The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1912-05-16
Promient kenmre Merchant Falls
From Engine at Mckinney Farm
Friday Night and Entire Weight OF
Engine Passed Across Body.

Engine Passed Across Body.
Peter bertelson, the merchant
| prince from henmare, met with in
slant death Friday Light at 10 o'clock
| at his farm near Mckinney, about 10
miles east of Kenmare. While ad-
J justing tht lights Of the big engine.
he fell and the mammoth tract,r
PASSED across his body, crushing him
70 death instantly.
How the Accident Happened.
Mr.. Bertelson had beer taken to
the farm in his automobile that lay
to superintend the working Of a big
! new gas tractor which he had Just
purchased. The engine and plovs
were doing satisfactory work and the
night shift had just fairly gotten
started nicely. The auto had come
out from Kenmare for him and he
was just preparing to return to HIS
home, when he noticed that the lights
on the engine were not working az
we'll as they might, SO got up onto the
tractor while it was running, and
walking along the side of the ma
chine, was working on the lights
when he missed his footing and fell.
Frank Austin, the engineer could not
see at the front Of the engine on &C
count of the glare Of the powerful
lights. so did not notice that Mr..
Bertelson had fallen from the engine
and was probably so bewildered that
he could not get out of the way Of the
tons of steel that were right upon
him. Both the front and hind wheel
passed across Mr.. BertelsOn break
ing nearly every bone in his body.
The skull was fractured, also. Mr..
Austin says he felt the engine go over
some object but thot at the time that
it was merely raise sin the ground.
The man in charge Of the plows saw
the body Just before the plows struck
him and cried out to the engineer,
who stopped the outfit at once. Mr..
Bertelson was dead.
Body Taken to kenmare.
Bert Bertelson, brother, was on
a farm two miles away and he arrived
within a short time, finding the body
just where it lay. when the engine
was stopped. Several OF the farmers
of the neighborhood had gathered by
that time and thot an inquest neces-
sary. The brother insisted on haT!ng
the body placed in the automobile at
once, and it was taken to Kenmare,
arriving about one O'CLOCK in the
morning.
Ward County Mourns.
Early the next morning when 1t Was
learned that Pete Bertelson was 70
more, the citizens of Kenmare and
other parts of the state where he
was so we'll known stood dumbfound-
ed. But few hours before Mr.. Ber-
,elson had been the happiest and most
hopeful Of all. By one fell stroke
of the huge modern monster of steel
the life was crushed from him, and
his body lay an insersate mass, cold
in death We all had to pause and
reflect. How uncertain Is life. What
few days we are really upon this
earth. Why all this hurry and furry,
pushing and elbowing, to reach the
goal which is forever just beyond
Cur grasp.
A M odel Citizen.
Peter Bertelson was a model cit
izen. He had lived in Kenmare for
seven years and had been resident
of Ward county for nearly twelve
He was one OF the most energetic
men Imaginable and had numerous
irons IN the nre. so TO speak. lie
owned one Of the largest department
stores in the county at Kenmare, and
week after week, year after year,
page advertisements were to be seen
in the Kenmare paprs, written by
"Pete.,' These ads were really
works Of art and were copied very
often by the newspapers of the state,
az an example for other merchants to
follow He believed in using print
er's ink, and was considered one OF
the best friends to the newspaper men
in the state. His death will be gem
orally deplored by every publisher in
the entire state. He was Z good
Christian man and for many years
had been consistent member Of the
Methodist church. He was not re-
! ligious crank" but was thoro'y