The Old World in the New
1 Snuff Box
| Snuff Box Norwegian Maker attributed to Gude, Norwegian sculptor, c.1800 Wood Gift of Nancy Pearson MHAHS 1978.004.0001 |
For Norwegian immigrant Arne Kulterstad, a settler in the Mount Horeb area, this snuff box was more than just a gift from one of Norway’s greatest authors. It was a gift from the man who had saved his life. Before leaving Norway, Kulterstad had been found guilty of murdering his landlord when the author Børnstjerne Bjørnson heard of the case. Without Bjørnson’s public appeal for leniency, Arne Kulterstad would have been executed. Instead, he served time in jail before starting a new life in the United States. This delicately-carved snuff box, once a practical item for storing tobacco, became a sentimental object with a story to tell subsequent generations.
This little snuff box is part of an unusual story of immigration; one which involves a murder, two kings, and the aid of one of Norway’s greatest authors. The immigrant at the center of the story is Arne Kulterstad. He was born to a freeholding family in the mountainous region of Valdres in central Norway in 1825. He was, by all accounts, a rough man. Tall and broad-shouldered, he possessed a nasty temper and was prone to violence, especially when drunk. Kulterstad served for some time in the Norwegian military, achieving the rank of sergeant, before he was dishonorably discharged for insubordination and disorderly conduct.
Beginning around 1844, Kulterstad became involved in a feud with a man named Ole Olsen Høiland. Høiland, possibly through suspect methods, acquired the Kulterstad family farm from Arne’s brother at an extraordinarily low price. Arne challenged the sale in court, but the case was denied. Under Norwegian law at the time, when a freeholding farmer retired, they passed on ownership of the land, but continued to live on it under the care of its new owner. In buy the Kulterstad farm, Høiland took on the legal obligation to supply Arne’s parents with an allowance and shelter. Høiland, who was himself regarded as a cruel man, left the elder Kulterstads in poverty and when Arne’s father died, Arne believed Høiland’s neglectfulness had hastened it. Under these circumstances, the animosity between Ole Høiland and Arne Kulterstad grew.
These tensions came to a head in 1858. At a public event, a squabble between the two men erupted into a brawl. Høiland, in the presence of the local magistrate, drew a knife on Kulterstad and stuck it through his right hand, permanently injuring it. Kulterstad sought compensation by bringing a lawsuit, but the case lingered in the courts. On November 17th, 1858 Kulterstad was out hunting when he spied Høiland driving his cart to the mill. Perhaps impatient with the lawsuit, Kulterstad fired his rifle at Høiland, striking him in the chest. He had not seen Kulterstad shoot at him, but their well-known feud led everyone to suspect Kulterstad immediately. Nine days after Høiland died from the gunshot