The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-04-06

Roy A. Bergstrom is hopelessly in
sane. This was the message which
reached Kenosha early today bringing
with it the announcement that Keno
sha's first casualty of the World war,
who afterward was tried and convict
ed of killing his wife at Laramie, Wyo-
ming, had been released from the
Wyoming states prison at Rawlins and
had been transferred to the asylum
for the criminal insane at Evanston,
Wyoming The condition Of the for
mer Kenosha man is declared to be
critical and physicians who directed
his removal from the prison to the hos
pital declared that they did not be-
lieve he could long survive. Berg
strom, who is twenty-six years of age,
was declared insane on Saturday. 1t
was declared that he had suffered from
Authorizations at the prison and that
his condition had become so pitiable
that it had excited the sympathy of
state officials. The report from the
prison said that he would lay on the
bed and laugh heartily and that the
laugh would gradually grow weaker
and end with a pitiful sobbing. His
condition has been closely observed
by prison physicians for weeks and on
Saturday it was decided that he must
be removed to the hospital.
Friends in Kenosha were shocked by
the announcement of the condition of
young Bergstrom. His name had not
figured in the public print since the
18th of October in 1920 when he was
sentenced to serve a life term in pris-
on after he had been convicted of the
crime Of Staying his wife, Gladys Berg
Btrom.
Romance Ends in Murder.
The murder of Gladys Bergstrom
took place in Laramie on April Bird,
1920. Her husband fired three shots
into her body as she was leaving the
office of an attorney who had been re-
tanned ITO bring an action for divorce
for her. Mrs. Bergstrom died instant
ly and her husband, following the
shooting, fled across the street from
the scene of the crime and watched
until after the body had been carried
away w SCL SSbA OAi
hired q taxicab to take him into the
country and enforced his demand with
a drawn revolver. When twenty miles
from Laramie Bergstrom's nerve failed
him and he asked the driver what to
do. The driver advised him to return
to the city and surrender himself to
the officials and two hours later he sur
rendered, At the trial of the case
Bergstrom was defended by Attorney
Robert Verne Baker and his defense
was that he was insane.
Called Insane at Trial.
The trial of Bergstrom was one Of
the most notable murder cases ever
tried in Wyoming and much sympathy
was found for the accused man. Lead
ing alienists Of the state testified at
the trial that Bergstrom was insane
but jury after four-hour considera-
ton of the evidence found that he
was sane and found him guilty of
charge of murder in the first degree
The jury did not recommend the death
penalty and it was said that some
question in the minds of the jurors as
to the mental condition of Bergstrom
led them to vote penalty of life i'm
prisonment. The attorneys for Berg
strom did not deny that the murder of
Mrs. Bergstrom had been premeditated
but they insisted that this very fact
showed that the defendant was insane.
Tragedy of Kenosha School Boy.
The case of Bergstrom who will
probably die soon in the hospital for
the insane was tragedy of Keno
sha school boy. Roy Bergstrom ten
years ago was one of the best known
Of the students of the Kenosha mlgh
school and one of the brightest. He
loved adventure and before he ended
his school work he went into the Unit
ed States regular army. He went with
Pershing to the border and was mem
Der of the army unit which had part
in the punitive expedition into Mex
leo. 1t was while he was with PERISH
ing that ne met the pretty little seveh-