Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-10-12
DID SAILSTAD
BURN OR ELOPE?
FORMER PARTNER OF WAU.
SAU MAN MAY BE ALIVE
INSURANCE UNPAID

Eau Claire's mystery is not only
still unsolved but later developments
have further complicated matters to
such an extent that special detectives
are now at work trying to locate the
woman in the case.
Edward j. Sailstad, the principal in
the case, was formerly associated with
Fred A. Fuhrmann of The Pilot when
both were in the retail photograph
business in Chippewa Falls. Sailstad
later went into the manufacture of
monographs and established the
Multitone Manufacturing Co. at Eau
Claire and had built that business to
a point where it occupied four-story
building.
On Aug 26 last Sailstad left Eau
Claire, presumably for Lake Nebaga-
mon, twenty miles from Superior to
rent and prepare cottage for his
wife and two children who were to
follow on Aug. 2S The night of Aug.
27 the cottage burned and neighbors
who had seen Sailstad in the cottage
early the night before began an in
vestigation and found bones among
the debris which weres identified as
human bones. Accordingly it was and
by some still is believed the remains
were those of Sailstad who had gone
to sleep smoking a cigarette, habit
he had been known to follow.
Funeral services were held over the
remains under auspices of fraternal
societies and his employees. No sooner
had the bones been informed than
things began to happen and are still
L. ,h01n fai. nc
big mystery as it was the first day.
Matters in the Office of the Multi
tone company were not definitely re-
corded and those in charge sought the
former pretty 22-year-old Dorothy
Anderson, who could not be located in
Eau Claire or any other place where
she had relatives.
Then insurance men found that Sail
stad had double Unidentified" all his
policies within thirty days before the
fire, making their total value $4,000,
payable to his wife ands beside the
Multibone company carried another
policy for $4,000. That was sufficient
cause for the several insurance COM
panies to hold up the insurance, and
start an investigation in which they
were assisted by gossipers, real de-
tectives, officers and ordinary citi-
Zens.
The result to date has been in favor
of the insurance companies.
Sailstad's pretty Office assistant had
resigned two weeks before the fire,
and had gathered from friends all
photos and even camera pictures. She
had moved to Chippewa Falls and
was rooming under the name of Mrs
e. j. Kingston and Sailstad had fire.
quently called on her. Aug. 26 she
expressed her trunks which contained
her husbands CD wearing apparel as
well as her own to Duluth and left
with Sailstad in his car.
Before leaving Eau Claire on Aug
26 Sailstad sold 1925 worth of Multi
tone stock for $500.
The afternoon before the fire, ac-
cording to the report of the insurance
investigators, Sailstad was seen COM
ing out of the Nebagamon cemetery
with a box under his arm. A grave
fourteen months old is believed to
have been opened and permission is
sought from relatives to reopen the
grave.
cottage was completely burned within
two hours, while experts for the in
surance company claim that a human
body cannot be reduced to charred
bones within two hours and a half
even in an oven built especially for
that purpose and with intense heat.
No trace has been found of Sailstad
since he was seen entering the cottage
few hours before the fire. Miss An
derson has been traced as far as Du-
luth where she claimed her trunks.
and had them sent to the union depot.
Aug. 81.
Sailstad's relatives maintain that
he is dead and his intimate friends are
of the same opinion. The mother of
Sailstad lives in Superior and ack-
nowledges visit from her son on the
morning before the fire. She also stat
ed that another son is buried in Ne
bagamon cemetery and that Edward
has always cared for the grave. Sail
stad's wife and two children reside in
Eau Claire