Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-11-12
AN ATROCIOUS AFFAIR.

The Todd County, MINI, @gedy-stea,ing
Wife and Perpetratlng Double MUIR
der-One OF the Murderers Hung to
Tree by a Mobilize Other Narrowly Es-
capes the Same Fate.
Correspondence of tho Globe.1
sAuK CENTRE, Nov. 10, 1S7J.-Peter Kollwer
pronounced Colyer) German, came to Long
Prairie. Todd county, last spring. with a wife
about II years old, and settled in Hartford,
fifteen miles above Long Prairie. Two days
after their arrival John Mcide persuaded her to
leave her husband and live with him, and she
has lived with John Medic and Mike Meide (his
brother) during the past sum mer. (John Medic
is known in this vicinity as 'Black John"
Kollwer objected to this style Of living, and in
consequence. got an awful whipping from the
Medic brothers, administered with the ap-
proval OF tho woman. few days after the
parties came to an understanding, and the
Meidos paid Kollwer $5 for the wearing ap-
pa,el of Mrs. Koilwer. ''Black John" threat
ened to kill number of the neighbors who
had made remarks about his living with the
woman-and both John and his brother Mike
always went we'll armed-and apparently were
counting and expecting a rumpus of some
kind.
While this state of affairs was existing the
house of Black John was burned, whether by
accident or design is not known, but he
(Meide) charged the burning to Peter Kollwer
and his brother, Frank Steinhober. A
week ago to-day Kollwer was missing,
and parties trying to find him dis
=. :uJ
having been committed. Blood was on the floor
and walls, brains scattered promiscuously
about, coat perforated with buck-shot, a
mans fingers apparently shot aft, and pile of
potatoes saturated with blood on which hog
was feeding, evidently enjoying his repsst.
Suspicion being directed to the Meides war.
rant was issued for their arrest, and John
Medic thereafter arrested in the
woods by Deputy Sheriff 8. J. Davis, and
brought to Long Prairie on Nov. 7ti, where be
had an examination before J. Barrett, Esq.
No proof could be produced, but John, fear
ing the people might take action without law,
made a confession, and told where the b.,des
Of Kollwer and Steinhober were buried. he
claimed that his brother Mike did the killing,
and he helped dispose Of the bodies. Since
that time he has amended the confession, and
says Mike killed one and he the other.
a party left Long Prairie and mada. search
for the bodies at the point described by Black
John, and found them buried in Q hole dug in
4 circular FORM both in the same place. each
tied up in sheet. Both had been shot with
back-shot, and one had been battered with an
axe on his head and face out of all sembiance
of g man. The bodies were taken from where
they were found to the court house in Long
Prairie Nov. Sth, and Black John forced to 60
and zee them. He was very much excited, aud
was continually saying they will I'LL rner'
''they will kill me!' He was returned to the
jail, and followed by an excited crowd of citi-
zens who demanded his death, but afterwards
day morning, when they surrounded the jail,
broke open the outer door, forced tie guards
into corner, covering them with their guns,
while the cell of Black John was broken open
and he dragged with rope around his neck to
q point some forty rods from the juil. and
hanged to tho first tree big enough to bear his
weight.
The brother, nike Meide, was captured in
Stearns county, some twelve miles below Sank
Centre, and taken to Long Prairie on Sunday.
Everyone expected he would be treated in the
same summary manner as Black John, but the
mob found q man in charge Of affairs (ahen
they talked Of taking Mike) who knew bis
business namely, the sheriff Of Todd county,
T. G. Chase, who had been absent while the
hanging OF Sunday mornina had been per-
formed, and who proposed to keep his prisoner
safe at all hazards, and 30 notified the mob,
who, knowing Mr.. Chase, concluded that if an
attempt was made to force the Jail while be
was in charge the coroner would have too much
business on hand, and wisely desisted. After
dark Mr.. Chase spirited the prisoner away, and
sent him to St. Cloud for safe keeping via
Motley and the Northern Pacific railroad.