The Dickinson press., 1903-02-28

jail Guarded to Prevent Lynch
ing-An "Old Grudge" the
Cause-Chris Rott the Unfor-
tunate Victim.
From the Kuhn, La Moure County,
Messenger We take the following:
Christopher Rott, a popular citizen
of Kuhn, met a fearful death on Sunday
night in a "blind pig" at Ashley, to which
place he had gone to collect an old debt
from his employer.
Six Russians carefully planned and
deliberately murdered him, after a
bloody battle lasting for several hours.
An "old grudge" seems to be the only
cause for the awful deed.
On Saturday MIR. Rott left Kuhn in the
best of health and spirits, perfectly sober,
and with a bill tor sI4o given him by
Messrs. Gackle & Co. to collect from
Henry Heuter, of Ashley.
On Saturday night at loo'clock, Henry
Heuter paid Chistolph the s14o which
the latter paid over to the Ashley Bazaar.
Heuter then calmly suggested that they
have a glass OF beer together, to which
Rott consented. Heuter then led his
unsuspecting victim to the trap prepared
for him, which was the "blind pig" con-
Quoted by a woman named Winter.
Within the place at the time were the
proprietor, a printer on an Ashley paper,
Andrew S%chlapps. Gottlieb Schaffer,
John Maggie, Peter Ensminger and Henry
Heuter. AS soon as Christ entered the
place he recognized several old enemies
among the crowd.
Schaffer started the ball rolling by re-
questing the printer to leave, which he
refused to do, and he was knocked on
the head by a piece OF board.
Schlapps then knocked the lamp from
the table, and then every man in the
place jumped at Rott, using beer bottles,
clubs, hammers and hatchets. They
pounded the unfortunate man almost to
insensibility, and when he started to
crawl beneath the table and begged for
mercy, the cowardly Russians yanked
him out and made him promise to treat
the crowd seven times, which he agreed
willingly to do and also offered to give
SIS to his assailants to cease clubbing
him. After they had secured the drinks
and the money they started in to finish
the poor man, who was now bleeding
from many places on the head and face.
Christ started for the door, and at the
same time drew his jacknife to make a
last desperate struggle for life, but his
assailants outnumbered him, and they
siezed the knife and hacked his hands to
pieces.
Reidinger then struck him on the head
with a big club as he opened the door,
and the man, almost dead, fell forward
on his face, exclaiming:
"Oh, my God, Andrew"
Gotttried Gross, Of Ashley, saw the
man brought to the hotel, and after
Schlapps had left, he entered the hall
and spoke to the dying man, but received
no answer. The hotel clerk then came
in, but on account of the darkness, and
thinking that the mar was intoxicated,
they let him lie there and went t bed.
But in a little while they were awakened
by a noise and fastened to the side OF
the dying man to find him bathed in a
pool of blood, with two big gashes in the
head from which the blood was pouring.
A doctor was hastily summoned, but
at s O'Clock Monday morning Christ
Rott gave up the struggle and died from
the effects of the terrible beating re.
ceived at the hand of six Russian scoun-
drels who hated the man for some trivial
cause, and who calmly and deliberately
trapped with every intention Of commit
ting the murder.
That it was deliberately planned may
be seen from the fact that another man
Wilhelm Ley-had been asked to
meet the crowd at the "pig" Sunday
night with the intention of numbering
Christoph, but unfortunately for him he
could not arrive on time.
Those who participated in the murder
were Immediately arrested and carefully
guarded from injury. They were a crowd
of very scared men.
1t is expected that they will receive a
quick trial and be carted away before
any outbreak can be made by the friends
of the dead man who was we'll known
and liked by farmers for hundreds of
miles around.
Christoph Rott leaves a widow and a
fine family of eight sons and daughters.