Edgar Millen, Killed, 1932, Mad Trapper I.D.

[mark]

Yes, the knife was made from a trap spring. He obviously would rather not spend too much of his money. If you have a copy of "What Became of Sigvald Anyway, Was He the Mad Trapper of Rat River ", You'll find it in the list of items of no value in Albert Johnsons estate to be destroyed, on page 58 in the appendix. The method of destruction is shown on page 60, it was thrown in the Ottawa river April 26 1940.

[Chris]

I'll check out that book too. This is a very interesting story and it would be neat if it were solved who he was.

[Carl Kolchak]

Top Five reasons the Mad Trapper was a gangster

1. The Cops thought so because he didn't talk and like to shoot it out. (Give them credit if it's true.)
2. He was an expert gunhandler. (He could shoot like hitman Louis "Two Gun" Alterie, another wilderness fanatic, who was exiled at the same time, and died a similar death by sniperfire.)
3. He said he was reading about himself (or his gang?) in the paper when the Jake Lingle killing was still in the news. (Assuming he and Arthur Nelson were the same person.)
4. His family didn't come forward. (Maybe his family was the Mob.)
5. Mob association explains why a Scandinavian (remember the "Swedish hitman" in Smoking Aces?) might pull a Rambo stunt. (Sigvald's exteme sense of rejection makes another good motive as does extreme isolation and/or religious identity.)

n.b. If he was from the Midwest where people easily lose contact with each other in the vast spaces and was adopted early by the Mob, identification might be next to impossible.

[debbiec]

It is still only speculation untill a positive DNA match is made. I also read the book and found it very interesting. However, I 'm not sure about the  theory of him being a gangster. To me it seemed like he would be someone a lot more versed in survival given the extreme conditions that he was able to overcome. I think some of the most experienced climbers would have a hard time climbing the way he did. The fact that the RCMP enlisted the help of locals also suggests to me that it was someone who either knew the area or someone with enough experience to adapt to the harsh environment and survive. 

[Chris]

Who ever he was, he sure was a tough as mails guy that is for sure.

It would be great if they could solve this via DNA one day.

[mark]

It's unfortunate there seems to be a lack of interest in traditional investigating. A reward is now being offered for help in this case through the website http://www.wassigvaldthemadtrapper.com/

[Chris]

That is interesting. I hope it works out. I guess one way or another, if they keep this up, it could be solved

[Tekmat]

Top Five reasons the Mad Trapper was a gangster

1. The Cops thought so because he didn't talk and like to shoot it out. (Give them credit if it's true.)
3. He said he was reading about himself (or his gang?) in the paper when the Jake Lingle killing was still in the news.

Author/conservationist, Grey Owl, had started writing articles on the wilderness in Country Life in 1929. Maybe he was reading about people like himself in one of these stories where he was talking about the last of the free trappers.
This battle in the Artic seems to be a microcosm of the national conflict between wilderness and Empire with the inevitable result.
The theory that only a gangster wouldn't talk seems to show an ignorance of the taciturn and independant spirit of these extraordinary men of the wilderness as described by Grey Owl.

[Chris]

Good point. He could have been just a real loner with emotional problems.

[gosgirl]

In desperation, the RCMP hired Wop May to help in the hunt by scouting the area from the air. He arrived in his new ski-equipped Bellanca monoplane on the 5th. On February 14 he discovered the trick Johnson had been using to elude his followers, when he noticed a set of footprints leading off the center of the Eagle River to the bank. Johnson had been following the caribou tracks in the middle of the river, where they walked in order to give them better visibility of approaching predators. Walking in their tracks hid his own footprints, and allowed him to travel quickly on the tramped-down snow without having to use his snowshoes. He only left the trail at night to make camp on the river bank, which is the track May had spotted. May radioed back his findings and the RCMP gave chase up the river, eventually being directed to Johnson by February 17.

The team rounded a bend in the river to find Johnson only a few hundred yards in front of them. Johnson attempted to run for the bank, but didn't have his snowshoes on and couldn't make it. A firefight broke out in which one RCMP officer was seriously wounded and Johnson was eventually killed after being shot nine times. May landed and flew the officer to help, being credited with saving his life.





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