The sad news of the death of Mrs. William Michelsen reached Blair Friday afternoon. It was a case of suicide. Mrs. Michelsen was formerly Miss Goudy, a trained nurse and for several years employed at the Presbyterian hospital, Omaha. Before drinking carbolic acid she wrote two notes, one stating that she was not moved to commit the act because of any trouble with her husband. The other directed some of the details of the funeral. At her request Rev. Mr. White of Lincoln preached the funeral sermon, the services being held at the house Sunday afternoon. Burial book place at the Blair cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Michaelsen were well and favorably known both in Washington and Douglas counties, and in his sad bereavement he has the deep sympathy of their many friends and acquaintances.

#2-27 July, 1905 - The Blair Democrat - Mrs. William Michaelson

The funeral of Mrs. William Michaelson, who committed suicide by drinking carbolic acid at her home near DeSoto last Friday afternoon, was held Sunday afternoon and was attended by a large concourse of relatives and friends. Mrs. Michaelson had been married less than a year, and always seemed perfectly contented with her lot. Before taking the fatal dose of poison, she laid out the clothes she wished to be buried in, and requested in one of the notes left that she be laid to rest in the cemetery at DeSoto, but as that cemetery is not used anymore, her wishes in that regard were not carried out. One note addressed to her husband and another addressed to the public were found after her death, and in the one to the pubic she stated that there had been no trouble between her and her husband, but that she couldn’t get along with his folks, although they lived a half mile from the old folks. Deceased was a nurse by profession and had met her husband while nursing some members of the Michaelson family. There were no children and besides a husband she leaves a brother in Portland, Ore and a sister who had made her home with them for some time. Her maiden name was Goudy, and for a number of years she was employed as a professional nurse in the Presbyterian hospital in Omaha.

#3- 26 July,1905 - Blair Courier - Mrs. William Michaelson

DEATH BY POISONING

Mrs. Wm. Michelson of DeSoto, Took Two Ounces of Carbolic Acid Last Friday Afternoon and Died Immediately

Mrs. Wm. Michelson committed suicide last Friday afternoon by taking two ounces of carbolic acid and died within a few minutes. One thirtieth of this amount would have killed her, but she was determined to die and took enough to do the work quickly.

She was married to Mr. Michaelson only on the 20th of last August and lived with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. A. Michelson, while their home was being built.

They moved into the new home about one half mile northeast of the DeSoto depot in the fall and had been living there since.

Mrs. Michaelson’s sister, Miss Julia Goudy, was spending the summer with them and had gone down to the post office to mail a letter when the fatal draught was taken. Mr. Michaelson was working in the field and when he came in about 5 o’clock he found her in the death throws, beyond the help of human hand. He called Dr. Murdock of this city by phone and in just 18 minutes the auto had landed him at the house, but nothing could be done, the enormous dose of the fiery fluid had already burned the slender thread of life and she had become a citizen of another world.

The deed was premeditated, for in a note to her sister she said she had been thinking of doing it for some time and had bought the acid at Haller’s drug store on the day of Charley Seltz’s funeral. Since then she had only awaited a favorable opportunity to take it.

She left three notes, one to the public in which she said she had had no trouble with her husband, but with his mother. In the note to her husband she bade him goodbye in endearing tones and in the third note, addressed to her sister, she said that if anyone asked why she had committed the deed to tell them “it was a case of too much mother-in-law”.

Mrs. Michaelsen was born in York, Neb. June 19th, 1872 and had taught in the city schools at that place for ten years. She was principal of the schools at Benedict, Neb. for a year and then spent two years studying to be a trained nurse at the Presbyterian hospital in Omaha.

Mr. Michaelson met her there where she nursed him through a siege of typhoid fever and later was called out to the Michelson farm to nurse a brother through an attack of the same disease. These associations ripened into love and they were married Aug. 20th last year.

She was accustomed to city life and was lonesome and melancholy on the farm, having to be alone so much while her husband was in the field. Mrs. A. Michelson thinks she had been insane for some time, and it is an accepted fact that anyone who commits suicide is at least temporarily insane.

The funeral was held at the house at 2 o’clock Sunday afternoon, Rev. White of York, a former pastor and friend, officiating. Interment was made in the Blair cemetery.

~~~Obituaries courtesy of the Nebraska Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair, Nebraska Public Library~~~

Find a Grave Memorial #117323793