Hansen, Anna C. 1876-1894

HANSEN, PETERSEN

Posted By: Linda Mohning (email)
Date: 10/11/2011 at 19:46:22

JEALOUSY THE CAUSE. MURDER AND SUICIDE DARKENS A HOME NEAR REMSEN.

An Insanely Jealous Uncle Murders His Niece and Then Commits Suicide When Approached By Neighbors.

REMSEN, IOWA, May 15, 1894. Special to the Post.

Yesterday afternoon Mr. and Mrs. P.N. Hansen with their two little boys came to Remsen, leaving Annie, their 18 year old daughter at home with her uncle, Herman Peterson, who was employed as a hired hand by M. Hansen. In less than an hour after the folks had left, Petersen ran down to their neighbors, Julies Ewardsen, and told him he had a terrible accident that he had shot Annie Hansen. Ewardsen, his hired man, and Peterson, went back to Hansen’s and found Annie dead with a bullet through her temple. The news soon spread and neighbors began to come to the place. This frightened Petersen who remarked to Ewardsen, “Now they are coming to kill me.” He started for the barn and one of the men followed him. When he reached the barn door Petersen had a pistol held to his head. He was advised not to kill himself, whereupon he pointed the pistol at the fellow who was speaking to him telling him to leave or he would kill him, too. He was left alone very quickly and in a few moments two shots were heard. On going in the barn again Petersen was found dead with two bullets in his brain. The terrible news was carried to Remsen where the parents of the murdered girl were making merry at the annual “Kinder fest” held at this place, when all the children of the country gather in childish games and merry making. To say that the parents were spell bound at the news is putting it too mildly. The father could not speak and the mother distracted at the loss of their only daughter.
There was nothing brought out at the inquest to show that an assault had been made when the coroner found the body. There was a spoon on the side of the body and a fork on the other. A spoon fell out of the folds of her dress when taken off, showing she had been washing the dinner dishes. The only witness to the tragedy was the uncle, who is also a corpse. There has never been anything to lead the parents to think their daughter was not safe with her uncle although neighbors say he wanted to marry her. She refused and he was insanely jealous. Petersen was 30 years old and heretofore bore a good reputation. The bodies of the two unfortunates will be buried in the Remsen cemetery Wednesday at 10 a.m. from the Evangelical church, the church in which Annie was confirmed two years ago. – Le Mars Post, May 15, 1894, page 4.