Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1897-11-25
THE LATIUM STABBING.
Examining Trial of William Kieke ct al,
Charged With Assaulting the
Klatt Bows

ball near Latium a row took
place between VIM. and Otto
Kieke and Greene and August
Wendt on one side and Hermann
and Chas. Hiatt on the other.
The Klatt brothers came out de-
cidedly second best and came
near dying as a result of various
and sundry wounds received in
the melee. Complaints charging
assault to murder were lodged
against the Wendt and Kieke
brothers and the services of At
torney J. M. Mathis secured to
prosecute them. The defendants
employed Messrs. Searcy & Gar
rett. They were placed under
temporary bonds of $500 each
pending the recovery of the Klatt
brothers sufficiently to testify at
the examining trial, which came
up before Justice W. R. Ewing
Friday, Nov. 10Th, just two
months to a day, after the occur
renee.
Hermann Klatt, first witness
for the State, testified that on
the date above stated, accom-
panied by his brother Charles, he
attended a fest at West Mill
Creek; had been there some two
hours and half before the fuss
began. There he met and ex-'
changed greetings with VIM.
Keke, remarking as he did so
that Kieke hadn't spoken to him
in quite a while. Klatt and
Kieke sat down on a bench to
discuss a former misunderstood
ing, during the progress of the
discussion VIM. Kieke was
joined by his brother,
Otto, and some hot words
were exchanged betwee
Klatt and the Kieke brothers,
which resulted in Otto Kieke
striking Klatt with his fist while
the latter was sitting down. VIM.
Kieke jumped between them and
pretended to be trying to part
them, butin reality, according to
the witness, was holding Klatt
and allowing Otto Kieke to strike
him (Klatt) at will. Klatt tore
the arm out of his shirt sleeve in
getting loose, and struck at Otto
Kieke, At this juncture Green
Wendt ran up and stabbed Klatt
in the back. Klatt fell forward
on his hands, and says his assail-
ants came down on him like hail.
He couldn't say how many cut
him in the back, but was pain
fully aware of the fact that he
had seven holes in his body and
two in his head. After falling
over on his right side he was
stabbed in the left breast by Otto
Kieke and cut in the left leg by
August Wendt. After this Otto
Kieke and others struck him
several times over the head as
he lay on the ground. At this
juncture witness brother, Chas.
Klatt, pulled his assailants off.
Witness stated that he was con-
fined to his bed thirteen days on
account of these wounds under
the care of two doctors.
Charley Klatt, brother of the
first witness, stated that on hear
ing that his brother was in trouble
he ran to the scene of the diff
Guilty. Just before he got there he
was stabbed in the back by Green
Wendt. Witness corroborated his,
brothers. statement in regard to
the fight. His own wound, ac-
cording to the evidence was near
the center of the back, to the
right of the back bone, and pene-
trated the liver. He was in bed
three weeks under the care of
two doctors, and is not yet well.
Leo LANCE, another State wit
ness, testified to seeing the Kieke
and Wendt boys with their knives
open. He did not see any part
of the fight and did not hear of
it until it was all over.
This concluded the testimony
and the bond of each of the de-
PENDANTS was set at $500.