POPE COUNTY, Minnesota – the year was 1915. Andrew Knutson made a horrifying discovery when he visited the farm of the three Mitmoen brothers near Ben Wade Township. The two eldest brothers, Sven and Johannes (John), were found murdered in the house, while the youngest brother, Amund, was discovered dead in the barn. Their bodies had been bludgeoned with a stone, and it appeared that they had been left undiscovered for several days.
The motive for the murders was suspected to be robbery, as the brothers were known to be well-to-do and were believed to have a considerable amount of money in their possession. The crime scene was described as extremely gruesome.
With no real suspects in the case, a reward of $1,250 was offered for information leading to the apprehension of the assailants. This amount would be equivalent to more than $39,000 in today’s money.
In October, two men named John Jacobson and George Nelson of Lignite, North Dakota, were charged with the crimes and brought to the county jail. Despite presenting a strong alibi, the men were acquitted by the jury and released on their own cognizance.
Following the conclusion of the trial, nobody else was ever charged with the murders.