1907 John Korda-2 and the Cleman investigation

Stevens Point Journal
30 March 1907
AN INQUEST WILL BE HELD.
Body of Mrs. Joe Clements [sic] Will Be Exhumed and Cause of Death Investigated.

In order to clear up the mystery surrounding the death and burial of a woman and child in the town of Alban, mention of which was made in Saturday's issue of the Journal, a coroner's inquest will be held, probably on Friday or Saturday of this week. This has been determined upon as a result of the inquiries and investigations made by Sheriff Guyant and Under Sheriff Neumann last Saturday.
Joe Clements, a Polish farmer, lives about a mile and a half southwest of the village of Rosholt. He is about fifty years of age and has lived there many years.
Upon arriving at Rosholt Messrs.Guyant and Neumann found that it was from his home that the woman and child are alleged to have mysteriously disappeared. They also found many of the villagers laboring under a high state of excitement over the affair. When the sheriff arrived a number of men gathered around him and commenced to tell what a desperate man Clements was. One of the stories was that Clements had barricaded his house, and with the aid of his sons would probably shoot anyone who approached the house. When asked what desperate things Clements had ever done none of them seemed to be able to tell, but the belief that he was a bad and desperate man seemed to be almost universal. One man said he would not go down to the house for a thousand dollars.

Nevertheless at about 1:30 o'clock Guyant and Neumann started down to the Clements home. They were followed by a number of villagers and by the time the church, about forty rods from Clements's home, was reached, the number had been increased to about a hundred, but the crowd, no doubt considering discretion the better part of valor, remained in the vicinity of the church and left the two officers to pursue the balance of the journey alone. When Mr. Guyant first knocked at the door of the house he got no response. Peering through the window he saw a couple of little girls on the inside, and a little later two boys and Clements came out the back door and around the house and met him. The man was unarmed and apparently was frank in giving answers to all the inquiries made by the sheriff. When asked in regard to the death of his wife, he said she died about two weeks ago, that he had buried her in his wood lot, just where he wanted to be buried and he would go and show the sheriff the grave. The wood lot where the burial took place is about half a mile from the house. He said his wife was sick with a cold about two weeks and that her hair got twisted up. He had not called a doctor for the reason that he did not believe in them and he didn't have her buried according to the rites of the church for the reason that he did not believe in the church and did not want to have anything to do with it. The nearest neighbor lives about thirty rods away and when asked if he called any of the neighbors when his wife was sick he said he did not, that he had no neighbors and no friends. It seems that the woman who is now dead was Clements's second wife and that when they were married some of the neighbors charivaried them and he said he had not spoken to any of them since.

The story in regard to the death of the child was not investigated very closely. That is a matter that will be brought out at the inquest. According to the report of neighbors the child who is said to have died and been buried with the mother, was three or four weeks old.

At the inquest the body of Mrs. Clements will be exhumed and the whole affair will be carefully investigated. For burying his wife without first procuring a permit Clements has subjected himself to a fine, even though it is shown that the death was due to natural causes.

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Stevens Point Journal
6 April 1907
THE ALBAN INQUEST.
Mrs. Clements and Child Die of Pneumonia.
Clements is Jailed for Violating Law.

The inquest to ascertain the manner and cause of the death of Mrs. Joseph Clements, which was commenced at the farm home of the family in the town of Alban last Saturday forenoon and concluded in this city Monday afternoon, resulted in the jury finding that the woman died of tuberculosis of the lungs, followed by an attack of pneumonia.

The inquiry also developed the fact that during her illness the woman had only such care as the members of the family could give her and that she and her baby, aged about one year, died early in the morning of March 13 and were buried the same evening in a wood lot on the farm by her husband and two step-sons, and that none of the neighbors or anybody outside of the family were notified of the deaths of the mother and child.

The party that went from here to make the investigation consisted of District Attorney George B. Nelson, Justice G.L. Park, Dr. E.H. Rogers, Dr. D.S. Rice, Sheriff Frank Guyant, Under-sheriff Emil Neumann, James Alcorn, stenographer, and A.E. Bourn, John Leahy, Robert Maine, J.S.[?]ipe, John Corda [John Korda-2] and Lon Meyers, the six last named having been summoned as jurors. Burt Cushman had charge of exhuming the bodies.

The Catholic church in the town of Alban is located a little more than a mile southwest of the village of Rosholt and the Clements farms of 80 acres is the first one south of the church. The farm buildings consist of a good sized house and barn and the house is painted white and the barn is red. The family now consists of Mr. Clements and three sons and four girls. The boys and three girls are children of his first wife and the other girl, now about three years old, is the child of his second wife. Everything about the barn and house was in good order but the latter is meagerly furnished and the little girls were thinly clad and without stockings, and some of them wore no shoes.

When the party that went from here reached the place they found Mr. Clements and his sons working in and about the barn. When Sheriff Guyant told Clements the object of the visit, that they had come to exhume the remains of his wife and child and hold an inquest, and that they wanted him to take some shovels and show them the grave, Clements replied that he had but one shovel and that he wanted to use it that day in his work in the barn. However, when the sheriff insisted, Clements put the shovel on his shoulder and led the party across the field about a quarter of a mile to the wood lot in the rear of the house. The grave he pointed out was not rounded up in the usual way but was level with the ground. In response to inquiries Clements sid that the heads of his wife and child were to the south and that the bodies were not enclosed in a coffin or box. What was the use? A coffin or box would rot and whe a person was dead he was dead and that was all there was to it. Besides, he had been to a good deal of expense, the church had cost him a good deal, and in his present financial condition he could not afford either a box or coffin. As soon as he had pointed out the location of the grave Clements started to go back to the house. When told that he was expected to stay there while the bodies were being exhumed Clements said he wanted to get his coat. A cold wind was blowing at the time and he said he might take cold. The sheriff got a robe and told him he might put that around his shoulders, but this he refused to do, saying that he “was no Indian.”

The exhuming of the bodies, which was immediately commenced, was witnessed by about a hundred people who had quickly gathered around. The grave was about four feet deep and when the bodies were taken out it was found that they were but little decomposed. That of the mother was clothed only in a shirt and dress and that of the child in a little slip or single garment. The two bodies had been laid side by side, but not even a cloth had been placed over their upturned faces before the sand was shoveled in upon them. As the bodies laid there on the ground, after being taken from the gravek, with the long black hair of the mother partly covering the body of the baby, the scene was one which made women weep and men turn away, but if the father and husband felt any emotion or regret he gave no outward sign of it. The bodies were placed in a wagon and taken to the village of Rosholt, where later an autopsy was held by Drs. Rice and Rogers.

Following the proceedings at the grave, the jury repaired to Clements's house, where the testimony of his three sons was taken, a brief synopsis of which follows:

The boys were kept apart so that they could not communicate together or hear the other's testimony, and the first witness called was August Clements, who is 13 years old. He said his step-mother died March 13. He slept up stairs; go up about 7 o'clock. First saw my mother after she was dead on the bed in this room. That was in the morning, about 8 o'clock. Went to school that day. Saw my mother before I went to school and knew she was dead. My father first told me mother was dead; and he said “mother is dead.” They buried her that day in the evening, about 8 o'clock, it was not dark, they did not take a lantern. Father and my two brothers buried her. They hauled her down, pulled her on boards. She had been sick about two weeks, was in bed about two weeks. Ate very little while she was in bed. She coughed when she was sick; coughed a lot. Sometimes she spit blood. We gave her something to eat; also some medicine for her cough. (Did not have any of the medicine but he said they had the bottle. When told to get the bottle went to the cupboard but could not find it.) Mother was cold when she was sick. The little girl was sick a week. She died the same night my mother, burried her the same night. The baby coughed. Baby cried all the time. Father and mother never fought. I do not go to church, father does not go, but mother used to go, did not tell anyone at school that mother was dead. I was afraid the people would laugh at me. My father told me not to tell tham at school that mother was dead, told me more than once. Got the medicine that mother took from Myer's drug store. When they buried mother I was here. Father and one of my brothers carried her out. They made a boat of boards and pulled her.

John Clements, aged 21, said he came down stairs at about 6 o'clock in the morning of March 13 and his father told him his mother was dead. Mother was sick and in bed more than a week. She coughed, got pain in her legs, said she could not stand on her legs; was in bed about nine days. We gave her some cough medicine, got the medicine about two weeks before she died. I helped bury her. We dug the grave the same day she died, in the morning. Buried her between 6 and 8 o'clock the same evening. Even if we called the neighbors they would not come, they are all mad at us, afraid to come. Father did not tell me not to tell people mother was dead. (This witness also went to the cupboard to get the medicine bottle but could not find it.) I bought some medicine and father some. Mother vomited blood at times. My little sister died the same night. Didn't bury mother in the day time because we didn't have time, had to do the washing. I was sick, too. All helped to take care of mother when she was sick. Mother had chills and was cold at times. Baby coughed a good deal. Mother's hair twisted. Don't know as men have twisted hair. Didn't get a coffin because father said no use of buying a coffin. Did not bury her in the church yard, because they would not bury such people there. Father owns 80 acres, does not owe anything that I know of. Buried mother on the same night of the day she died.

Philip Clements, 18 years old. Was here when mother died. She died March 13, towards morning. First he said she was dead when I came down stairs about 6 o'clock. I saw mother was dead, I was surprised, did not expect she was going to die. She had been sick a little more than a week. She had lame feet. Was in bed over a week before she died. She laid in bed, coughed, not very hard. I sat up with her until 12 o'clock, and father stayed in the room. Have not had doctors when the children were sick,k doctors don't do any good. Mother had chills; didn't go outside during the winter, stayed in the house because she was cold when she went out. She helped a little with the housework and helped wash, last time about three weeks before she died. Had chills when she was in bed and we used hot [word?]. We gave mother enough medicine. My brother bought one bottle and my father one bottle. Mother spit blood sometimes when she coughed. Baby died the same time as mother. Baby was over a year old and nursed, while mother was sick. Don't know what sickness mother had; she had twisted hair. Didn't know what to do when she had twisted hair, tried to comb it out but it didn't do any good. Didn't think she was going to die when she had twisted hair. She told us her mother had twisted hair, don't know how long before she died. Mother couldn't talk much the day before she died. Could not speak very loud. I went with father and my brother when we buried her. Buried her in the evening. My brother and I dug the grave. Didn't put her in a box because we were sick and couldn't make a box. Didn't go to Rosholt and buy one, because we were sick and couldn't very well go. Didn't tell her father she was sick because when she was sick twice before we told them and they didn't come near. Put dress on mother after she died. The two oldest girls were a little sick at the time she died. Father never told me not to tell my mother was dead. My mother never went to church. No one was here when the baby (now dead) was born. Mother never was strong before or after the baby was born. She was strong when she was first married to father. She had a cough all this winter. Did not go out doors this winter. Father and mother never had any quarrels. Mother did not work in the field last summer, we didn't want her to do this work, because she was not strong enough. We all filled the grave up, father and us two boys.

Nick Sarnowski, live [sic] at Polonia. Mrs. Joe Clements was my sister. She had been married about four years. Was about 21 when she was married. Last saw her about a month ago. She was not sick then. Appeared to be well when I last saw her. She cooked the dinner the day I was here. She never said anything to me about the way she was treated. Never said her husband was mean to her. Never heard of any trouble she had with her husband except the last time she was at her father's she told her father she hardly wanted to come back here and stay. First heard of my sister's death last week, Wednesday. Her husband told me, here in this house. I was here in this room and was going out to go and he said “I will tell you some news; it is not much news; my wife has left me, she is dead.” I had been there about 15 minutes before he told me. I asked him when she died and he said about a week ago. I wanted to know where she was buried but I did not dare to ask him. Before that when I said anything he got mad.

The inquest was concluded at the office of Justice Park Monday p.m., at which time the testimony of Drs. Rogers and Rice, who conducted the post mortem, was taken. The doctors stated that they found the body of the woman greatly emaciated and that in their opinion the remote cause of death was tuberculosis and the direct cause was an acute attack of pneumonia. They found a slight bruise on the nose and onter on one of her arms, between the elbow and shoulder, but neither of these could have contributed to her death. The baby, they said, died of pneumonia.

The jury found that “the said Mrs. Joe Kleman, (the way the name is spelled in Polish), and Amelia Kleman (the baby), came to their death by pneumonia.”
Mr. Clements told a Journal representative that the baby died a little before the mother and that the deaths of both occurred at about 5 o'clock in the morning. He also said that he kept the bodies three days before burying them, while all of the boys testified that they were buried in the evening of the day of their death. The boys said the burials took place between 6 and 8 o'clock. The sun set on March 13 at 3 minutes after 6 o'clock.

The people of that neighborhood evidently regard Clements as a dangerous man and they have little or nothing to do with him or he with them, but so far as we could learn no one could point to any desperate thing he had done. They say, however, that some stock and a hog were killed an it was claimed he had killed them. Also that because he had some trouble with threshers, he did not cultivate part of his farm last season, but let it grow up to [seeds?]. Also that after some of his crops were destroyed by hail, when he saw another storm coming up he took his gun and shot up towards the clouds. Some of the men in the village said that in his dealings with them he was always honorable, treated them in a friendly spirit and appeared to be rational.

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CLEMENTS ARRESTED

As soon as the post mortem was concluded at Rosholt last Saturday Clements was arrested and brought to the city. The formal charge against him was “that he did bury, prepare for incineration and remove from the place where death occurred a human body, to-wit, his wife, without first having obtained a permit so to do from the health officer or his deputy in the town of Alban, in which said death occurred, or from the town clerk of the town of Alban, contrary to the provisions of sections 1024 and 4608h of the revised statutes.” To this charge, when arraigned before Justice park Monday a.m., Clements entered a plea of guilty and was fined $50 or sixty days in the county jail. Clements paid his fine Tuesday and was released from jail.

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In the testimony of two of the Clements boys, given at the inquest held over the remains of their step-mother, they spoke of her having “twisted hair.” Mr. Clements also stated to the writer that his wife had twisted hair. Probably most Journal readers never before heard of this form of sickness but it is said that there is a wide spread belief among Polish people, especially among the older ones, that there is a form of sickness, one of the outward symptoms of which is shown by the hair becoming twisted; also that there is a belief that in cases of this kind the hair must not be combed out or cut off, lest very serious results, possibly death, may follow. The doctors say, however, that this is a mere superstition: that the hair of most persons, if they lie in bed several days, particularly if the hair is long and is not properly cared for, will become matted or twisted together and this, they say, is all there is to the twisted hair theory.

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Stevens Point Journal

13 April 1907
THE INCIDENT IS CLOSED

The various incidents connected with the death and burial of Mrs. Joe Clements (or Kleman), and baby, in the town of Alban, have now been closed, at least so far as prosecutions are concerned. Clements was arrested for the second time last Saturday, charged with burying his baby without a permit. Monday, in Justice G.L. Park's court, he pleaded guilty and was fined $10 and costs, the whole amounting to a little less than $20. Both were paid and he returned to his home.

The warrant was issued by Justice Clarke but the case was taken before Justice Park on a change of venue.

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Checking the census data before and after the incident we find the first name Joseph Cleman's wife: Johanna. We also find there is a daughter Ellen (missing in the 1910 census) and compared to the contemporary press accounts, there seems to be an extra son Louis (listed in the 1910 census). Incidentally the 1900 US Census gives the name of the first wife Francis (born in Germany/Poland in 1865) and lists the children (John, Phillip, August, Mary, Rose). It looks like Joseph was committed to an insane asylum (as they called psychiatric hospitals of the time). I'll leave it to others to resolve the fate of this family.

1905 June Wisconsin Census
Alban Township, Portage County, Wisconsin

Joseph Cleman, 54 year old farmer.

Wife: Johanna (23 years)
Sons: John (18 years), Phillip (15 years), August (12 years),
Daughters: Mary (10 years), Rosi (7 years), Hilda (5 years), Ellen (4 years)
Son: Louis (1 years)

1910 US Census

Alban Township, Portage County, Wisconsin

Joseph Cleman, 60 year old widower, farmer.

Sons: John (25 years), Phillip (22 years), August (20 years),

Daughters: Mary (15 years), Roxy (12 years), Mathilda (10 years)

Son: Louis (8 years)

1920 US Census
Wood County Asylum in Marshfield, Wood County, Wisconsin

Joseph Cleman listed as a 70 year old patient born in German-Poland.