Petersen, Herman 1862-1894

PETERSEN, HANSEN

Posted By: Mary Holub, volunteer (email)
Date: 11/29/2010 at 16:33:03

Note: Remsen Cemetery records list the man as PETERSEN (Herman Petersen, b. 8/18/1862; d. 5/14/1894)

From: Le Mars Sentinel, May 17, 1894

ACCIDENT OR MURDER.

Herman Petersen Shoots His Niece and Then Suicides.

Tragedies are coming thick and fast. The last one occurred ten miles north of Remsen just over the line in Sioux county last Monday afternoon.

Herman Petersen shot and killed his niece, Annie Hansen, and later killed himself.

It appears from the reports that Petersen and Annie were the only ones at home. Annie's father and mother and her two little brothers had gone to Remsen for the day. The first that anyone knew of the affair Petersen called at a neighbor's and told that he had accidentally shot Annie. The hired man accompanied Petersen back to Hansen's home to see if the statement was true. The girl's corpse lay on the floor where she had fallen when the revolver bullet crashed into her brain. She was washing the dinner dishes when she was shot and some of them lay on the floor by her side.

Petersen went out to the barn after the neighbors began to gather and shot himself through the head. He seemed to be afraid of being lynched.

Petersen was about twenty-eight years of age and the girl was about ten years younger. It is reported that he shot the girl because she would not marry him, but this is not credited by the relatives who cling to the theory that it was an accident.

The inquest was held by the coroner of Sioux county, but developed nothing new. The double funeral was held at Remsen yesterday.

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From: Alton Democrat, May 19, 1894

A DUAL TRAGEDY
SHOOTS HIS NIECE AND THEN KILLS HIMSELF

Another Case of An Unloaded Revolver Which Causes the Loss of Two Lives

Great excitement was caused here Monday evening by the announcement that a double tragedy had been committed about eight miles southeast of town on the farm of N. Hansen.

Monday morning, Mr. and Mrs. Hansen went to Remsen to attend a church celebration and left their home in charge of their daughter Anna and Mrs. Hansen's brother, Herman Peters. Dinner was eaten and then came the tragic act which brought so much grief to the stricken family. Miss Hansen was in the act of clearing the table, when her uncle, fooling with a revolver which he thought was unloaded, exclaimed, 'Shall I shoot you?' and not thinking what he was doing, he pulled the trigger and fired the revolver which killed his niece instantly. Realizing the dreadful crime he had committed, he ran to a neighbor¹s house and informed them of what had happened. Julius Ewaldson and Will Shafer returned with him to the house, where he showed them the girl lying dead on the kitchen floor. He talked with them a few moments becoming more excited all the time, and finally, not being able to think longer of the dreadful deed he had done, he rushed out to the barn with them after him and pointed the revolver at his own head. He was stopped by his friend shouting to him not to shoot himself, to which he replied, 'You get or I¹ll shoot you.' He then fired two shots killing himself instantly, one ball taking effect in the right temple and the other just above the right eye. Thus ended the lives of two useful persons, who but a few moments before were enjoying the hopes of a bright prospective future, but by one foolish act had both been hurled into eternity.

Mr. and Mrs. Hansen were immediately informed of the sad accident, and Coroner DeBey of Orange City, was telegraphed for. In the meantime the body of the man was removed from the barn to the house. The coroner arrived at 9 p.m., a jury was empanelled and an inquest held at once. The jury, consisting of E. C. Oggel, B. Bassett and L. Snyder, returned the following verdict:

"We, the jurors, find that the deceased Anna Hansen, came to death by a pistol shot wound in the temple, the ball entering the brain, said pistol being discharged by one Herman Peters by pointing it at her and saying, 'Shall I shoot you.' The jury also find that said Herman Peters had said he did not know it was loaded and pulled the trigger. The jury further finds that Anna Christiana Hansen came to her death in this way.

The said jury find that Herman Peters came to his death by two bullets entering brains, fired from a revolver by deceased own hand, and they further find that said Herman Peters committed suicide out of remorse for having accidentally shot his niece, Miss Anna Christiana Hansen."

The whole thing was a surprising and sad affair. Miss Anna Hansen was a quiet girl of 17 years of age, an affectionate daughter, and loved by all who knew her. She leaves a heart broken mother and a grief stricken father to mourn the loss of their only daughter.

Herman Peters had been in the employ of Mr. Hansen for the past three years. He was 31 years of age, bore a good reputation and was a man of quiet and unassuming manners. Nothing but friendly relations existed between him and Miss Hansen and without a doubt the shooting was an accident resulting from carelessness.

The funeral of both occurred at the Evangelical church at Remsen, Wednesday.
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Alton Democrat, May 26, 1894

The funeral of Herman Petersen and Anna Hansen was the largest that ever occurred at Remsen, there being over 600 people at the church and over 100 teams in the funeral procession.
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