River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-01-30
In DEADLY COMBAT.
A Battle at jefferson. Ia. Results
in Two Deaths.
Two Men and a Woman Also Are In
iured-Details of the Struggle "A Six
teen-Ycar-Old Boy Saves His
Fathers Life.

jefferson, Ia, Jan. 2s.--As a result of
desperate fight at an early hour Mon
day morning two men are dead. two
men desperately wounded and a young
woman seriously injured. The killed
are: John Brown, Jr., and John Fleck.
fine injured are John Brown, Sr.,
George Fieck and Mary Brown.
As John Brown, a respected and
peaceable farmer, was at home about
rine o'clock there was knock at the
door. Surprising n neighbor had come
10 spend an hour be opened the door.
only to look into the muzzle of double
barreled shotgun leveled by his neigh
Dor, John Fleck.
Quick as a flash he knocked aside
the weapon and jumped upon his as
sailant. The gun fell without having
been discharged and the two men
Grappled and went down. At this juno
ture George, the 17-year-old son of
John Fleci<, who had accompanied his
father upon his murderous errand, APP
peared upon the scene. George car
ried a six-shooter in each hand, and was
no sooner in the house than he began
firing.
Brown was shot In he cheek and
Fleck received bullet through the
hand. Scarcely mad the echo of the
shots died away before John, Jr., the
eldest son of Mr.. Brown, entered the
house, and young Fleck began pumping
lead into him. One bullet took eff
feet in the breast just above the heart
and another carried away big chunk
of skin from the forehead. Young
Brown afterwards died.
At this moment Jim, the youngest
Brown boy, a lad of 16 years, attracted
by the firing, entered the room and at
once realizing the situation grabbed
a stick of stove-wood and knocked the
revolver from Fleck's hands. John
Brown, Jr., although desperately
wounded, reached for one of the revolt
just as he started to run. Jim followed
and caught him, clubbing him until he
was insensible.
A Frightful Struggle.
Meanwhile the fearful struggle be-
tween the ole men continued, and Jim
returned to the house just in time to
save his father from being cholled to
death. He dealt Flcck a blow on the
head rendering him insensibie, and then
turned lis attention to his injured
brother. AS soon as tn, elder Brown
recovered sufficiently to take hand,
he seized bottle containing powder
that had fallen from Fleck's oycrcoat
pocket and smashed il over the lattei's
head. Then selling the jagged bottle
he punched and gouged at The latter's
face and head until il was literally a
mass of pulp.
Within a few moments the neighbors
attracted by the shots came to the
scene. They found the old man Fleck
ying in the middle of the room, his
head on pillow and his feet and arms
chained with logchain. He was un-
conscious and frightful sight. Mary
Brown, the daughter, who had been
milking at the time the ARRAY COM
menced, was found in the coward,
where she had been knocked over with
n milking stool by one of the Flecks be-
fore they came to the house.
The Flecks will be placed in Jail 10
await the action of the grand jury. The
younger Brown boy, Jim, who played
the most important part in the bloody
melee and saved his fathers life, was
not injured. The motive for the CON
spiracy is not well known. The Flecks
bear hard name, and it is asserted
the neighbors, among them the Browns,
have accused them of chicken stealing
Two Dead.
The evident purpose of John Flick
and his son was TO murder the entire
Brown family. John Brown, Jr.. and
the elder FleclI both died Monday
night. The elder Brown and Geoi &c
fleck, although badly used up, will re-
cover, and Mary Browns injuries were
not serious.