Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-03-20
MURDERED IN A DANCE HOUSE.
PrOprietors of a Northern Den on Trial for
Murder at Hayward.

ASHLAND, Wis, March ia sensa-
tional double murder trial began at Hay
ward, Sawyer county, today. The defend
ants are Maud T. Lee and her husband
Robert Lee. The Lees kept a place of
questionable character near Hayward
One night about three weeks ago they
called in the rough element to at
tend dance. Whisky was free as
water, and by IL o'clock, when
the floor was cleared for the dance the
entire aggregation was bowling drunk
In the first waltz Robert Gortz jostled Mrs.
Lee, and Mr.. Lee resented it by shooting
a couple of bullets into Mr.. Gortz. Hard
ly had the first report died away when a
dozen other men had drawn pistols, knives
and clubs. A rough-and-tumble battle
ragged for fifteen minutes, when some one
yelled ''officers, and as ma,sy as were able
fed The cry proved a false alarm, and,
one by one, the party crept back
and re-entered the hail. On the
floor lay half dozen men
suffering from broken heads, knife thrusts,
and bullet wounds. Robert Grotz was
dead down and literally hacked
to pieces. Lee and his wife escaped in
jury. None of the injured were hurt
fatally, and their friends carried them
away. Next day Lee was arrested, and
shortly after his wife was also lodged
In jail. They are jointly charged with
the murder of Robert Gortz.
WASHINGTON, March IT, - President
Adams of the Union Pacific railroad, APP
peared before the house committee on
Pacific railroads this morning, and sub
mitted to the committee printed reports of
the arguments previously made by him.
He then discussed the Frye bill, which, he
said, placed the Union Pacific road in very
different relations to the government. AS
matter of principle, the Union Pacific
could make no objection to that
course being pursued. The Central
Pacific never had and never will
have the local trade which the Union
whether the burden should be proper
panies. He did not object to the gem
eral provisions of the Frye bill nor
insist that the Union Pacific should be
placed on equal terms with the Central
Pacific, neither was he here to say that
the terms imposed upon the Central Pa
cific were too lenient. On the contrary,
he was obliged to say that the provision
of the bill imposed as heavy load as the
Central Pacific could bear. He did not
think the Union Pacific would be willing
to take the property of the Central Pacific
with heavier load than the Frye bill i'm
posed upon it. The Frye bill was good
and fair bill in many respects, but there
were q few material points in which he
would like to see it modified.
Mr.. Adams thought the burden which
the Frye bill placed upon the Union Pa
ciic was too heavy. Railroads are oper-
ated, not for fun or patriotism. but to
make money. There was a Legitimate and
an illegitimate way of doing this. 1t was
not in the interest of the government or
the people that the Union Pacific should
cease from being dividend-paying stock and
become Wall street stock. 1t was not to
the interest of the government or the
Union Pacific, that company should be
launched ON voyage of fifty years
weighted down 20 those who navigated it
must spend half of the time clinging to
the rigging. He felt compelled to say
that in his judgment the senate bill in the
present form was not for the advantage of
the government, the Union Pacific or the
people. The trainers had fallen into the
error of imposing upon willing debtor
terms more Onerous than the debtor could
. bear. Mr.. Adams said that the Frye bill
was in the interest of the states through
which the Union Pacific passed, although
the people of those states didn't see it.
They had an idea that anything
which helped the railroad injured them.
This was an erroneous idea. The COM
pany, in its desire to get liberty, was
forced to the very limit of safety and at
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