The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1910-10-10
.DE|Tz AND son
ARE WOUNDED
Dam Defender Ambuscaded
by Sheriff's Posse.
TARGET FOR MANY RIFLES

| Fugitive Walks From His Cabin Into
the Opening and Scores OF Bullets
Are Sent in His observation-disclosures
to Get Back to His Home and Re-
turns the Fire, but None Of the
Posse Is Hurt.
Winter, Wis, Oct. 10.-"Mike" Mad
den's crack shots got" John Deitz,
as Fred Thorbahn said they would.
! That is, they shot him and they think
he is seriously wounded, but he is ~.
{ ing behind the logs of his cabin on the
Thornapple river and no man dares
Aeard the lion in his den for fear that
| he still can shoot. HI
Thorbahn and his men crept close
to the cabin during the night, after
! they had been told that Deitz had re-
jected all peace proposals and must
be taken dead or alive. Two of them
| crept up to within 100 yards of the
cabin and hid behind the pile of lum-
Der in the rear of the building. About
| 9:45 o'clock, after an interminable
wait which almost set the nerves OF
the newspaper correspondents, watch
| ing from the woods of the clearing, on
edge, DeitZ and his son, Leslie, ap-
| peared and walked toward the wood
| ,pile. Apparently they did not expect
fthe ambuscade that had BEEN prepared
for them. -
! Leslie's intention was evidently to
| go for a COW at the far side of the
clearing. When he had gone about
! $50 yards a single shot was fred at
him, followed by ten or more in quick
succession. He jumped backwards
and ran along the crest of the hill to-
ward the back of several lumber piles.
For 200 feet he was large target. He
weakened perceptibly and staggered
slightly before he reached the cabin
and it is supposed he was hit. j.
| Deitz Drew Score Of Bullets. .
John Deitz, when the fusillade be.
gan, was between the barn and the
lumber piles, behind which the depu-
ties were concealed. He started to-
ward the cabin, receiving the full fire
of the men behind the lumber. Sud-
denly he pitched forward, went to his
! knees and lay PROSTATE moment. He
scrambled to his feet and reached the
house. 1t looked as if he had been
| badly hit.
/ Mrs. Deitz, who was standing in the
yard when the firing began, also ran
| into the cabin after her husband, ap-
parently without injury. -==7 =
! While these movements were taking
place the fusillade was constant and
came from all points of the compass.
Rifles from one end of the big clearing
! spoke to rifles at the extreme other
end. These duller detonations were
penetrated by the reports of rifles and
revolvers in the hands of deputies
| closest. to the cabin at the lumber
pile, at the spring and in Deitz' rock
fortress. 1t is marvellous that the men
were not shot down before they
reached shelter. Helen, aged fourteen,
| anu cOAAAAOs o6CO oOVCAS "OA Q OOtA III
the cabin. One, of them screamed
loudly when the firing began. . Z.
Neither John nor Leslie carried q
rifle. They may have had revolvers
| but made no attempt to use them.
When they were all within the shack
five shots were fired back through the
| windows. =.
Deputies Escape Injury.
The war Is now on and further de-
velopments may come momentarily.
None of the deputies were hit by
Deitz' fire. They were all carefully
| concealed among the stumps and un
derbrush on the clearing. But they
| have wholesome regard for DeitZ'
craftsmanship, even if he is severely
wounded, and while they are now at
tempting to draw up closer to the
cabin they are exercising the greatest
care, for they know "Old Man Deitz''
| is lying behind those logs, furious and
suffering. and with murderous Win
chester in his hand, simply aching to
get his revenge. :" y
I AuS< III" oCI1OuS1y DCuZ 10 II 1luAl
cannot be told. The deputies think
that the wounds are serious. It is be.
lieved that at least two of the shots
took effect in his back as he ran and
1t is possible that no further move
will be made. It is hoped that the
extent of the "old mans" injuries will
necessitate the hosting of the white
flag. ~~ iE 5t
Over night the proximity of Deitz'
hearthstone itself had been packed
with deputies. Two men, Jack Brit.
ton and Con Holland, had taken pos
session of his rock fort on the hill
Fred Thorbahn, the deputy in charge
and Roy Van Alstyne had crawleds out
upon the island in the Thornapple
! near which Deitz has custom OF
going to fetch his cows. Nels Paulson
and another deputy were in a PENN
sula of woods close to the clearing al
a point frequented by Deitz
Dozen snowbound in Montana.