The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1897-08-27
HUNTEDTO H1BREATHl
ENRAGED FARMERS KILL. A MAN
NEAR CHICAGO.
Human Brute Attacks Mrs. Fenska,
Is Driven to Cornfie1d, Holds Pur-
suers at Bay for Two Hours, and Is
Finally Overpowered.
Details of the Tragedy.

Details of the Tragedy.
| Swift vengeance was meted out Thurs
day afternoon to n man who made a mur-
derousnssault upon Mrs. Paulina Fenska,
wife of Karl Fenska, a poor German
| farmer living in Leyden township, onei
mile from the village of Franklin Park,
Cook County, III.
| A party of infuriated farmers, armed
with rifles, revolvers, pitchforks and 9TH
| er implements, started in pursuit of the
man, who had fled from the lonely farm:
house into the nearby corn field. The
man, who was a stranger in the locality!
and whose identity is still unknown, made
a vicious fight for his life. He was armed
with two huge revolvers and he fought
his pursuers until his body was riddled
| with shot and he fell helpless to the
ground.
| When this moment came the farmers
acted like madmen. They jumped upon
| the half unconscious wretch and almost
tore his body to pieces. They kicked him,
stamped upon him, beat him over the
head with rakes, hoes and rifle barrels,
and pinned him to the earth with the
sharp prongs of the pitchforks. When
they were through the man was little
more than a mass of battered flesh and
blood. His body contained q score Of
bullets and his head was beaten almost
into jelly.
The battle between the fugitive and the
men who hunted him lasted over two
hours. The stranger repeatedly Loaded
his revolvers with cartridges which he
carried in his pockets. He held the farm
ers at bay again and again, notwithstand-
ing his legs had been riddled with bullets.
He attempted many times to kill the fore
most of his assailants. He would take
deliberate aim and fire four or FIVE shots
at the nearest man to him.
| Pursuers Are Unharmed.
| But his craftsmanship was bad and he,
failed to wound any of his pursuers. He
fled from corn field to corn field, took his
stand behind trees and rail fences, was
hunted like wild beast, and fought with
all the desperate courage Of a man who
knows that his life is at stake, and that
there is only one chance in q thousand to!
escape. The stranger took this chance.l
He fought like rat in a trap and died
like one.
Mannheim is thirteen miles from the
Chicago Union depot on the Chicago, Mil.
waukee and ST. Paul road. 1t is part ofi
the incorporated village of Franklin Park.s
There is large settlement Of small Ger.
man farmers about Mannheim.
Thursday morning Karl Fenska, along,
with other farmers in the settlement:
went to Johann Hanson's place to help
him thrash his wheat. The field in which,
the thrashers were at work was 800 yards
from Fenska's dwelling.
Stranger at the Door.
At IL o'clock, while Mrs. Fenska was
at home looking after the children, a.
stranger appeared at the door. His first
utterance showed that he was a German,
"Where is your husband!" asked the
stranger.
"He is working on Hanson's farm,
thrashing wheat" replied Mrs. Fenska.
'Is that very far awayT' querled the
man.
mot very far she answered.
"Rut how far?" again asked the man,
insisting.
The woman then went on to explain just
where her husband was working, and this
seemed to satisfy the visitor, who imme-
diately began to make himself at home.
Mrs. Fenska has four children. They
are Gustav, aged 8; Friedrich, aged g;
Augusta. aged 4. and Mary, a babe in
arms. The man went over to where little
Augusta was playing on the floor and be-
gan to pet the child, patting it's cheeks.
Mrs. Fenska told him he was not wanted
and had better so away. The man pulled
:
II o'clock Mrs. Fenska's clock showed
, II 80 and he said her clock was fast The
man was undoubtedly figuring at what
time Fenska and the other men were like
ly to come to the house for dinner.
Strikes Her a Terrible Blow.
"And you want me to go, do you?" re-
: marked the man. The next moment he
struck her terrible blow in the face with
his fist, knocking her against the wall
He then hit her again and knocked her
to the floor, where she remained in half
l conscious condition. The brute began
kicking her as she lay on the floor, and
bruised her frightfully around the body.
The woman crawled along the floor to-
!, the water pail and washed some of the
l blood out Of her eyes. She then picked
e up her baby and, crawling and stagger
$ ing. managed to make her way to the field
t where her husband was at work.
Tells the Thrashers.
! She gave a general description of the
s man and then fell unconscious. There
t were fifteen or twenty hands at work
= thrashing the wheat when Mrs. Fenska
t appeared and told her terrible story. With
shouts of anger they dropped their work
r and hurried away for firearms. Among
these farmers We're Frank Baker, Henry
4 WlemeTSlaEe, rrlIZ AOSSdck, denfy
3 Rhoda, Karl Linneway, Adolph Rolls,
I George Koltze, Johann Nettinger, Louie
Koltze, Fred Koltze, Jr., Henry Kanberg,
. William Konzoele, Johann Hanson.
i The men, soon REINFORCED by others,
t quickly armed themselves with pitchforks,
/. clubs, army muskets and stones, and with
4 in an hour had their victim surrounded in
S a corn field. He ran from cover to cover;
one pursuer climbed a telegraph pole, and
!, though he was the target for score of
;, ;, shots from the desperado's revolver, kept
- - his companions informed of the latter's
4 position. Not until the hunted man had
expended all his ammunition and been
wounded so severely as to prevent further
c fight, was he overpowered.
l. Notes of Current Events.