Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1910-10-14
AWA|1s''H|S TRIAL
AND FAMILY IN JAIL
AT HAYWARD
RESUME OF DISGRACEFUL AFFAIR
Preparations for Trial on Charges
Growing out of Battle of
Last Saturday

The military campaign on the Thorn
apple having now come to close, by
the surrender of Dietz last Saturday,
it is now possible to take comprehen-
sive view of the affair, to arrange the
events in their natural sequence, and a
conclusion as to the responsibility for
the loss of life and property may be
arrived at with some degree of fairness.
AS is usually the case, the extreme
view put forth during the excitement
of the struggle are found to be dis
torted and incorrect. Deitz is no mar
tyred hero, viciously prosecuted while
in defense of his home, neither is he a
bloodthirsty villain relentlessly preying
upon organized society. Sheriff Mad
den and his deputies are not willful
assassins, neither are they as yet quail
fled for haloes of glory as defenders of
| the flag.
The conflict arose out of a dispute,
such as frequently occurs in new towns,
over roads and schools. A lumberjack
bully, Horel, "butted in" and knocked
Dietz down several times. Deitz, too
hastily perhaps, defended himself with
a revolver, wounding Horel, but not
seriously. A warrant for Deitz was
placed in Madden's hands, which he
carried for month without making
effort to serve it. On an Inflated day
Madden, Thorbahn and Van Alstyne
''held up" Clarence, Myra and Leslie
Deitz, shooting the two former. Fol-
lowing this unfortunate, bungling and
apparently inexcusable effort to vindi-
cate the majesty of the law, came the
formation of a small army of deputies
and the siege of the Deitz homestead.
At this juncture was made what was
apparently the first effort to get Deitz
into custody, not by the Sawyer county
officials, but by one Froelich, of st.
Paul, and by Messrs. Gilbert and Mum
son, acting under orders from Governor
Davidson. There is no evidence that
up to this point any one had officially
informed Deitz that a warrant had
been issued for him on account of the
shooting of Horel Gilbert and Mum
son made Deitz an offer of fair trial,
full opportunity to defend himself and
good counsel.
The following was the Governor S
letter:
Madison, Wis, Oct. 6.
To John Deitz, Winter, Wis.,:
Dear Sir-You are no doubt aware
that Sheriff Madden of Sawyer county
has warrant for your arrest, charged
with assault with intent to kill. Some
persons believe that your continued de-
fiance of the law arises from the fear
that you will not have fair trial and
| that furthermore you have no means to
employ counsel to defend yourself.
As governor of the state, actuated
by desire to prevent further blood
shed, | have sent Attorney General
Gilbert and Col. O. G. Munson, my
private secretary, to represent me and
to promise you full personal protection,
| fair trial and counsel to defend you
If you still refuse to peacefully sub
NIT to the orderly processes of law the
responsibility of any bloodshed and loss
of life must rest upon you alone. | am,
j. O. DAVIDSON.
Deitz' refusal of this offer was a
serious error of judgment, and placed
him in the position of openly defying
the law, and the tragedy which fol-
lowed was a natural and logical Sc
quence.
While minds will naturally differ re-
garding many matters connected with
the affair, we believe no reasonable
man will hold it proper to begin the
process of serving warrant by shoot
ing the children of the accused. Deitz
may be dangerous man, yet he had
never killed anyone, and had never
gone out of his way to even attack any
man. While on his own land he had
resisted service of summons and OF
criminal warrants, and had "bluffed'
many officials, he had shown no desire
for any mans gore, simply desire to
be let alone. His methods were wrong
of course, but so are the methods OF
Rockefeller and other corporation Off
cials in lodging service of legal process
as they frequently do; so, in fact, are
the methods of bank officials who infiu.
ence a prosecuting attorney to with
hold action on charges against then
until the statute of limitations has run
Every man ought to submit promptly
to trial on any charge brought against
him, but few men do so. The abscond
ing bank official who by his acts brings
thousands of despositors to poverty
and lodges the law by retreating t'
foreign climes, is certainly more de
: serving of shooting than Deitz, who, a
first simply prevented a rich lumbe