Murder of Knute Opdahl
Information from the Harvey Sathre Estate
Mower County News, February 26, 1931:
A decision of the coroner's jury given late Tuesday afternoon was issued to the effect that Knute Opdahl, Taopi farmer, came to his death through criminal efforts of his nephew, Magnus Opdahl, 24, of St. Paul. Much evidence comes to light which further implicates the younger Opdahl in the crime.
At the inquest held, it was learned through testimony given by Atty. E. N. Hoffman, that Magnus Opdahl applied to him for the purpose of drawing up a will wherein he, Magnus Opdahl would have been the only beneficiary. Mr. Hoffman, who refused to draw the will, said the young man had offered him $500. It was further shown that Magnus had registered at the Fox Hotel on January 29, under an assumed name, this being about the time he had applied to the Austin attorney for the drawing of the will. Young Opdahl who at first denied that he had done so, finally admitted that he had, his purpose being "to keep the money from going to relatives in the old country."
Another bit of important evidence was offered when Sheriff Syck introduced one of the seven floor boards taken from the living room of the Opdahl farm showing spots of blood that had soaked through the cracks in the floor. Conrad Bustad, a youth who lives near the Opdahl farm, further explained that the morning after the finding of Knute Opdahl's body, the nephew, Magnus, was in the living room with Bustad. He was feeding milk to a dog from a large receptacle, when some of the milk spilled upon the floor, Magnus, wiped it up with a cloth. Near the place where the milk had been spilled, Sheriff Syck took out several of the floor boards and found blood between the cracks and on the underside of the boards.
Magnus, handcuffed was brought into the judge's chambers for a short time Tuesday. He has made a written statement wherein he claims that he occupied a bed at Fort Snelling hotel every night between the dates Feb. 4 and 11. But testimony from a chambermaid at the hotel does not corroborate this statement. The maid claims that the morning of February 10, young Opdahl's bed did not appear to have been used. She also said that Magnus called her to his room asking her to straighten out his bed. She noticed that he seemed very nervous and wondered why he wished the bed made when it did not need it. Other witnesses were: Ed Kiefer, farmer living near Opdahl farm; Dr. F. W. Davis, Adams; Wilbur and Howard Martz, LeRoy; and Conrad and Oscar Bustad, farm youths living near Opdahl farm.
From the hearing Tuesday it was learned that Magnus had been a patient at the Ancker hospital in St. Paul for some twenty weeks, a suffer from Pleurisy. While there it was necessary to tap his lungs. Upon leaving, physicians warned him against T. B. and that he should have a long period of rest.
Neighbors of Knut Opdahl, 62, bachelor farmer, living near Taopi, have testified to his being friendly, neighborly and quiet. He had no known enemies. It has been estimated that his holdings are valued at about $15,000. The three direct heirs who live in Norway are Magnus' father, his uncle and an aunt.
Magnus, who at one time worked on the farm for his uncle, discovered the body, Feb. 16, at the foot of the cellar steps and reported it soon after. He stated that he had come to visit his uncle and upon investigation found him there. It looked as though the elder Opdahl had been attacked and thrown into the basement. Here is the statement issued by the coroner's jury:
"That the death of Knute Opdahl was produced by violence by means of a weapon, a more particular description of which to the coroner's jury is unknown, which weapon, in the judgment of this coroner's jury was used by one Magnus Opdahl in producing said fracture to the farmer's skull."
Mower County News, March 5, 1931:
At a hearing held in the court house Wednesday morning, Magnus Opdahl held in connection with the death of his uncle Knute Opdahl, Taopi farmer, was bound over to the district court, after waiving preliminary examination.
Justice Detwiler opened the hearing, Martin A. Nelson, attorney for the defendant announced that Opdahl desired to waive preliminary examination and was bound over to the district court by Justice Detwiler.
According to county Attorney Baudler it is quite evident that a special grand jury will be summoned at the March term of district court, which opens March 9, at which time the presiding judge will be asked to issue an order for the special jury to hear the case.
In the meantime Opdahl continues in the county jail. The last few days he has appeared quite morose and despondent. Several times he has expressed the wish to die, saying: "I won't need a court or a lawyer, I am going to die before then."
Opdahl is being closely watched since it is believed that he tried to take his life. The authorities found several cuts upon his arms and wrists and are of the opinion that Magnus tried to sever an artery. Every object that might be used as an instrument to destroy the accused man has been removed from the accused man's cell.
A large crowd gathered in the court room for the hearing Wednesday morning but were somewhat disappointed as it was held in the small northeast room off the main court room. and only those necessary to the hearing were admitted.
Authorities are of the opinion that the new evidence which has recently been secured, is such that it will crush the defendant's story and definitely link him with his uncle's demise.
*Written note at end of newspaper articles - "Magnus died on August 9, 1931 in Minneapolis. He was shot to death."
The following information is from the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis Website (http://www.mpdfederation.com/clayton-olson/), and I believe describes the death of Magnus Opdahl.
Shortly before 5 a.m. on August 9, 1931, a customer was leaving the hamburger shop at Twenty-eight Avenue So. and Lake Street, when he came face to face with a tall, well dressed man who was wearing a handkerchief about the lower part of his face.
This fellow seemed surprised. He jerked the handkerchief off his face and took his hand out of his back pocket. It was apparent he was just entering the shop to hold it up.
The customer jumped into his car and drove to the Minnehaha police station. He told the desk sergeant about it and the sergeant directed him to tell the patrolman at the corner about it.
The man drove back and Patrolman Clayton OLSON was on the corner. The holdup man apparently had seen the
policeman coming and abandoned his plan to rob the place. He was standing across the street, on the north side of Lake Street.
The customer told Patrolman OLSON of what had happened and he started across the street toward the suspicious man who began walking east on Lake Street, then broke into a run. Patrolman OLSON started running after him.
The holdup man raced behind a signboard on Lake Street between Twenty-eight and Twenty-ninth Avenues So. Patrolman
OLSON ran in after him.
There was a sudden blast of pistol shots, a short pause, then another volley.
Several customers in the hamburger shop, and a milk wagon driver heard the rapid series of reports and came running toward the scene.
Patrolman OLSON staggered out from behind the row of billboards and crumpled to the ground, his pistol still in his hand. A later examination showed that the patrolman had fired five shots but his body had been riddled with eight bullets.
A man in the crowd who was a friend of Patrolman OLSON rushed to the wounded policeman’s side.
“Who did it?” the friend cried. “I don’t know,” OLSON gasped. “Give me your gun,” demanded the friend.
Patrolman OLSON weakly handed the young man his pistol, then sank back, dead. The man rushed behind the signboards but the slayer had fled.
Meanwhile, an ambulance was called and others in the crowd had torn strips from the apron of the manager of the hamburger shop and attempted to bandage Patrolman OLSON’s wounds.
The shooting occurred at 5:10 a.m. Immediately, Chief of Police William J. Meehan was notified and, within 15 minutes, the entire district was flooded with patrolmen, detectives and gunsquad cars.
Forty-five minutes later, a 12 year old newspaper carrier delivering the Sunday paper near Forty-third Avenue So. and Twenty-ninth Street, spied a man hiding in tall grass beside the street.
“Get away from here,” the man growled.
The youth went on delivering papers, then suddenly he thought, “Maybe that’s the fellow that shot the policeman.” He ran to the home of his uncle and awakened him. Then they both went into the street and hailed a gunsquad car.
In the car was Patrolman A. J. Des Lauriers.
“You take the wheel of the car,” Des Lauriers instructed the boy’s uncle, after he heard the story.
They drove to Forty-third Avenue So. and Twenty-ninth Street and, not seeing the man, turned down Twenty-ninth Street toward the scene of the shooting. They spied him on Twenty-ninth Street, between Twenty-eight and Twenty-ninth Avenues So.
“There he is,” the young boy cried excitedly pointing at the suspected slayer.
“Are you sure?” Patrolman Des Lauriers demanded.
“Yes, I know him by his walk,” the boy replied.
At that moment, the uncle had driven the gunsquad car beside the curb and the man swung around, spied the officer and pulled out his .45 automatic pistol.
Before the suspect had a chance to shoot, Patrolman Des Lauriers broke a window of the car, thrust out his riot gun and fired three charges of slugs, dropping the killer to the ground, his pistol still in his hand. Des Lauriers then raced up to the
wounded man and stepped on the pistol as he was raising his hand in an attempt to shoot once more.
Chief Meehan was only a block away, heading a searching party, at the time of the shooting. He heard the shots and was one of the first to reach the scene. He assigned two detectives to accompany the wounded slayer to the hospital and attempt to question him.
The policeman’s killer was fatally wounded while standing only a block from the spot where he had killed Patrolman OLSON an hour earlier. He apparently was drunk, police said, and had wandered aimlessly back toward the scene of the crime.
Meanwhile, Patrolman Des Lauriers, having completed his job, walked alone and unnoticed to the Minnehaha police station, while the news carrier’s uncle drove on ahead of him to give the news.
Patrolman Des Lauriers was a veteran policeman, having served on the force 18 years. He had had long experience as a gunsquad man.
“I like policemen like Des Lauriers,” Chief Meehan said. “They make sure they are right, then shoot, and then ask questions.”
In the meantime, the young paper carrier, not realizing his presence of mind had made him a hero, walked over to a police sergeant at the station house. “Say,” the boy complained, “I dropped my papers when I saw this fellow and I’ve lost them. I have to make my deliveries.”
The sergeant assigned two policemen to find the young news carrier’s papers and help him deliver the rest of them.
A police department citation was awarded to the 12 year old news carrier, for his quick wit and courage in leading police to the bandit who shot and killed Patrolman OLSON.
Shortly after the wounded slayer was taken to General Hospital, he was identified as Magnus Opdahl, a 25 year old St. Paul sign painter who came to America only two years earlier from Norway.
Opdahl died of his wounds a few hours after arriving at the hospital. He had lived at the home of distant relatives in St. Paul. They were at his side at General Hospital when he died. His only statement was, “I’m sorry it happened.”
“I can’t understand why Opdahl should do a thing like this,” one relative said. “He was not in need of money, although he had not had much employment recently.”
Police found $9 in currency and some change in Opdahl’s pockets. They also found a half filled bottle of alcohol and two loaded clips for his .45 automatic pistol.
It was learned that St. Paul police, a week ago, questioned Opdahl concerning several robberies. Opdahl’s body was to be viewed at the county morgue by victims of a score of Twin City robberies staged by a gunman who gained the sobriquet of “the fashion plate bandit.”
The first two St. Paul men who viewed the body of Opdahl identified him as the man who robbed them recently in St. Paul. One of them, a taxicab driver, said Opdahl held him up a week ago.
“I had only $2 with me and I gave it to him,” the driver told police. “He flew into a rage and acted like he was out of his mind. He pulled his pistol and fired six shots into my taxicab. It’s a wonder I wasn’t killed.”
This incident was one of the factors that led police to believe Opdahl was deranged.
Funeral services for Patrolman OLSON were conducted at Crystal Lake chapel on August 11, 1931. With six of his closest patrolmen friends on the police department as his pallbearers, Patrolman OLSON went to a hero’s grave in Crystal Lake cemetery.
He joined the small group of immortals of the Minneapolis police department who have given their lives to protect the city from bandits. All officials of the police department were present to pay homage to the slain officer.
Patrolman OLSON was 36 years old, and a five year veteran of the department. He was survived by his wife and a 4 year old daughter. OLSON had served two years in France in the World War. Only a week earlier, Patrolman OLSON used his war bonus money to make the first payment on a small home at 5344 Fifty-seventh Avenue So.
Mower County News, February 26, 1931:
A decision of the coroner's jury given late Tuesday afternoon was issued to the effect that Knute Opdahl, Taopi farmer, came to his death through criminal efforts of his nephew, Magnus Opdahl, 24, of St. Paul. Much evidence comes to light which further implicates the younger Opdahl in the crime.
At the inquest held, it was learned through testimony given by Atty. E. N. Hoffman, that Magnus Opdahl applied to him for the purpose of drawing up a will wherein he, Magnus Opdahl would have been the only beneficiary. Mr. Hoffman, who refused to draw the will, said the young man had offered him $500. It was further shown that Magnus had registered at the Fox Hotel on January 29, under an assumed name, this being about the time he had applied to the Austin attorney for the drawing of the will. Young Opdahl who at first denied that he had done so, finally admitted that he had, his purpose being "to keep the money from going to relatives in the old country."
Another bit of important evidence was offered when Sheriff Syck introduced one of the seven floor boards taken from the living room of the Opdahl farm showing spots of blood that had soaked through the cracks in the floor. Conrad Bustad, a youth who lives near the Opdahl farm, further explained that the morning after the finding of Knute Opdahl's body, the nephew, Magnus, was in the living room with Bustad. He was feeding milk to a dog from a large receptacle, when some of the milk spilled upon the floor, Magnus, wiped it up with a cloth. Near the place where the milk had been spilled, Sheriff Syck took out several of the floor boards and found blood between the cracks and on the underside of the boards.
Magnus, handcuffed was brought into the judge's chambers for a short time Tuesday. He has made a written statement wherein he claims that he occupied a bed at Fort Snelling hotel every night between the dates Feb. 4 and 11. But testimony from a chambermaid at the hotel does not corroborate this statement. The maid claims that the morning of February 10, young Opdahl's bed did not appear to have been used. She also said that Magnus called her to his room asking her to straighten out his bed. She noticed that he seemed very nervous and wondered why he wished the bed made when it did not need it. Other witnesses were: Ed Kiefer, farmer living near Opdahl farm; Dr. F. W. Davis, Adams; Wilbur and Howard Martz, LeRoy; and Conrad and Oscar Bustad, farm youths living near Opdahl farm.
From the hearing Tuesday it was learned that Magnus had been a patient at the Ancker hospital in St. Paul for some twenty weeks, a suffer from Pleurisy. While there it was necessary to tap his lungs. Upon leaving, physicians warned him against T. B. and that he should have a long period of rest.
Neighbors of Knut Opdahl, 62, bachelor farmer, living near Taopi, have testified to his being friendly, neighborly and quiet. He had no known enemies. It has been estimated that his holdings are valued at about $15,000. The three direct heirs who live in Norway are Magnus' father, his uncle and an aunt.
Magnus, who at one time worked on the farm for his uncle, discovered the body, Feb. 16, at the foot of the cellar steps and reported it soon after. He stated that he had come to visit his uncle and upon investigation found him there. It looked as though the elder Opdahl had been attacked and thrown into the basement. Here is the statement issued by the coroner's jury:
"That the death of Knute Opdahl was produced by violence by means of a weapon, a more particular description of which to the coroner's jury is unknown, which weapon, in the judgment of this coroner's jury was used by one Magnus Opdahl in producing said fracture to the farmer's skull."
Mower County News, March 5, 1931:
At a hearing held in the court house Wednesday morning, Magnus Opdahl held in connection with the death of his uncle Knute Opdahl, Taopi farmer, was bound over to the district court, after waiving preliminary examination.
Justice Detwiler opened the hearing, Martin A. Nelson, attorney for the defendant announced that Opdahl desired to waive preliminary examination and was bound over to the district court by Justice Detwiler.
According to county Attorney Baudler it is quite evident that a special grand jury will be summoned at the March term of district court, which opens March 9, at which time the presiding judge will be asked to issue an order for the special jury to hear the case.
In the meantime Opdahl continues in the county jail. The last few days he has appeared quite morose and despondent. Several times he has expressed the wish to die, saying: "I won't need a court or a lawyer, I am going to die before then."
Opdahl is being closely watched since it is believed that he tried to take his life. The authorities found several cuts upon his arms and wrists and are of the opinion that Magnus tried to sever an artery. Every object that might be used as an instrument to destroy the accused man has been removed from the accused man's cell.
A large crowd gathered in the court room for the hearing Wednesday morning but were somewhat disappointed as it was held in the small northeast room off the main court room. and only those necessary to the hearing were admitted.
Authorities are of the opinion that the new evidence which has recently been secured, is such that it will crush the defendant's story and definitely link him with his uncle's demise.
*Written note at end of newspaper articles - "Magnus died on August 9, 1931 in Minneapolis. He was shot to death."
The following information is from the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis Website (http://www.mpdfederation.com/clayton-olson/), and I believe describes the death of Magnus Opdahl.
Shortly before 5 a.m. on August 9, 1931, a customer was leaving the hamburger shop at Twenty-eight Avenue So. and Lake Street, when he came face to face with a tall, well dressed man who was wearing a handkerchief about the lower part of his face.
This fellow seemed surprised. He jerked the handkerchief off his face and took his hand out of his back pocket. It was apparent he was just entering the shop to hold it up.
The customer jumped into his car and drove to the Minnehaha police station. He told the desk sergeant about it and the sergeant directed him to tell the patrolman at the corner about it.
The man drove back and Patrolman Clayton OLSON was on the corner. The holdup man apparently had seen the
policeman coming and abandoned his plan to rob the place. He was standing across the street, on the north side of Lake Street.
The customer told Patrolman OLSON of what had happened and he started across the street toward the suspicious man who began walking east on Lake Street, then broke into a run. Patrolman OLSON started running after him.
The holdup man raced behind a signboard on Lake Street between Twenty-eight and Twenty-ninth Avenues So. Patrolman
OLSON ran in after him.
There was a sudden blast of pistol shots, a short pause, then another volley.
Several customers in the hamburger shop, and a milk wagon driver heard the rapid series of reports and came running toward the scene.
Patrolman OLSON staggered out from behind the row of billboards and crumpled to the ground, his pistol still in his hand. A later examination showed that the patrolman had fired five shots but his body had been riddled with eight bullets.
A man in the crowd who was a friend of Patrolman OLSON rushed to the wounded policeman’s side.
“Who did it?” the friend cried. “I don’t know,” OLSON gasped. “Give me your gun,” demanded the friend.
Patrolman OLSON weakly handed the young man his pistol, then sank back, dead. The man rushed behind the signboards but the slayer had fled.
Meanwhile, an ambulance was called and others in the crowd had torn strips from the apron of the manager of the hamburger shop and attempted to bandage Patrolman OLSON’s wounds.
The shooting occurred at 5:10 a.m. Immediately, Chief of Police William J. Meehan was notified and, within 15 minutes, the entire district was flooded with patrolmen, detectives and gunsquad cars.
Forty-five minutes later, a 12 year old newspaper carrier delivering the Sunday paper near Forty-third Avenue So. and Twenty-ninth Street, spied a man hiding in tall grass beside the street.
“Get away from here,” the man growled.
The youth went on delivering papers, then suddenly he thought, “Maybe that’s the fellow that shot the policeman.” He ran to the home of his uncle and awakened him. Then they both went into the street and hailed a gunsquad car.
In the car was Patrolman A. J. Des Lauriers.
“You take the wheel of the car,” Des Lauriers instructed the boy’s uncle, after he heard the story.
They drove to Forty-third Avenue So. and Twenty-ninth Street and, not seeing the man, turned down Twenty-ninth Street toward the scene of the shooting. They spied him on Twenty-ninth Street, between Twenty-eight and Twenty-ninth Avenues So.
“There he is,” the young boy cried excitedly pointing at the suspected slayer.
“Are you sure?” Patrolman Des Lauriers demanded.
“Yes, I know him by his walk,” the boy replied.
At that moment, the uncle had driven the gunsquad car beside the curb and the man swung around, spied the officer and pulled out his .45 automatic pistol.
Before the suspect had a chance to shoot, Patrolman Des Lauriers broke a window of the car, thrust out his riot gun and fired three charges of slugs, dropping the killer to the ground, his pistol still in his hand. Des Lauriers then raced up to the
wounded man and stepped on the pistol as he was raising his hand in an attempt to shoot once more.
Chief Meehan was only a block away, heading a searching party, at the time of the shooting. He heard the shots and was one of the first to reach the scene. He assigned two detectives to accompany the wounded slayer to the hospital and attempt to question him.
The policeman’s killer was fatally wounded while standing only a block from the spot where he had killed Patrolman OLSON an hour earlier. He apparently was drunk, police said, and had wandered aimlessly back toward the scene of the crime.
Meanwhile, Patrolman Des Lauriers, having completed his job, walked alone and unnoticed to the Minnehaha police station, while the news carrier’s uncle drove on ahead of him to give the news.
Patrolman Des Lauriers was a veteran policeman, having served on the force 18 years. He had had long experience as a gunsquad man.
“I like policemen like Des Lauriers,” Chief Meehan said. “They make sure they are right, then shoot, and then ask questions.”
In the meantime, the young paper carrier, not realizing his presence of mind had made him a hero, walked over to a police sergeant at the station house. “Say,” the boy complained, “I dropped my papers when I saw this fellow and I’ve lost them. I have to make my deliveries.”
The sergeant assigned two policemen to find the young news carrier’s papers and help him deliver the rest of them.
A police department citation was awarded to the 12 year old news carrier, for his quick wit and courage in leading police to the bandit who shot and killed Patrolman OLSON.
Shortly after the wounded slayer was taken to General Hospital, he was identified as Magnus Opdahl, a 25 year old St. Paul sign painter who came to America only two years earlier from Norway.
Opdahl died of his wounds a few hours after arriving at the hospital. He had lived at the home of distant relatives in St. Paul. They were at his side at General Hospital when he died. His only statement was, “I’m sorry it happened.”
“I can’t understand why Opdahl should do a thing like this,” one relative said. “He was not in need of money, although he had not had much employment recently.”
Police found $9 in currency and some change in Opdahl’s pockets. They also found a half filled bottle of alcohol and two loaded clips for his .45 automatic pistol.
It was learned that St. Paul police, a week ago, questioned Opdahl concerning several robberies. Opdahl’s body was to be viewed at the county morgue by victims of a score of Twin City robberies staged by a gunman who gained the sobriquet of “the fashion plate bandit.”
The first two St. Paul men who viewed the body of Opdahl identified him as the man who robbed them recently in St. Paul. One of them, a taxicab driver, said Opdahl held him up a week ago.
“I had only $2 with me and I gave it to him,” the driver told police. “He flew into a rage and acted like he was out of his mind. He pulled his pistol and fired six shots into my taxicab. It’s a wonder I wasn’t killed.”
This incident was one of the factors that led police to believe Opdahl was deranged.
Funeral services for Patrolman OLSON were conducted at Crystal Lake chapel on August 11, 1931. With six of his closest patrolmen friends on the police department as his pallbearers, Patrolman OLSON went to a hero’s grave in Crystal Lake cemetery.
He joined the small group of immortals of the Minneapolis police department who have given their lives to protect the city from bandits. All officials of the police department were present to pay homage to the slain officer.
Patrolman OLSON was 36 years old, and a five year veteran of the department. He was survived by his wife and a 4 year old daughter. OLSON had served two years in France in the World War. Only a week earlier, Patrolman OLSON used his war bonus money to make the first payment on a small home at 5344 Fifty-seventh Avenue So.
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