The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-02-25
SHOT TO SAVE LIFE
FRANCIS j. DIETER KILLED BY HIS
BROTHER-IN-LAW.
WAS BEATING HIS WIFE.
JOHN scHoLL USED PISTOL IN DE-
TENSE.

Mornfn&-TWO Bullets in Ills Chest
and One in HIS Temple Caused Die
ter's Death several Hours Later.
Dieter Went Home Drunk, Attempt
cd to Burn His House and Tried to
XIII Mrs. Dieter and Her Brother
and Threatened His ChiIdren-He
His Wffe-SchoH Surrendered to
Police, but Was Exonerated by
Coroner's Jury-Dieter's Funeral
This Afternoon.
Crazed with drink. Francis J. Dieter a
butcher in the city market better known
as Joe Dieter, went home cary yesterday
morning, otter nights carousal, and
beat his wife until she was weak from
the blows, tried to shoot her and her boy
brother with a shotgun, dragged from his
bed their child, whom he hated because
it looked like its mother. and in his
drunken frenzy shoveled live Goals from
the fireplace and scattered them over the
room to burn the house and his family
in it, then attacked his brother-in-law
with a chair. and was finally shot during
his fiendish assault.
The shots were fired by John Scholl, the
19-year-old brother of Mrs. Dieter, in de-
tense of his life
The Dieters live on Waters road near
Thirty-ffth street. Dieter reached his
home shortly after midnight, and the
shooting took place soon after that. The
wounded man lived until $50 o'clock,
when the affair was reported at police
headquarters and Schon gave himself up.
Coroner ]. G. Keller took charge of the
body and an inquest was held. The jury
returned verdict of justihable homicide,
without any hesitancy, and scholl was
released from custody.
Mrs. Dieter told her story of
the homicide to the jury between
sobs. She said in answer to ques-
tlons that her husband frequently INT
home drunk and assaulted her. She is in
a delicate condition and the assault upon
her was as cowardly as it was unpro-
voked. According to her story her mar
rfed life had been anything but a pleas
ant one, and the treatment that she had
received from her husband was of the
worst
Young Scholl appeared to greatly de-
plore the tragedy. but felt that circum-
stances had forced him to take his broth
er-in-laws life. Many men would have
committed the deed before an actual as
sault had been committed. and the only
surprise expressed by the members of the
jury was that Schol1 had not shot Diet
when Mrs. Dieter was first assau ted.
That woman in her condition should be
so treated appeared to the jury TO be in
humanity Of the worst type, Three sh IS
were fred by Scholl. Two entered Die,er's
breast and the third entered his fore
head.
The story of the killing can be better
told in the words of Mrs. Dieter, who
was the only witness at the inquest The
prisoner was taken from police headquar-
tiers by Detectives Murphy and Wall, ana
made a statement, not under oath. that
agreed in every particular with the one
made by his sister He was not returned
10 the police staten, but remained at the
Dieter home until the jury had acquitted
him of the crime of murder.
Mrs. Dieter. wife of the dead man, in
her statement, said:
MY husband came home at 12:l5 o'clock
knew that he was full. came down to
let him in. My little brother was sitting
upstairs. When my husband entered the
house he started to curse me and beat
me all the way upstairs. We occupied
the front room and my brother was in the
back room. When he beat me I'D the
steps / didn't say anything to my brother
Johnny. While We were upstairs my hus-
band went behind the door in the corner
and got doubie-barrel shotgun and said
that he would blow our heads off. When
he took the gun up he pointed ii at me
and pulled the trigger. 1t did not go off
because on Thursday. when he was drunk.
] had taken the shells out He then put
the gun in the corner and beat me until
got in bed. After 1 had gotten in bed
with my little boy and GIRL he took the
red-hot coa.s out of the fire and said
that he was going to burn the house
down. Ny little boy sleeps in the back
bedroom with my brother, and was afraid
of his father when drunk. My husband
went in the room to get the little fellow
The boy was frightened, and chung to
my brother. This made my husband
mad, and he picked up chair and struck
my brother, who had jumped out of bed
and picked up pillow TO protect himself
The blow struck him in the back Ny
husband then chased him with
pair. of Shoes and threw
them at him. One shoe hit him.
After that they went together and
passed blows. 4 had my little girl baby
in my arms, but tried TO separate them.
My husband was a maRsand my brother
a boy. My brother was getting the worst
of it and saw he couldn't fight any more
Finally my husband picked up rocking
chair to hit Johnny, who was weak from
the scuffie. While he was raising the
rocking chair Johnny went TO the bureau
TO get a PISTOL that he had put there
Thursday. Joe brought the chair down
and hit Johnny. My brother then fred
one shot, but missed. Joe backed off a
little and then went back at Johnny with
an iron coal bucket. was screaming,
and my brother shot the second time.
The bullet entered my husbands breast,