Marquette-Gogebic-Delta County MI Archives News.....Revolver Shot is Fatal September 8, 1911
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Martin Smith smithmf@att.net September 14, 2013, 12:01 pm

The Negaunee Iron Herald September 8, 1911
A revolver shot, which the victim's companions assert came from Police Officer
William Nadeau's weapon, but which Nadeau and his brother officers claim must
have come from elsewhere, proved instantly fatal to Matt Saarikoski about 11:30
o'clock Tuesday night.  Saarikoski, who was a young Finnish miner employed at
the Mary Charlotte mine, was headed for home when he was dropped in his track on
the highway leading through the Consolidated Fuel & Lumber Company's yards in
the old furnace location.

It was shortly after 11 o'clock that evening that Officers Nadeau and Zardus
encountered four or five men who where finishing up a bottle of liquor near the
corner of Iron Street and Pioneer avenue [sic].  The policemen ordered the party
to disperse and go home.  This the men proceeded to do after a little parleying,
setting out on the road leading past the railroad tracks and through the fuel
company's yard.  The officers followed at a distance to make certain that the
men would keep on their unsteady journey.  The stories as to what ensued do not
agree.

Officers Nadea [sic] and Zardus agree in the statement that after the men had
proceeded some little distance beyond the tracks a revolver shot was fired,
apparently by some one in the party.  Hoping to accelerate the breaking up of
the party, Nadeau claims, he then drew his revolver and fired twice, directing
one shot into the ground and the other well up into the air.  Zardus also
attempted to discharge his revolver, but it failed to work.  Nadeau then took
Zardus' weapon, and after readjusting it handed it back to Zardus.  The latter
had scarcely taken it when it was accidentally discharged, the bullet, according
to the officers, taking a direction removed from where the homeward party was.

The officers were making their way back to the business section when two of the
men who had been in the party which set out through the fuel company's yard
caught up with them and informed them that one of the party had been shot.  As
the men are alleged to have been under the influence of liquor the policemen
gave little heed to their story, but a few moments later it was corroborated by
men returning from work in the mines.  The investigation then made disclosed
that Saarikoski had been instantly killed.  The body was taken to undertaking
rooms, and George Jutlin and John Niemi, the men who had informed the officers
that Saarikoski had been killed, were placed under arrest.  The following
morning a couple of other members of the party were taken into custody.

Wednesday physicians made a postmortem examination and recovered the bullet
which had caused Saariloski's death.  It was from a 32 caliber weapon, had
entered the man's back passed through his heart and lodged in the fleshy part of
his chest.

As Officer Nadeau's revolver was of corresponding caliber friends of the dead
man accepted the conclusion that this officer must have fired the fatal shot. 
As the hours sped along Wednesday this feeling grew more intense and Marshal
Jackson, though doubting that it was the policeman's bullet which had been
fatal, finally placed Officer Nadeau under formal arrest and had him conveyed to
the county jail at Marquette, pending a thorough investigation of the case,
meanwhile keeping the dead man's companions in jail here.  Assistant Prosecuting
Attorney Kennedy and Coroner William Prin also assisted in the investigation
which was continued throughout yesterday.  The men who were in the party are
firm in their insistence that the fatal shot must have come from the policemen,
while the latter are firm in their declaration that at least one shot came from
other than their weapons.  No weapons were found on any of Saarisoski's
companions, though for that matter they had abundant opportunity to dispose of
them.  One point which supports the authorities in their doubt that it was
Nadeau's gun which did the deadly work is that it has been quite fully
established that the men were fully 600 feet away from the policemen and it is
doubted whether a cartridge of the type Nadeau had would inflict fatal injury at
that range.

The jury which Coroner Prin has impaneled will make the inquiry as thorough as
possible.

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