Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 159, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 July 1911 — Grand Jury at Fowler Finds Larsen Murdered. [ARTICLE]

Grand Jury at Fowler Finds Larsen Murdered.

“We, the grand jury, find that Peter Larsen came to his death by violence not of his own hand, but by some person unknown to this grand jury. We find insufficient evidence to warrant the indictment of any one person.” Having completed its examination of witnesses and its investigation of the mysterious death of Peter Larsen, the grand jury returned the above verdict at 4 o’clock Thursday afternoon. This verdict repudiates the hasty finding of suicide by Coroner Arthur LeSage and by its vagueness, condemns the lack of vigilance on the part of the authorities for not. having gone to the bottom of Larsen’s death, immediately after the body was discovered in the cistern two weeks ago Friday morning. The finding of the grand jury caused a sensation at Fowler as such a verdict was unlooked for. Many thought that an indictment of murder would be returned against Peter Larsen’s widow and others believed that the grand jury would find that Larsen died by suicide. When asked what further action would now be taken, Burke Walker, deputy prosecutor of Benton county, stated that be did not think anything further would be done, as he thought that the verdict of the grand jury closed the case. He again said that he thought that the investigation would be left open for any-farther evidence that might be brought forward. Prosecutor John Hall left for Williamsport immediately after the grand jury's'* verdict was returned and no statement could be gotten from him. Detective Winn, of the Pinkerton agency, who was employed by friends and relatives of the late Peter Larsen and who arrived at Fowler Wednesday morning accompanied by Peter Larsen’s son-in-law, William F, Gussy, of Chicago, stated Thursday that if he had been on the grounds at the time of the finding of the bofiy that he would have found evidence warranting an indictment of murder in the first degree. He said that the evidence had been so thoroughly covered over and removed that no one in particular could be accused of thq crime, but that there was sufficient evidence remaining to show that it was, without a doubt, not a case of suicide. He and Mr. Gussy left for Chicago last night.

/ Mrs. Larsen and her attorney, Hall, were examined by the grand jury Wednesday afternoon and it is said that her testimony was the same as that given before, the coroner’s inquest She went before the grand jury dressed in deep mourning and was weeping as she entered and left the court house. It is possible that the grand jury had a motive as yet unknown in returning the verdict as it was. W faout a doubt, it was convinced that Larsen was murdered and the opinion of the six men may be that further investigation and time will reveal the murdered A verdict of suicide would have closed the case, but the verdict returned leaves it open. It appears now as if another Benton county mystery will be left unsolved. _