter tools and other personal effects
and leave for good. While this talk was
going ON Mrs. Andersen returned with
friends to whom she had gone some
time before Negotiations were then
resumed and the officers remained there
until after sunrise making an effort to
pacify them and get them to remain
together or agree to separate in peace.
The outcome was that Mrs. Andersen
should 60 with the Nelson family and
uon~Hoin kk,uO,,n,h tho Hou until hnTs hY1o
band could take his leave and go in
make sure that she would be in the
care Of friends and then left for home.
WOMAN SHOOTS THE Boy
About ten o'clock Sheriff Crees re.
ceiVod another urgent call and with
County Attorney Mantz FASTENED to q
scene that will inger in his memory as
long as he lives. As near a. we can
get facts Mr.. Andersen went to town to
get his breakfast and to make some
preparation for the removal. leaving the
boy. Victor. asleep. While he was
away Mrs. Andersen eluded the people
with whom she was stopping, returned
to the house, went up stairs and finding
the boy awake she shot him in cold
blood, the bullet entering his head kill
ing him instantly. Soon after she went
down stairs her husband returned.
When he entered the house she fired at
him, causing q wound in one of his
arms. He returned the greeting by
throwing and hitting her with q lamp,
when she fred missing shot. Friday
was q very warm day and it suddenly
occurred to him that it was getting
much too warm for either comfort or
safety in that immediate locality. So
he made q hike through the cornfield
for Kimb0lltOn where he called upon
DR.. James to dress his arm. Keep in
mind that Mr. Andersen at this time
had no thought or suspicion that the
boy was then laying upstairs cold in
death with bullet in his brain fred by
the woman who should have given him
the protection and care Of Q mother.
WOMAN ATTEMPTS SUICIDE
When her husband had disappeared
she proceeded to fire the house and
then went down the road about 4OC
yards where she tried to commit suicide
by shooting and making q flesh wound
under her left arm. After the shot she
walked about two rods before falling
according to the statement Of ChriI
Petersen who had heard the shooting
at the house and was making his way
there to find out the trouble Mr.
Petersen hurried to her side and findinE
her conscious had some conversation
/ When she told him that she had killeC
the boy and set the house on fire. H,
left her and fastened TO the house hop
ing to save the body from the flames bu
It was too late and nothing could b
done. Andrew Laursen then came will
q team and carried Mrs. Andersen, to {
neiRhbor's and summoned DR.. James h
give her surgical attention. When Mr.
Andersen learned that his house was OF
fire he thought Of the boy and hurriet
wildly to the scene where they haI
dinlculty in restraining him from rush
ing right into the fire to save wha
might be left Of the son whom he haI
left sleeping short time before.
CORONER HARMON HOLDS INOUEs'
| When Coroner Harmon arrived ther
about noon the fire was down and
small part Of the body had been saved
He proceeded at once to hold an inQues
with Hans Bladt, Thos. Thomson an
Geo. Marcussen a. jury. After tn
evidence had been heard q verdict wa
rendered saying that the deceased ha
come to his death by Q gunshot wOun
caused by the hands Of Mrs. Carl Andel
sen. With this evidence and verdiC
a warrant was issued for the woman
arrest and Sheriff Crees took her int
custody and brought her to Audubo
where abe was placed behind the bar
Sho claims that when her first husban
did be left two reVolvers; that abe sol
one OF them and kept the other, whiC
abe used in this tragedy. But Nj
Andersen says he had never seen th
gun and didn't know she had one abOr
the house.
;. THE WoMAN's STATEMENT.