Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1910-10-19
DIETz BLAMED FOR
DEPUTYS DEATH
VERDICT FINDS THAT SHOT WAS
FIRED FROM ROOF OF
BARN.
ALL FACE CHARGE OF MURDER
Mother Tells Children's Plight
Father States That He Surrend-
cred Only at the Pleading
of His Wife.

Hayward defender of Cam
eron Dam and his family have al
last surrendered and are in jail here
John F. Dietz, his wife and sor
Leslie are accused Of the murder OF
Deputy Sheriff Oscar Harp. War
rants were issued following the rec
ommendation Of the coroner jury
to that effect.
After having viewed the Dietz
premises and the body of Harp. the
jury met with Coroner w II. Noyes
at the town hall here and rendered
the verdict given above.
The evidence given by deputies
tended to show that the fatal shot
could not have been fired at Harp
from any other point than the roof
of the Dietz barn.
Dietz himself has stated that he
ran to the barn during the battle, in
the hope Of drawing the fire from the
cabin in which his family were hud-
died. He and his wife have stated
that Leslie did not fire a shot during
the battle, and Dietz said his wife
did not handle gun.
The news of the capture spread
like like wildfre. Crowds gathered
on every corner and the one topic
of discussion was "Dietz."
Sheriff Madden gave his version of
the affair as follows:
Friday evening after Attorney
General Gilbert and Mr.. Munson,
secretary to the governor, had ar
gued and pleaded in vain with Dietz
for hours TO give up for the sake of
his family, If not for himself. Oh
fering him all manner of induce
ments, in vain, Gilbert said to me,
We have endeavored to induce DietZ
to give up, but have been unsuccess-
full. He will not surrender to any
thing. The matter is in your hands;
do your duty
Il then called the deputies to-
gether, twenty-seven Winter residents
and three from Radisson, every one
citizens of Sawyer county. many of
them farmers living in the neighbor-
hood of the Dietz home. We closed
In on the house Friday evening late,
assisted by the darkness. some of
our men being within six rods of the
cabin and outbuildings, behind some
of Dietz' barbados In fact, they
were scattered thickly around the
property.
"At about 10 o'clock Leslie started
OF down the field toward the pasture
where the COWS were kept. On top
of the hill two men were stationed,
In a protection erected by Dietz, in
the shape of triangle built up out
OF rocks. They called out to Leslie:
Throw up your handsn
He refused. and started running
back to the house, the deputies firing
at him, though no attempt to kill
Leslie was made. At his heels one
of the dogs was running along. which
the men killed. showing that II
would have been an easy matter to
get the young man. had they wanted
20 kiln him. A larre number of bull
lets were fired In this fracas, possibly
forty.
John Dietz himself was IN the
barn and fired from there contina-
ously during the day. After Leslie s
retreat he did not show up again,
though all this time we kept up a
steady fire on the places where we
supposed John and Leslie were in
the barn.
About o'clock in the afternoon
Dietz started for the house. He was
fired at, the bullet hitting him. Dietz
then beat IL back TO the house.
AT about o'clock Mrs. Dietz and
the little girl, Helen, came out
with a white flag, were met by
Father Pilon and Hefiiefinger of st.
Paul. The girl asked to see Madden.
Il went up to her and she said:
Father wants TO surrender if
you will promise not to let the dep
uties kill him
II promised absolute protection.
The priest with Hehiefnger went
back to the house, and came back
stating that DiotZ wanted me TO agree
to allow them doctor and to let
the newspaper men in. / told them
they could not consent to such an
arrangement as TO sending the news
paper men in. and requested that
they come out with their hands raised
above their heads.
Ellis surrender was a half-hearted
way of doing 1t. He would not march
out with appraised hands. and Thor
balm, Van Alstyne and myself walked
up 70 the house. where Thorbahn Inn
mediately handcuffed Leslie, and be-
fore Handwriting Dietz Thorbahn took
his gun away from him. which he
still wore in his belt.
Mrs. Dietz was then handcuffed
and everything was done with the
exception of bringing them back To
Hayward to be lodged in the county
jail