St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-10
CRUSHED HIS SKULL.
The Bully Of the Bohemian
Flats Probably Fatally
Injured.
Tragic Ending Of a Christen-
ing Ceremony in the
Levee.
Frank Kouhout, a Desperate
Character, ProvokeS a
Quarrel.
Trepanning Might Prolong
Life, But the Family OBJ
jected to His Removal.

The upper levee flats in the vicinity
of the bridge was the scene of an affray
last night which will undoubtedly re-
suit in a tragedy. The trouble occurred
in the neighborhood of Joe ReinSkfs
house. where dozen or more Poland
ers had gathered to chris:en newly
born babe and where the celebration
held in honor of the advent of new
life probably resulted in the extinction
of matured one.
A keg of beer had been procured and
taken inside the shanty, the occupants
drinking freely and becoming very
noisy and hilarious. Nearly opposite
the Reinski house is a saloon, known
among the residents of the flats as
Butchers Home" Frank Kouhout, a
Bohemian who has resided on the flats
for the past thirty years, and is gener-
ally known as the Bohemian Bull"
spent considerable time in the saloon
during the afternoon, and when he
came out shortly after o'clock he was
under the influence of liquor. The first
thing that attracted his attention was
the racket emanating from the
sHANTY OF THE PoLANDERs,
and he Immediately approached the
noise, claiming to be special police
man detailed for duty on the flats.
Kouhout's manner indicated that he
wanted to fight, and the PolanderS were
all more or less under the influence of
liquor and perfectly willing TO accom-
MEDIATE him. They rushed out of the
shanty In a body, and in an
instant the air was filled with
clubs, boards, knives and bad
language. Kouhout pulled dagger
from his pocket and began slaShing
right and left. and battling desperately
against great odds. His wife. woman
perhaps fifty years OF age, was near by
and rushed into the conflict. The ell
counter was brief one, and when the
tumult subsidized Kouh0ut was stretched
upon the ground in an unconscious
condition, his wife, stunned from a
blow, lying across his PROSTATE form.
The woman revived soon after and the
husband was taken TO their home. the
police and city physician being notified
of the occurrence.
On the arrival of the police the Po-
landerS had dispersed, and Kouhout
was found still unconscious at his home.
and after a careful examination, pro-
nOunced
TIE WOUND NECESSARILY FATAL.
one, unless a delicate operation be per-
formed. The skull was fractured,
gaping flesh wound, apparently inflicted
with a blunt instrument, appearing on
the top of the head where the blow was
received. The operation of trepanning
n
to give the victim a possible chance of
recovery. Drs. O'Hage and Spencer were
summoned. and on their arrival it was
decided that it would be necessary to
remove the man to the hospital in order
to successfully perform the operation.
This the family objected to, and the
physicians refused to attempt the
operation at the house. Dr.. Sweeney
was then summoned by the family, but
he also refused to attempt the
work, as the family still refused
to allow Kouhout to be taken
from the house. At II o'clock
the physicians left the place, leaving
the victim slowly dying from hem
Orrhage of an artery of the brain, q
large clot having formed near the
wound. The pieces of the crushed
skull were
ALSO PRESSING UPON THE BRAIN.
The physicians present pronounced
death inevitable within few hours.
In the meanwhile the police had not
been idle Detectives and several
officers were sent to the flats as soon as
the nature of the case became known,
and they arrested Andrew Safar, La
rene Kozala, John Katar, and Mat
ValenSky, who were locked up as par
4 IN lNa Efyh
kosky and Michael Lubeisky as wit
nesses. The man giving the name of
Larene Kozala is believed to be the man
who struck the fatal blow. Two Po-
landers who were badly cut by Kouhout
escaped soon after the affray and have
not been unprecedented.
Frank Kouh0ut, the man who was as
saulted last night, has had the reputa-
ton of being a man of desperate char
acter. Ugly stories are told about him,
and the row last night recalls an event
that occurred many years ago. just be-
! fore the BohemianS were forced to move
| from the top of the bluff, where they
had been living on what was then called
| the ''Bernheimer Acres" for many years
| the dead body OF man was found one
morning on the tracks OF the st. Paul
d Sioux City railroad, about 200 yards
| from the spot where the attempted
murder occurred last night. At the
first examination it appeared that the
man had fallen down the bluff and died
from the injuries thus received. At
the coroner's inquest, however, it was
| developed that the deceased had been
cut with an AK. or some other sharp in
strument, before the supposed
accident occurred. Numerous neigh
| borS in the vicinity were eX-
| amined and the testimony showed