The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-12-06
BONES Of A.MAD MN
ARE FOUND IN SLOUGH
From Mondays Daily.

part of Jackson county, imi Sioux
Valley township, on Thanksgiving
day, two young farmer boys found
the skeleton of man Eear the
center of an eighty acre slough,
says The Fairmont SentinelIe They
had shot and crippled a prairie
chicken and in searching anaOng the
tall grass for the wounded bird
came upon the mans bones. Sheriff
Henry Ter Haar of Jackson was
notified and proceeded at IOnce to
the place. He did not disturb the
remains, which lay face downward,
leaving that duty to a coronRr's in
quest, but was fully satisfied that
the remains are those ofic Peter
Howe who dropped out oflisight in
that locality a year ago. Howe
was known to have worn a pecul-
lar pair OF muleskin shoes and to
have carried quart bottle tOf whis-
key when he Disappeared The
skeleton had on shoes answering
the description and at its biae was
a broken quart bottle. Thesl cloth
ing had almost entirely disappeared
Other circumstances OF identified
ton are expected to be revealed at
the coroner's inquest.
His Mysterious Disappearance.
The disappearance of Howe, a
blacksmith at Montgomery, gIa., was
a great mystery and attracted a
great deal of attention for several
months. Montgomery is as small
town short distance south of
the Iowa line On November 10,
1911, Howe, with two companions,
drove by auto through SionWiValley
township TO collect some accounts
from farmers that were dne9THOwe.
There is q saloon at Sioux Valley
and the man stopped there drink
ing considerably, until eight O'Clock
in the evening when they started
home. They had proceeded but
about eighty rods from the - saloon
when Howe complained OF feeling
cold and said he wanted to change
from the front to the reara seat of
the auto. He stepped out OF the
machine and from that nleanent to
the present time he disappeared as
completely as though he had drop
ped off the earth.
Search Was in vain..n
The evening of his disappearance
was dark and foggy but ais COM
panions missed Howe at oneeI They
searched and called to hinr without
avail. Neighbors. were rotfsad and
the hunt continued until midnight.
The next day the Woodmanolodge at
Montgomery, of which Howeeywas a
member, turned out and IA large
crowd assisted in the hunt without
finding the least trace. Skunk lake,
close at hand was dragged when
as a last resort it seemed icertain
that Howe had sought DEATH there
in. Finally the search WAS. given
up and the mystery. remained,ean I'M
solved riddle.
. iHoWeS two companions were sub
jeeted to. a rigid Questioning and
their subsequent actions closely
watched but without the islightest
suspicious evidence accruing against
them. .st-s.7 .-->....#
From all appearance Howe had
wandered "a couple of milesl up a
creek, leading out of the slough.
There were about eighteenn inches
of water in the slough at THAT time
but it is entirely dry now The
man had wandered to a point near
the center of the marsh, which CO..
ers about eighty acres. Here he
had perished whether by1Gaccident
or Intentionally will probably never
be known.
Worried Over Finances
II seems certain that Howe left
his companions intentionalIN. He
was known to be worried ab0at finan-
cial matters and may have 9intend-
ed to disappear to get away from
his troubles but in the darkness and
cold wandered into the whfer. be-
came lost and persisted from the
exposure.
Sheriff Ter Haar statesitthat he
had exhausted every theory to eX-
plain the mans mysterious disap-
pearance and is satisfied there was
no foul play on the part Ofifhis COM
panions as it was only few mom-
ents after they left the saloon tose-
Their until they reported his disap-
pearance and they could mot pos
sibly have taken the body ito the
place in which it was found.
Howe was thirty-eight years old
and leaves a wife and twoIchildren.
He carried Woodman insurance
which was held up in the absence
of proof of his death. 7 Without
doubt the money will nowd be paid
over to his heirs. n
The cases of Michael L.. Neary
versus William Freitag land of
Michael l.. Neary versus Albert
Fitzloff are on trial in the district
court and it was expected chat they
will be concluded some times tomor-
row. Then the following ocriminal
cases will be tried in the order
The State againsD Charles
Pollei, the State against Roy STRAIT
ton, the State against Mrsl Clara
Doson and the State againsf Hugh
Kelly. After these cases have been
considered the civil calendar will
De resumed.
The jurymen in the coming trial
If Charles Pollei. indicted dDr MUIR
Ter in the second degree, twill not
,e allowed their liberty at ANY time
Turing the trial, except tat meal
lines when they will be conducted
o their boarding house inG a body.
are being fmade to
equip one of the jury rooms as
sleeping chamber, so that if the
ury does not come to aabdecision
Turing the day they will not be al.
owed to leave the court heHse even
o sleep.