The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1899-04-12
c. WIKI DEAD.
Has a Terrible Death While En-
Route Home.

DldCkSmlCQ at b0lVloW, anu foSluluS
with his family Of nine children on
the farm of his son one and one half
miles south of Belview, turned up
missing at his home last Thursday
morning. An hour later his body
covered with mud, and his face
covered with the same kind of earth,
was found on the farm of A. D. N.
Southworth, half a mile south of
Belview. Wiik was very dead.
The demise of Wiik will be point
ed to by temperance orators as a
horrible example of the foe which
they are combating. Wiik, with
his son-in-law, Andrew Harried,
who had come over from Swedes
Forest, had been drinking nearly
all of Wednesday, and late in the
afternoon the former was badly in
toxicated. Shortly after 8 o'clock
that night Wiik succeeded in getting
two bottles filled with alcohol and
started for hone with his SON in-law,
whose team was to convey the two
men. The team was started on the
jump, and when but few rods
from the village windmill the whiffie
trees became detached from the
wagon, Harried was pulled out of
the vehicle by the running team,
and after he had lost his hat and
ploughed long furrow in the road
with his body, all trace of him for
the time being was lost.
Wiik remained in the wagon as
the team left it, for time, at least,
but finding that it was not moving
he slowly climbed over the side,
and commenced his walk for home,
mile and quarter away He ap-
parently passed the residence of
Aug. Ellies on the Southworth farm
with his feet on the public highway,
but no sooner had he done so than
he seems to have lost the road, and
commenced getting tangled in the
mud on the field on the east side of
the thoroughfare. The TASKS of
pure alcohol were apparently emp
tied about this time, and the zig-zag
course of the victim commenced.
This zig-zag kept up for several
rods, until Wiik arrived at a low
place in the field, near where some
water was standing. At this time
the alcohol seems to have taken
effect and a frenzied tremor set in,
for the ground over a 25-foot
square was torn up worse than
it could have been in a five handed
bull-fght. At times the victim
seems to have been paving it with
his hands-at other times plough
ing it with his head, while at
other times he seems to been
lying on his back and kicking
it with his heels. It was in this
terrible condition that the life OF
Christopher Wiik went out.
Harried arrived at the house very
late that night, unable to tell just
| how he got there, and without MAX
ing any inquiries as to the arrival
of his father-in-law, went to bed.
The next morning the family arose,
Wiik was not present, and search,
not the first search made, was COM
menced. The news was taken into
town, and an hour later Mrs. Aug.
Ellies looking from the Ellies
residence down over the field saw
an object which she declared was
not there the day before. It was
the body of Wiik, as black as the
soil on which it was resting. The
right arm was forming a square,
and the left hand was clenched as il
holding something in death-like
grasp.
Shortly after ten o'clock Coroner
Hawes was notified. and he immedi-
ately left for the place, arriving
there at about two o'clock in the
afternoon, by which time the body
had been removed from the field to
the granary near the house. The
coroner found small amount of
money on the person Of the deceased,
the body showing no signs of hav-
ing been foully dealt with, and after
learning the facts as stated above,
DR.. Hawes decided that an inquest
was unnecessary.
The farm on which Wiik was then