The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1913-02-07

of the twelfth judicial district here
late Saturday afternoon, and was sem
fenced to an indeterminate term at
saltwater OF from one to seven yeargS
Tells of Acts.
Arranged in court, the minister not
only pleaded guilty, but told how he
set the buildings on fire. He was &C.
companied here by two deputy sher-
ifs and County Attorney Soderberg
of Lac Qui Parle county In a few|
minutes after the case had been called
sentence had been pronounced and the
prisoner removed. The party left for
Montevideo, where the coast train ovl
er the Milwaukee was caught for the
twin cities and Saltwater.
The prisoner said he was reconciled
to his fate, for he had made up his
mind to Go the best he could in the
penitentiary and to make amends so
far as possible for the injury he had
done to others. To this end he had
authorized the sale of three quarter
sections of land which he owned in
Lac Qui Parie county, with the inteni
ton of devoting part of the proceeds
to reimbursing the two church con,
gregations which owned the property
he had damaged or destroyed by fire.
This loss amounts to about $4,000
and after it is paid there will be ball
ance left, which the minister will
have forwarded to his wife and two
children in Norway.
Expects Parole.
In view of the restitution which he
has arranged and of his consent to
plead guilty, thus relieving the county
from the expense of a trial, the pris-
oner expects to be freed on parole in
a year or SO.
1t developed during the proceedings
that Ekeland not only simulated sick
ness, but that he pretended to be in.
sane. Three of his brother ministers
called upon him in the county Jail at
Madison and assured him that he
could not expect thus to deceive them
and those who knew him best. Exc
land was interested and asked if the
out of his mind. When told they re-
garded him in the full possession of
all his senses and faculties, he no long.
er simulated insanity and soon after
said he was guilty of all that had been
charged and was ready to receive his
punishment.
First Confession to Fire Marshals.
Ekeland first confessed at Madison
this week to Robert j. Martin and Z.
]. Heimbach, state deputy fire mar
shals, that he set fire to the house
and barn, which he occupied and used,
on the morning of Jan. 20, and that he
burned his automobile last June
His story told on the day Of the
fire was that he was awakened at 6
a. m. by smoke and found the house in
flames. He first tried, he said, to get
out of the front door, but it was barred
and the key was missing. He then
ran to the back door and, while try,
ing to get out there, was struck over
the head twice by an unseen assailant
and stunned. He recovered in time
to get out of the house, he explained
and hurried to the barn, which Yves
also burning.
The pastor contended that some en-
envy was trying to drive him from the
country and that the attempt to burn
him out was a natural step in series
of alleged blackmail outrages, among
which was the writing Of anonymous
letters threatening him with death
and disgrace if he did not go away.
Ekeland's standing in the communi
ty had been such that few, if any, at
first challenged his statements in any
particular, and it would now appear
that he expected his high position
among the people and the general es-
TEEN in which he had been held to
carry him through without suspicion.
But when all the clues which he could
furnish as to his alleged prosecutors
had been run down and it had been
shown no basis in act existed for
them, the authorities at Madison re-
ported the case to state officials and
Martin and Heimbach were sent to
Lac Qui Parle county to investigate.
They discovered that most of Exc
lands household goods and personal
effects had been removed from the
residence and that his new automobile
had been placed in storage at Madi-
son. This indicated to them that the
preacher himself was the fireAug.
They called in N. f. Soderberg, the
comfy attorney, and together they
taxed the pastor with having guilty
knowledge of the series Of crimes.
Ekeland not only confessed to hav.
ing set the fires, but acknowledged
that ne wrote the threatening anony-
nous letters to himself. Before this
he had endeavored to cast suspicion
upon Osten Teigen, young man of
the community. Complaining that he
was still dazed by the blows he had
received and that he was too ill to be
about, he was given a home and
nursed by brother minister in Madi-
son. He had slight bruise upon his
temple and would rub his hand over
it and murmur, "Osten, how could you
do it,"