Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1908-07-23
MANIAC BROTHERS
DIE IN BATTLE
SHERiFF'S PARTY IN BERRiEN
COUNTY GET SLAYER OF
AGED PEDpLER.
STIFF BATTLE ON A FARM
Sister Of the Two Men Fled to ST. Jo-
seph and Warned Officers That
There Would Be Boodshed-Aeed
Mother in Farm House.

Making good their vow that they
would never be captured alive, August
Gross, the maniac who shot down an
inoffensive old man. and Fred, his
half-craZed brother, are dead at their
farm house home I'm Pipestone town
ship, near st. Joseph. August was
found in the upper room Of his house,
where he had bled TO death from the
effects of shots fired by Deputy Sheriff
Harry Hogue. Fred, shot through the
leg while running from the sheriff
posse, sent a bullet into his own brain
as he lay on the ground, preferring
death to capture.
AS soon as the news was received
last night that Gross had shot James
Kirk, meat peddler who visited their
home, Sheriff Tenant dispatched a
party of seven deputies to with orders
TO watch the house all night and make
sure that the brothers did not escape.
Wednesday morning he drove out to
the scene of the shooting and directed
the arrangements to capture the in
sane brothers.
About o'clock the deputies lying
hidden abou THE farm house saw the
two brothers emerge cautiously from
| their house and go to the berry patch,
where they began picking berries
Both carried revolvers.
Sheriff Tenant then divided his
posse. Two of the deputies were sent
to engage the attention of the broth
ers while the remainder of the party
crept up behind them. The two who
had been selected for that duty ad-
vanced from their cover and shouted
for the brothers to surrender. Their
| only reply was a volley of shots.
The party attacking from the rear
got very close to the Gross brothers
who instantly opened fire on their pur-
suers. There was rapid exchange of
| shots, and then both the brothers be-
gan 10 run. Deputy Sheriff Harry
Hogue pursued August, firing four
shots at him with shotgun. The hunt
ed man staggered, but finally reached
his home and disappeared within the
door, leaving trail of blood behind
him.
Fred Gross also tried to reach the
house, but a bullet from one of the
deputies revolvers striking him in the
leg he stumbled and fell in heap. AS
he lay PROSTATE on the ground, he
quickly placed his revolver to his
head and sent bullet into his brain
before the officers could reach him.
He died without saying word.
No sound emanating from the house,
the deputies advanced cautiously
their weapons in their hands. expect
ing every moment to be greeted by a
volley from the maniac within. Enter
ing, they found the aged mother of the
two men weeping and wringing her
hands almost frantic with grief. Pro-
ceeding to an upstairs room, they
found August stretched upon the bed
in his room. dead. A single shot from
Hogue's gun had pierced his heart in
ficting a small but fatal wound whose
slow bleeding enabled him to reach
the house.
Not word was spoken all through
the combat. Both sides seemed 10 un-
derstand that it was battle TO the
death. Although the Gross brothers
fired many shots their aim was very
bad. One bullet went through Deputy
Glover's hat but that was the nearest
any Vi INV tAAAdNhlAi, IuA - Nchit "
being injured
The crime for which the officers
sought TO arrest August Gross was the
shooting of 70year-old James Kirk
yesterday Kirk drove about the coun-
try peddling meat Tuesday afternoon
he drove into the Gross yard where
upon August Gross came ont with a
revolver in his hand and without a
word shot the old man through the
head, but the attending physician said
this afternoon that they thought he
had a chance to recover.
The Gross brothers lived in the
farm house with their mother. who is
60 years old, and their sister. Ann,
aged 30. After August had shot Kirk.
Anna hurried TO the Jail here and
begged Sheriff Tenant not TO attempt
to capture her brothers, saying that
they had vowed that they would shoot
the first man who set foot on the
premises.
Both OF the Gross brothers had been
violent for over year.