As before mentioned, the farmer Jonas Haglund in Ljusdals parish, outside Lars Björk’s house in the same village, on Christmas day he was assaulted and maltreated.Arrested for the deed was the worker Jonas Olsson Knall, Mårten Mårtensson, Lars Andersson and Erik Olof Lundin and the before mentioned Björk’s wife, Kristina Björk, for having baited them to the violence. All the arrested persons appeared last Thursday for hearing before Ljusdal’s district court in the presence of the public prosecutor policeman (a kind of- in Swedish, länsman) Herman Sundius and the prosecutor Jonas Haglund, who was almost completely recovered from the deed of violence.

After remarking that there had been old enmity between the Björk couple and the plaintiff, the Prosecutor, regarding the course of events at the time of the assault, told that on Christmas Eve, Björk’s two sons had visited the plaintiff and gotten his 16-17 year old son drunk. Jonas Haglund had for that reason given all three of them a well-needed reproof with accompanying cuffs for his own son and the younger of Björk’s boys. The boy had then said that he would surely remember it.

On Christmas day there was a dance at the Björk’s place, where as well the son of the plaintiff as all of the defendants, and others, were present. Mrs. Björk had been treating with strong liquor. That she had mischief in mind was according to the prosecutor clear from the fact that she, while the boys were drinking, took the liquor from them saying, "You can’t have any more now, the rest we need as gelding liquor"; By that, ---also according to the prosecutor, ---hinting that the rest would be had after the violence against Jonas Haglund was done. As well before as after that statement, Mrs. Björk had been speaking in an agitating way with the boys in order to make them assault Haglund, were he to appear. Haglund had been twice to the Björk’s property to fetch his son. The first time he was warned and returned home, but after a while he came back in the company of the worker Jonas Olof Envall, equipped with a steelyard to use as a defense weapon in case of need. When Mrs. Björk then layed eyes on Haglund, she said to the people present, "Now boys, if I were a man I would have known what to do"; at which all the defendants as well as the workers Adolf Christiansson and Olof Andersson---whom have not yet been arrested---ran outside and attacked Haglund, and assaulted him with knives and other weapons, as confirmed by a medical certificate issued by Dr. Edv. (Edvind)Nelson, given to the court by the prosecutor. Haglund remained on the ground for a while, but soon recuperated enough to move himself to a cottage situated 10-15 meters away, belonging to the soldier Ström, into which he was taken, and from where a doctor was sent for. Haglund said that he possibly used the steelyard in defense once, but was not sure that so had happened. Thereafter the defendants were heard one at a time and stated the following:

Jonas Olsson Knall: that he was the one who warned Haglund at his first appearance on the Björk’s property and told him to leave; that he could not remember, but would not dispute participating in the assault. However, he was not in the habit of using a knife; that he was hit once or twice with the steelyard by Haglund; that he had seen Mårten Mårtensson giving Haglund a couple of knife stabs in the back, and that Haglund by Adolf Christiansson was hit over the head with a pig iron pan, so that he lost consciousness, and by Olof Andersson from Boda, a strike by a lead whip. After the assault against Haglund was finished, all the participants went into Björk’s house.

Jonas Olsson had not heard Mrs. Björk say anything then, but he had heard rumors about the enmity between Haglund and the Björks.

Mårten Mårtensson admitted that he had stabbed Haglund in the back twice, even though he held no grudge against him, but his reason for his participation in the violence had been drunkenness; that he had seen Adolf Christiansson hitting Haglund over the head with a pig iron pan; that Olof Andersson showed the handle of a lead whip while saying, "I hit so hard the lump broke off"; that Lundin also said that he hit Haglund with a pole. After the assault Mårten Mårtensson was offered a drink by Mrs. Björk inside the house, but she did not say anything concerning the brawl. Lundin admitted to having dealt Haglund a fierce blow with a fence-pole; that he also heard Olof Andersson'’ statement about the lead whip, and that he had been offered liquor inside Björk's house.

Lars Mårtensson and Lars Andersson, who both were at Björk’s place on Christmas Eve, denied having in the least way participated in the assault on Haglund.

Hereafter, the prosecutor requested witness hearings with the 9 present people, along with whom the defendant Mrs. Björk demanded to hear as witnesses, the tenant’s son, Olof Sund as well as Gustaf Eriksson andJonas Eriksson, of which the last two were not present.

Of the prosecutor’s witnesses, the maid Anna Dahlberg testified that she had been present at the Björk’s on Christmas day’s eve, that she repeated times had heard Mrs. Björk saying that "Haglund should have a thorough beating", and that she agitated the drunk boys in such a way that the witness held her responsible for provoking the violence.

Sigrid Nordin, who as being a relative of the plaintiff, only could be heard for enlightenment, told that she heard Mrs. Björk say, "If I wonly were a man, he would get as much as he could take", and that she during the evening had encouraged the boys to give Haglund a beating. Just after the above-mentioned statement, the assault had begun.

There was nothing in the testimonies that could gainsay Lars Mårtensson’s and Lars Andersson’s statements that they did not participate in the assault. The prosecutor demanded postponement for further evidence and to call Adolf Christiansson and Olof Andersson as well as Lars Mårtensson and Lars Andersson to court. All of the defendants demanded to be released.

• Translated newspaper article from Bengt Larsson, via Email (September, 1998). Translated by Bengt Larsson’s daughter, Eleanor