Peterson - Frank - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

Tuesday morning Frank Peterson, a tailor in the employ of Widdop, of Ladoga, committed suicide by shooting himself in the breast. Peterson was a Swede and came to Ladoga about twelve years ago. He was very industrious and for several years saved his money very carefully. Then he began to drink and became more and more addicted to the habit. Lately he would go on protracted sprees and started on his final toot July Fourth when he came to this city. Monday he was attacked by delirium tremens at his room in the residence of H. S. Huntington in Ladoga. He must have suffered terribly during the night, and his diseased imagination brought to him all the tortures of the damned.

On Tuesday quite early the family was aroused by hearing three pistol shots from Peterson’s room. They hurried in and found him with a gaping bullet hole in his breast, just below the heart. The other two shots had been fired into the wall and through the window. A physician was called in and to him Peterson stated that he had fought the devils off all night long, but that they had made a rush on him when daylight came. “I shot two of them,” said he, “but when I saw that they were going to get me anyhow, I shot myself.” At last accounts Peterson was still alive but was in a dying condition. -s