The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1905-04-28
BLOODY
AFFRAY
A Drunken Brawl near
Calmar, Rolette County
last Sunday Results in
Death to one and Serious
Wounds to Another.
From our Willow City Correspondent.

From our Willow City Correspondent. .-
On Monday ripple of excitement,
but no surprise, was caused in town
when it became known that one man
had been killed and another seriously
wounded in drunken brawl north of
Calmar in Rolette county, Sunday
night.
It appears that there was a gather
ing of neighbors at Calmar Sunday
afternoon and that the amber cololed
fluid circulated freely and when th at
was exhausted, that damnable concoc-
tion known as "Bitters'' was resorted
to. Among the crowd were Fred
Kohlmeier, Louis Clark and Pat
Barrett They were all hired men of
Phalin Finnegan. From all of the
evidenc adduced at the coroner's in
quest, no bad blood existed among
them. Shortly after dark they started
for home-the Finnega farm-some
three miles north. On their way home
they stopped i at the farm of Charles
Auklum for supper. There were about
fifteen guests present and all more or
less under the influence of "Bitters. I"
While supper was cooking an alter
cation arose between Pat Barrett and
Kohlmeier. Clark took Barrett 8
part and the affair being serious, Mr..
Auklum ordered all three out of the
house. Shortly after going ous of doors
those within heard a shot fred and
upon rushing out Clark was found
dead. shot through the lungs. At the
inquest it was developed that only one
hot had been fred. All the witnesses
testified to that fact No one saw the
:shot fred. Kohlmeier's 8 story is that
when he and Clark were put out of the
house by Auklum. Clark grabbed for
the gun that Kohlmeier carried in his
hip pocket; and after a struggle pos
ssessed himself of it, Then he shot
Kohlmeier in the head and he fell to
the ground unconscious. He does not
know how he was shot in the leg, and
claims that he does not know who shot
Clark. From the evidence given at
the inquest it seems clear that Kohl
meier shot Clark, but who shot Kohl
meier seems to be mystery.
That Kohlmeier shot himself after
the affray. as some suggest, seems i'm
possible. He has two bullet wounds,
one in the scalp at the back of the
head and one in the left leg just above
the knee. The bullet in the knee has
not been located. DR.. Anderson of
Willow City, probed for it for two
hours on Monday, but failed to locate
it. It passed upwards from the initial
point and the doctor fears it has i'm
bedded itself in the muscles of the
8roin. From its direction it is almost
impossible for Kohlmeier to have shot
himself Kohlmeier has been placed
under arrest and was taken by Sheriff
Douglass to Rolla on Tuesday. From
q telephone message to Mr.. Finnegan
Wednesday from Judge Hunt Of Rolla.
we learn that Kohlmeier's condition is
precarious. Clark's body was shipped
to Blue Springs. Mo-. on Wednesday
Mr.. Larosie of Calmar accompanying
it.
And such is the result of sBitters, =
guns and desperate men. The whole
-neighborhood in which this tragedy
occurred, has borne an unenvlable
reputation for some years past. It
was there that young man by the
name of Saucer was killed some three
years ago by John Barrett, brother
of the Pat Barrett spoken of above.
Gums are carried by many Of the far
mers and hired men while working in
the vicinity. Kohimeler is widely
known there as bad man and always
carried gun. Clark had the reputa-
tion Of being peaceable sort Of a fell
low, unless under the influence Of
liquor.
We boast Of our enlightenment. our
schools and our advance in al 1.-The arts
-and sciences. North Dakota, among
all the states, claims to be ahead in