Rensselaer Standard, Volume 1, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 September 1879 — How Presence of Mind by an Old Lady Saved Her Life. [ARTICLE]

How Presence of Mind by an Old Lady Saved Her Life.

From tbe Long Prairie (Minn.) Argue. On Katurday last we were shocked to hear of the sad end of Peter Horner, of the town of Ward, who committed suicide on Friday evening. He waa a single man of about 35 years of age, ana lived on a claim for the last seven years with Mrs. with whom he had lived since he was a boy, and who is 83 years of age. They were preparing to retire about 9 o’clock in the evening, when he told Mrs. Due kin that their time had come to die—*hat they must go that night or the next, and it might as well be then as any time. She saw at once that he was not in his right mind, aud with great presence of mind quietly informed him that she would step over to Mr. SarifTs, their nearest neighbor, and get the boys to sing awhile. He told her he did not want the boys there that evening, and, before she oouid get away, he drew an ax over her head, and was about to strike her dead. She uttered a prayer for aid, and he turned and looked behind him, and at tbe same time she slipped away from him. In a moment he followed her, holding the ax behind him. She asked: “Peter, what have you behind you?” He answered: “Nothing; let us go into the house.” She readily assented, and they both started for the door, but she took a path which led on the opposite side of a small out-building, and as soon as this was between them sue crossed the yard fence into a field of oats, and crept down into the grain as well as she could, and listened for a short time, thinking he would search for her. While waiting she heard a noise near the house, followed by a groan, aud it is supposed that then is when he took his life. Mrs. Dunkin, still retaining her presence of mind in a remarkable degree, took off a white handkerchief wruch she wore around her neck and a light apron which she bad on, fearing that they would betray her in the gathering twilight; and then made the best of her way to the residence of Mr. Sariff, about a quarter of a mile distant, and informeu him of the affair. He went to the house-and found poor Horner lying prone on his face near the doorstep, rigid in ueath, with a large butcher knife lying near his hand. On examination eight wounds were found just\ below the breast bone in front, and two in his throat.