ÅRBOK FOR HADELAND 1984

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En hadelandsviking Av PEDER H. NELSON
Det er en del personer som på grunn av sin eventyrlyst og sitt manns-mot gjør seg mer bemerket enn oss hverdagsmennesker, og som med tiden går over til å bli rene sagnfigurer. Slekt etter slekt forteller om deres eventyrlige opplevelser, og det er om akkurat en sånn mann, til og med hadelending, jeg vil fortelle fordi jeg synes hans levnetsløp er både spennende og interessant.		There are some people who, because of their adventurous spirit and their manly courage draw more attention to themselves than us everyday people, and with time they become pure legendary figures. Generation after generation tell of their fantastic adventures, and it's just about a man like that, including one from Hadeland, I'll tell because I think his course of life is both exciting and interesting.
Som histories for Hadelandslaget i Amerika gjennom mange år var jeg alltid på utkikk etter historisk stoff om vårt bygdefolk i Amerika, og da jeg hadde gjort noe arbeide for den staute hadelending Anders Framstadbakken, her ved Northwood, var det at han begynte å fortelle meg historier om Halvor Velta. Anders bekreftet at mannen var like hadelandsk av opprinnelse som navnet ga bud om, og han kunne fortelle mye om denne mannen som hadde vandret over Nord Dakotas prærier lenge før noen hvit mann hadde bosatt seg her. For å få bedre kjennskap til Halvor Velta tok Anders Bakken, som vi kalte ham her, og hans sønner meg med til en mann ved navn Johnnie Evanson. Han viste seg å være meget interessert i norsk nybyggerhistorie, og både Evanson og Anders Bakken hadde kjent Halvor Velta personlig i gamle dager. Evanson ble så interessert i å samle stoff om denne eventyrerens liv at han reiste til Pembina, på grensen mellom Canada og USA, hvor Halvor Velta bodde i flere år, for å finne ut mer om ham og for om mulig å komme i kontakt med noen av hans etterlevende barn. Alt i alt ble derfor ganske mange hjul satt i gang for å samle denne mannens mest mulig sannferdige livshistorie.		As for stories for the Hadeland Organization in America for many years I was always looking for historical fabric of our rural people in America, and when I had done some work for the first-rate native of Hadeland, Anders Framstadbakken, here at Northwood, was that he began to tell me stories about Halvor Velta. Anders confirmed that the man was of Hadeland`s origin as his name gave testimony to this, and he could tell a lot about this man who had wandered across the North Dakota prairies long before any white man had settled here. To gain better knowledge of Halvor Velta, Anders Bakken, as we called him here, and his sons took me to a man named Johnnie Evanson. He appeared to be very interested in Norwegian pioneer history and both Evanson and Anders Bakken had known Halvor Velta personally in the old days. Evanson was so interested in collecting useful information about this adventure's life that he traveled to Pembina, on the border between Canada and the United States, where Halvor Velta lived for several years, to find out more about him and if possible to get in touch with some of his surviving children. All in all it was therefore quite a few wheels started to collect as much as possible the truthful life story of this man.
Halvor Velta så lyset for første gang på en liten skogsgård langt inne på Gran almenning i nærheten av Våjavannet i 1838. Farens navn var Peder. Allerede i sin tidlige ungdom var Halvor en kjempekar, som utmerket seg på mange måter, og det gikk frasagn om hans bedrifter. Det fortelles at han en gang kom susende på ski ned bratt-bakkene mot Hvalskvern med en sekk bygg på ryggen, og på sin ville skiferd overrasket han underveis ei kone fra Sørum som skulle bortover til Ensrud med et melkespann. Halvor syntes det gikk smått med kona og fant ut han ville hjelpe henne litt hurtigere frem. Uten å bremse på farten grep han kona bakfra på strake armer og holdt henne i denne stillingen til de kom ned på sletta. Der satte han.....		Halvor Velta saw the light for the first time in a small forest farm deep in the Gran common land near Våjavannet in 1838. His father's name was Peder. Already in his early youth was Halvor one strong man, who distinguished himself in many ways, and it went tales of his exploits. It is said that he once came racing skiing down steep slopes towards Hvalskvern with a sack of barley on his back, and on his wild ski expedition he surprised while en route a woman from Sørum who was going across to Ensrud with a milk pail. Halvor thought it was going slow with the woman and found out he would help her out a little faster. Without slowing the pace he grabbed the woman from behind with out-stretched arms and held her in this position until they came down to the plain.
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Der satte han ned den forskrekkede kona før han for videre. Anders Framstadbakken påstod at hun ikke spilte så mye som en dråpe melk på turen. Halvor Velta var oppvokst i skogen, og skogen var hans liv. Han var en skogsmann, og på jakt og fiske var han stadig. Uveisomt bodde han, og hans store krefter kom godt med når matvarer og annet som trengtes til livets opphold, måtte bæres på ryggen fra bygda og inn på Øståsen. Det fantes ingen makelige bilveier å ta i bruk i de tider. I begynnelsen av 1850-årene kom representanter for det store engelskcanadiske firma Hudson Bay Company til Norge for å verve nordmenn til fangstfolk på de enorme jaktmarker i datidens Canada. Engelskmennene skjønte at nordmennene var godt skikket til fangstlivet der ute i villmarken. Da Halvor Velta fikk høre om kompaniets vervingskampanje, reiste han som bare unggutten til Kristiania for å la seg verve. Dette var noe for en eventyrlysten og uredd ungdom. Det neste vi hører om Halvor Velta, er at han er leder for en stor karavane som fører pelsvarer fra Fort Gary (nå Winnipeg i Canada) til Fort Snelling (nå St. Paul i Minnesota). Han deltok på flere slike ekspedisjoner og var ofte den eneste hvite sammen med opptil 50 indianere. Det manglet ikke på mot hos denne karen, og indianerne hadde stor respekt for hans kjempekrefter. En mann av svakere natur ville fort ha bukket under i kampen for tilværelsen under slike forhold. Den gangen gjaldt viddens lov: Øye for øye, og tann for tann - og loven ble håndhevet med revolveren. For nåtidens mennesker vil kanskje Halvor Velta fremstå som en rå og hjerteløs type, men han var et produkt av sin tid og de arbeids-forhold han var underlagt. Han kunne ikke ha fortsatt som karavanefører for Hudson Bay Company på farefulle reiser uten selv å være en hard og streng leder. På mange måter var han av samme type som andre kjent <<forpostmenn>>: Buffalo Bill, Kitt Carson og Daniel Boone. Halvor Velta, mannen fra skogområdene inne ved Våja på Grans Østås, foretok mange reiser over de øde og enorme Dakotavidder		There, he set down the terrified wife before he continued farther. Anders Framstadbakken claimed that she did not spill so much as a drop of milk on the trip. Halvor Velta was raised in the forest, and the forest was his life. He was a woodsman, and he was constantly hunting and fishing. He lived a rough life, and his great powers came in handy when food and other necessities of life, had to be carried on the back from the countryside into Øståsen. There were no leisurely motor roads to use in those times. In the early 1850s, representatives of the major English-Canadian firm Hudson's Bay Company came to Norway to recruit Norwegians to hunt or trap on the vast hunting grounds in contemporary Canada. The British realized that the Norwegians were well suited to a trapper`s and hunter`s life out there in the wilderness. When Halvor Velta heard about the company's recruitment campaign, he traveled as a youth to Christiania (Oslo) to enlist. This was something for an adventurous and fearless youth. The next we hear of Halvor Velta is that he is the leader of a large caravan transporting fur pelts from Fort Gary (now Winnipeg, Canada) to Fort Snelling (now St. Paul, Minnesota). He participated in several expeditions and was often the only white man with up to 50 Indians. There was no lack of courage from this guy, and the Indians had great respect for his great strength. A man of a weaker disposition would quickly have succumbed in the struggle for existence under such conditions. At that time this was considered the law out in the open country: An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth - and the law was enforced with a gun. For today's readers may Halvor Velta emerge as a crude and callaus kind, but he was a product of his time and the working conditions he was subject to. He could not have carried on as a caravan leader for the Hudson's Bay Company on the dangerous voyages without himself being a hard and strong leader. In many ways he was of the same type as other known outpost or outback men: Buffalo Bill, Kit Carson and Daniel Boone. Halvor Velta, the man from the forest areas in by Våja at Gran`s Østås, undertook many journeys across the desolate and vast Dakota open range.
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lenge før Dakota ble et attraktivt område for nyrydding. På denne tiden var det indianere og pelsjegere som rådde grunnen der, og blant disse ble Halvor en kjent og respektert mann. Hans pelsvare-karavaner gikk under navn av Red River Caravans, og han gjorde regelmessige turer fra Canada til Fort Snelling, Minnesota, flere ganger i året. En strekning på rundt 80 norske mil.		long before Dakota was an attractive area for land clearing. At this time there were Indians and trappers who reigned supreme there, and among these was Halvor a well known and respected man. His fur trade-caravans went under the name of Red River Caravans and he made regular trips from Canada to Fort Snelling, Minnesota, several times a year. A distance of about 80 Norwegian miles.
En ekspedisjon bestod av fra 25 til 60 kjerrer som gnisset og pep seg frem over prærien på sine høye trehjul og treaksler. Til trekkdyr ble det brukt enten okser eller ponnier, og kjørekarene var stort sett en samling av så råbarkede typer som vel mulig. På vei sørover var kjerrene tungt lastet med pelsverk og huder, og på tilbakeveien bestod frakten av klær og flitterstas til indianere og levnetsmidler til ødemarksarbeidere og pelsjegere - og whisky til alle parter!		An expedition consisted of from 25 to 60 carts that squeaked and creaked its way across the prairie on their high wooden wheels and axles. For draft animals, either oxen or ponies were used, and the teamsters for the most part were a collection of the roughest kind that was possible. On the way south the carts were heavily laden with furs and hides, and on the way back freight consisted of clothing and cheap finery for the Indians and provisions for the outback workers and trappers - and whiskey for all parties!
På en slik tur fra Fort Gary (Winnipeg) hadde en gang Halvor Velta 30 indianere under sin ledelse, og nede i Minnesota spilte de opp for høy til trekkdyrene. Ekspedisjonslederen så ikke altfor mørkt på situasjonen for like i nærheten lå det et nysettlement med mange og store høystakker rundt omkring. Halvor sendte noen av indianerne bort til nybyggerhytta for å kjøpe høy, men de kom tilbake med uforrettet sak. Høy ble det ikke. Velta bestemte seg da for å gå i samme ærend selv, og brunet og preget som han var av vær og vind, trodde nok farmeren at det var en ny indianer som kom på besøk. Han snakket derfor til <<gjesten>> på et gebrokket engelsk, men med sterke nok innslag av norske ord til at Halvor Velta lett skjønte hva som var		On a trip from Fort Gary (Winnipeg) had one time Halvor Velta 30 Indians under his leadership, and down in Minnesota they rallied to get some hay for the draft animals. The expedition leader saw that the situation wasn`t too gloomy as nearby there was a new settlement with many large haystacks around. Halvor sent some of the Indians off to the settler`s shack to buy some hay, but they came back empty-handed. Hay they did not get. Velta made up his mind to go and do the same errand himself, and as he was tanned and coloured from the weather and wind, surely the farmer thought that this was another Indian who was coming to visit. He thus spoke to the <<guest >> in broken English, but with strong enough elements of Norwegian words that Halvor Velta easily realized what the man's
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mannens opprinnelige nasjonalitet. Han svarte derfor farmeren på norsk, og det er ikke til å forundres over at den norske nybyggeren ble alldeles forferdet over at det stod en lys levende <<indianerhøvding>> foran ham og snakket flytende norsk. Misforståelsen ble imidlertid fort oppklart, og møtet mellom de to nordmennene ble så hjertelig at Halvor fikk alt det høyet han hadde behov for.		original nationality was. He therefore responded back to the farmer in Norwegian, and it is not to marvel that the Norwegian settler was completely appalled that there was a real live <<Indian chief >> in front of him and spoke fluent Norwegian. The misunderstanding was cleared up quickly, however, and the meeting between the two Norwegians was so cordial that Halvor got all the hay he needed.
Halvor Velta var en meget dykig jeger, og den canadisk-amerikanske villmarken i forrige århundre ga ham ideelle muligheter for å utøve denne virksomheten. På en av sine utallige jaktturer oppdaget han plutselig en velvoksen el som la på svøm ut i en innsjø. Halvor ville spare på kruttet og la etter elgen i kano. Han padlet på spreng for å ta igjen det store dyret, og da han omsider kom opp på siden av elgen, trakk han sin lange bowiekniv og stakk den i hjel. Etter litt strev klarte han også å få elgen til lands.		Halvor Velta was a very proficient hunter, and the Canadian-American wilderness in the last century gave him the ideal opportunity for doing this activity. On one of his numerous hunting trips he discovered suddenly a good size moose that began to swim into a lake. Halvor would save the gunpowder and go after the moose in a canoe. He paddled against time to catch up to the big beast, and when he finally came up on the side of the moose, he drew his long bowie knife and stabbed it to death. After some effort he was able to get the moose to shore.
I regi av Hudson Bay Company deltok Halvor Velta en gang på en lengre utmarsj langt nord i villmarken på leting etter nye operasjonsfelter for kompaniet. Blant deltagerne fantes det en del typer som ikke gikk for å være de enkleste å ha med å gjøre. Kompaniet forstod derfor at det var nødvendig med streng ledelse, og som kommandant ar en engelsk major blitt utnevnt. Han håndhevet disiplinen med jernhånd, og karene ble mer behandlet som dyr enn som mennesker. Mat og drikke fikk de til slutt nesten ikke i det hele tatt, og de led		Under the auspices of the Hudson's Bay Company Halvor Velta participated once on a long march far north into the wilderness in search of new operational areas for the company.Among the participants there were some types that are not going to be the easiest to deal with.The company understood why it was necessary to have strict leadership, and an English major has been appointed as commanding officer . He enforced discipline with an iron fist, and the men were treated more like animals than like human beings. Food and drink they had finally got but hardly nothing at all, and they
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så vondt at det gikk på livet løs for flere av dem. Murringen og misnøyen tiltok, og de bestemte seg for å gjøre motstand. Halvor Velta ble valgt til opprørsleder, og han gikk til majoren og fortalte at arbeiderne ville bryte sine kontrakter og reise hjem. Majoren ble mektig vred over en slik opptreden og nedla umiddelbart forbud mot at noen skulle løses fra sine kontrakter. Halvor som alltid gikk kledd med en revolver på hver side, besvarte majorens tale med øyeblikkelig å trekke revolveren. Han skjøt gjennom hatten på majoren like i overhant av hårrota - og tilføyde: <<Har du bestemt deg nå? Hvis ikke skyter jeg en gang til og litt lenger ned.>>-- Jo, majoren hadde ikke lenger noen innvendinger mot Halvor Veltas forslag, og alle arbeiderne fikk fare hjem igjen.		suffered such hardship that it was a matter of life and death for several of them. Grumbling and discontent increased, and they decided to resist. Halvor Velta was chosen as the rebel leader, and he went to the Major and said that the workers would break their contracts and go home. The Major was greatly angered over such behaviour and put into place immediately prohibiting anyone to be released from their contracts. Halvor who always carried a revolver on each side, returned the Major's speech by immediately drawing his revolver. He shot through the hat of the Major just at the top of the roots of his hair - and added: "Have you made up your mind now? If not I`ll shoot again and a little further down." - Yes, the Major had no more objections to Halvor Velta`s proposal and all the workers were allowed to travel back home again.
Senere ble Halvor tatt til fange på grunn av sin revolverbruk mot den engelske majoren. Han ble sendt til London hvor det ble reist straffesak mot ham, men der ble det ført så gode beviser for majorens umenneskelige fremferd overfor sine menn mens ekspedisjonen varte at Halvor Velta faktisk ble frikjent og sendt tilbake til Canada. Vel tilbake på gamle tomter tok han straks jobb som "bodyguard" for en engelsk lord som reiste rundt i Canada som turist.		Later Halvor was taken prisoner because of him using his revolver against the English Major. He was sent to London where they started criminal proceedings against him, but it was furnished with good evidence about the Major's inhumane behaviour towards his men while on the expedition that Halvor Velta actually was acquitted and sent back to Canada. Back on familiar grounds he immediately took a job as a "bodyguard" for an English lord who toured Canada as a tourist.
Til tross for frifinnelsesdommen kom han aldri på godfot med embedsmennene i Hudson Bay Company mer. De nærmest for-fulgte ham på flere måter, og Halvor hadde ikke annet å gjøre enn å bryte over tvert alle sine forbindelser med dem. Han tok nå fast bosted ved Pembina i Nord Dakota - et sted hvor han var godt kjent gjennom sine mange opphold ved fortet der. Her tok han seg land og skiftet navn til Albert Pedersen. Han giftet seg med en indianer-kvinne, og sammen fikk de mange barn, hvorav noen med tiden gikk inn i offentlige stillinger i bygda. Halvor Velta, eller Albert Pedersen som han nå kalte seg, ble eier av den første treskemaskin i Cavalier-bygda.		Despite the acquittal verdict, he would never come on good terms with officials in the Hudson Bay Company anymore. Those the closest to him persecuted him in several ways, and Halvor had nothing else to do than to break all his relations with them. He now took permanent residence at Pembina, North Dakota - a place where he was well known through his many stays at the fort there. Here he took up land and changed his name to Albert Pedersen. He married an Indian-woman, and together they had many children, some of whom eventually went into public office in the county. Halvor Velta, or Albert Pedersen as he now called himself, became the owner of the first threshing machine in Cavalier-county.
I fortsettelsen kommer vi likevel til å kalle ham Halvor Velta. Etter at han hadde stiftet bo på Dakotaprærien, ble området langs Red River og nordover hjemsøkt av en bande kvegryver som herjet stygt i lang tid. Tre US-marshaller med forsterkninger fant omsider ferske spor etter kvegtyvene og opptok forfølgelsen. Hadelendingen Iver Larson fra Mayville, Nord Dakota, var en av marshallene, og da de kom så langt nord som til Cavalier, Halvor Veltas hjembygd, førte marshall Larson sitt mannskap hjem til Halvor Velta for å høre om han hadde sett noe til kvegtyvene der i området. "Nei, var det likt seg", sa Velta, "bare kom inn og bli gjerne natten over". De så på hans to revolvere som hang ned på hver sin side men tok imot tilbuden om nattlosji.		In the continuation we will still call him Halvor Velta. After he had settled down on the Dakota prairie, the area along the Red River and northward was ravaged by a gang of cattle thieves who plundered badly for a long time. Three U.S. marshals with reinforcements finally found the fresh tracks of the cattle thieves and resumed the pursuit. A Hadeland native, Iver Larson from Mayville, North Dakota, was one of the Marshalls, and came as far north as Cavalier, Halvor Velta`s home community, and Marshall Larson led his crew to the home of Halvor Velta to hear if he had seen anything of cattle thieves in the area. "No, of course not," said Velta, "just come in and you can gladly spend the night." They looked at his two revolvers which hung down on either side of him but accepted the offer for the overnight accommodation.
I det lovens håndhevere kim inn i stuen, oppdaget de at rommet var fullt av skumle typer, men da var det allerede for seint å trekke		When the law enforcements came into the living room, they discovered that the room was full of sinister types, but by then it was already too late
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seg tilbake. Alle var fullt bevæpnet, og av signalementet på kvegtyvene skjønte marshallene hvilke karer de hadde foran seg. Lovens menn forstod at de var for få til å ta et oppgjør med bandittene, og alle gjorde gode miner til slett spill, talte sammen og moret seg med hverandre utover natta. Noe anstrengt ble det likevel over situasjonen for begge parter voktet nøye på den minste bevegelse som den annen part foretok. Halvor Velta hadde mest moro av den spente situasjonen og trivdes alldeles utmerket i dette selskapet some han så tilfeldig hadde fått sammen.		to continue on back. Everybody was fully armed, and from descriptions of the cattle thieves the Marshalls realized which guys they had in front of them. The men of the law realized that they were too few to deal with the bandits, and everybody grinned and beared it, talked and amused themselves with each other throughout the night. Being a strained situation for both parties, they watched closely at the slightest movement that the other party did. Halvor Velta had the most fun of the tense situation and enjoyed himself splendidly in this company that he had randomly got together.
Om morgenen brøt marshallene og deres folk først opp og red sørover uten å nevne hvilket ærend de var ute i, mens flokken med kvegtyver satte kursen mot den canadiske grensen. Kanskje var det lurest av lovens menn å ikke bringe kvegtyveriet mer på bane, for kvegtyvene var i flertall og var sikkert også de sterkeste etter datidens revolverlov.		In the morning the Marshalls and their crew were first up and rode southward without mentioning what purpose they were out for, while the throng of cattle thieves headed for the Canadian border. Perhaps it was smart of the law men not to bring in the cattle thieves, as the cattle thieves were in the majority and were also certainly the strongest in their time when it came to using revolvers.
Hans Molden - født i Gran på Hadeland 1849, emigrerte 1869 og ble boende ved Mayville, Nord Datoka.		Hans Molden - born in Gran Hadeland 1849, emigrated in 1869 and lived in Mayville, North Datoka.
En kald vinterkveld i 1871 eller 1872 skulle hadelendingen Hans Molden, som bodde i nærheten av Mayville i Nord Dakota, gå den 130 kilometer lange veien til Fargo. Det var dårlig med veier på den tiden, og han bega seg først til Caledonia for å ta fatt på en slags hovedvei derfra og til Fargo. Etter en stund ble han innhentet av et ponnispann, og en stor, pelskledt mann spurte om Molden ville sitte på med ham. Da fremmedkaren forstod at Hans Molden var norsk, lurte han på hvorfra i Norge han var. "Fra Hadeland", svarte Molden. "Derfra er også jeg", sa den andre, som viste seg å være Halvor Velta. På denne måten kom de to tidligere sambygdinger i kontakt med hverandre, og Hans Moldens datter, som fortalte meg denne historien for mange år siden, kunne også fortelle om hvilke opplevelser som ventet de to i Fargo.		A cold winter night in 1871 or 1872, native of Hadeland, Hans Molden, who lived near Mayville, North Dakota, went on the 130 km long road trip to Fargo. The roads were bad at the time, and he proceeded first to Caledonia to get onto a main road and then to Fargo. After a while, he obtained a team of ponies, and a large, fur-clad man asked if Molden would ride with him. When the stranger understood that Hans Molden was Norwegian, he wondered from where in Norway he was from. “From Hadeland” Molden answered. “I`m from there also” answered the other, which happened to be Halvor Velta. So from this meeting, these two men from the same rural area back home in Norway, had come into contact with each other, and Hans Molden`s daughter, who told me this story many years ago, could also tell me what adventures awaited them in Fargo.
Fargo var på den tiden en "forpostby" hvor alle slags tvilsomme individer holdt til. Ikke minst ble byen preget av jernbanebyggingen som pågikk for fullt i disse årene. Her var salooner, spillebuler og skjøgehus i hopetall, slik som det pleide å være i nybygde jernbanebyer. Halvor Velt og Hans Molden holdt seg en del sammen under oppholdet i Fargo, siden begge var hadelendinger av opprinnelse, selv om ikke Molden var bare glad for samværet med sin viltre sambygding fra gammelt av.		Fargo at that time was an “outpost town” where all kinds of questionable individuals lived. Not in the least was the town influenced by the building activity on the railroad which was going at full tilt during these years. Here they had saloons, gambling halls and brothels in great numbers, such that it tended to be in newly settled railway towns. Halvor Velta and Hans Molden had their share of staying together while in Fargo, since both were natives of Hadeland, even if not Molden was just happy for the company with his wild Hadeland native who came from the same area back in the old country. One evening four saloon owners had got a hold of Halvor Velta in the intention of playing for his money, but they didn`t quite know enough what kind of guy
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		they got a hold of. No sooner had they sat around the playing table before Halvor put both revolvers on the table and pledged that here they were going to be playing for drinks and certainly not money. The four team mates therefor had little choice and they had to put up with that Halvor played for one drink after the other through out the night. At 6:00 in the morning Halvor Velta had become tired of playing cards and thus he took and shot out the light with his guns and ordered that all the little boys could now go home and get some sleep.
		On the next day in one of the saloons, Halvor Velta let it all out with his great strength. A former acquaintance of his yelled at Halvor and ordered him to come over to his table. “No, you come over here”, was the answer, and thus became the other guy so angry that he furiously shouted out: “Oh you don`t have to be so big about it Velta, you who`s married to an Indian woman.” With that, Halvor Velta was like a raging fire and he grabbed the guy by the collar and the seat of the pants and threw him right through the closed door and out onto the street.
		After that Hans Molden otherwise told to his daughter, that Halvor Velta was quite a good natured fellow who did not pick quarrels with others, even though his own pranks occasionally were enough in poor taste.
		Anders Framstadbakken from Northwood remembered Halvor Velta well. He made a visit to this township in the beginning of the 1890`s where the Hadeland native was living , and Anders said he was a life-sized giant. He was almost two meters tall, not so much broadly built, but the body was muscular, and the neck was as wide as his head.
		It unfortunately didn't go so well for Halvor Velta at the end. As mentioned before he was married to an Indian woman. and although Halvor Velta knew the Indians better than almost any other white man, their views on life and way of thinking were still quite different. They had many children together, but his wife became attached gradually and steadily closer to her blood kindred, and Halvor strongly disliked this. He went so far as that he threatened to kill her if she left him and his family, and sadly though it was not enough just with this threat. He shot her down when she tried to get away from their home, and thus was the end of freedom for Halvor Velta. It was a life sentence for this murder, and he finished out his life in the state prison in Bismarck, North Dakota.
		There he died in 1912. For many years since I saw it myself his gravestone in the prison cemetery in Bismarck. On it stood the simple phrase: Albert Pedersen 1838 - 1912
		This is the last testimony of Halvor Velta – later Albert Pedersen – if the tombstone is still standing there, I do not know.