The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-09-10
S0LEM Is ARRESTED
MURDER THE CHARGE

MUkUCN InC OHANOl
From Thursdays Daily.
soIem will be arraisned before JUS
tiee w. p. King In Jackson at ter
o'clock tomorrow morning. The ae.
cused has declined to make any
statement. His attorney, Wilson
sorst Of Window, has cautioned him
not TO talk.
Ole O. Solem. a Norwegian farmer
well advanced i'm life. Is locked up in
the county Jail at Jackson. charged
with causing the death last Novem-
Der by paris green poisoning OF his
mother lin law. Sigra Haldorson. sew
enty eight years Of age, says The
Fairmont Sentinel.
Desire to acquire title TO the 1850
acre farm of the deceased In Chris
tiana township Is the alleged motive
for the crime.
Coroner Lee. County Attorney
Nicholas and Sheriff Lee of Jackson
NouiiNg uNNNNtifN
have been at work OH the case for
several months. This week they got
their evidence in such shape as to
warrant an arrest and the defendant
Solem. was taken into custody Tues
day by Sheriff Lee at Window.
where Solem moved early last win
ter.
The deceased. Sigra Haldorson. was
an old resident of Jackson county
She and her husband were the own
ers OF a good farm near the north
line OF the county and about ten
miles west of the Martin county line
Upon the death of her husband In
1908 she continued to reside on the
place with the family of her daugh-
ter and husband. the defendant, Ole
q. Solem.
Had Some Trouble.
After a time some difficulty arose
between the old lady and the SON. =
law and she left Solem's to live with
a married granddaughter. Mrs. s. A.
Holmen. In consideration of Mrs
Holmen giving her a home and caring
for her in her old age, Mrs. Haldor-
son decided her farm to Mrs. Holmen.
Thereafter proceedings were brought
in the Jackson county district court
to set this deed aside. Ole o. Solem
is said to have been the moving
spirit in bringing this action. The
matter is now pending before Judge
j. II. Quinn. 4. c. Dean of this city
is attorney for ole Solem i'm this ac-
ton.
After Mrs. Haldorson decided the
farm TO her granddaughter the Hol-
men family moved thereon. II Is said
that Solem later forcibly dispossessed
the Holmen's and was again living on
the place last fall. previous and sub
sequent to the old lady's death and
until dispossessed by the court. He
then moved to Window. which has
always been the family trading point.
Trouble Was Anticipated.
Mrs. Haldorson had been in poor
health for year or two. Last No
vember she was very poorly and un-
able TO even feed herself a great por-
ton of the time. She was then re-
siding with the Solems on the farm in
the action to GUST Solem
pending at the time but not yet de-
cided. Anticipating the old lady's
death, her deposition was taken SO
that her testimony In the transactions
involving title to the farm might be
Terpetuated.
On Saturday. November %. 1914.
Mrs. Haldorson was taken violently
i'll. She fingered for one week and
died. II is said, i'm great agony. II Is
also stated that her burial was ac-
complished with scant ceremony.
At that time several neighbors be-
came suspicious about the cause of
Mrs. Haldorson's death. Some time
after interment they brought the mat =
ter before the coroner. DIR. Lee of
Lakefeld. The coroner went to- the
farm and made an investigation.
exhumed the Body.
Coroner Lee had the body exhumed,
removed certain OF the viscera and
sent II to the University OF Mime
sofa for analysis. The university but
recently reported on the matter and
II Is stated that copper and arsenic.
both poisonous elements in paris
green, were found in large uuanti-
ties. On. the strength of this evil
dence and certain suspicious circum-
stances connecting Solem with the
case. he was taken into custody. At
the time this is written no arrange
ments nave been made for his pre-
liminary examination.
II. III. Dunn of Albert Lea has been
engaged to assist County Attorney f..
II. Nicholas for the state. He was in
Fairmont Tuesday enroute by auto to
Jackson to familiarize himself with
the case and help develop the evil
dence.
SoIem Was Prominent.
Solem. the man accused OF as foul
murder as ever human mind plan
ned and executed. is about fifty years
OF age. He has q wife and four chill
dren. He has been assessor and town
clerk OF Christiania township and was
something of leader i'm his commun-
ity and more than ordinarily intelIi-
gent.
Rumor is already busy with the
case and stories are current of other
mysterious deaths I'm the Solem neigh
borhood I'm years past but these are
probably vagaries Of imaginations.