Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1908-08-14
A DASTARDLY CRIME.
VIM. GolInick Of Swan River Fatally
Assaulted by Robbers

VIM. Gollnik, prominent farmer
Of Swan River, living about eight
miles from Little Falls, is dying, the
victim, so far as known, of an assault
by burglars, caused, according to his
wife's story, by refusal to endorse two
certificates of deposit which they took
from him.
Lawrence Koselke arrived in Little
Falls yesterday morning about, 4
o'clock, and notified Sheriff Long that
crime had been committed at the
Gollnlk home. DR.. N. W. Chance and
Sheriff Long, accompanied by Chas
Wulling, Immediately left for the
scene They found the man lying On
the bed, blood everywhere, with his
skull battered IN. The Uranium was
crushed over the left temple and q
piece of the skull as big as dollar
broken off. Part of the brain had
oozed out, and the walls and bed
furniture were splashed with blood.
Mrs. Gollnik spoke to Mr.. Willing in
German and after to the sheriff in fair
English. Her story was substantially
the same as she later told Herald
representative, to the effect that at an
early hour, about 2 O'Clock. she
thought, two men entered the house
from the front door, came into the
bedroom and demaned her husband s
money, and he said he had none in
the house, only two certificates OF
deposit, which he gave up, and then
he was asked to endorse them. Re
fusing to do so, they struck him
When she awakened the two men were
standing between her bed and that on
which her husband slept; that she was
told to keep still or she would be
killed, and that her husband was told
that if he would not endorse the
certificates of deposit, he would also
be killed, and that one of the men
struck at her husband with some kind
of club, and then she tainted. One
Of the men was taller than the other.
and they had dark lanterns and masks.
When she came to after fainting;
which was half hour or so, she got
up and reaching around felt on the
floor her husbands body. She litA a
lamp and was Mortified at the sight
of her husband weltering in his gore,
and apparently almost dead She rarl
over to neighbor Lawrence
Koselke, half mile away, aroused
Mr.. Koselke and he came over ,at once;
reaching the place about a quarter
after three. He helped Mrs. Gollnik
to place Gollnik on the bed, and
nitcehd up a horse and drove to town
as fast as possible notifying Sheriff
Long and DR.. Chance, who went to
the scene at once, accompanied by
Chas Willing.
! Mr.. Koselke says the scene in the
room was awful. Gollnik was on the
floor on his back between the beds,
with blood all around him, blood or
the walls and on the beds. The room
looked like slaughter house.
The house had been ransacked fol
money, as contents on bureaus anC
dressers were scattered around. There
was $50 in the cellar in mason jar
and So upstairs, but the robbers didn y
find it.
Gollnik had his trousers on whe1
found, and Mrs. Gollnik said he wen
to bed with them on. The little gir
who was sleeping with her mother
apparently heard nothing Of the whole
affair.
DR.. Chance did not think at frs
that Gollnik would long survive, bu
when visited by Drs. N. W. ant
Jenner Chance at noon they found hin