The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1910-10-13
Desperate Shot Near His Cabin.

DeSperauO SnOC Near his SaDiu.
Winter, Wis. Oct. S.-The final
shooting in the attempt to capture
John Dietz, at Cameron Dam, start
ed to-day, when John and his son,
Leslie, exposed themselves outside of
their cabin. Every rifle in the posse
of nearly ninety men surrounding
the Dietz home flashed fire.
John Dietz suddely dropped to his
knees. He remained there for a
moment and then jumped to his feet
and ran into the cabin, Leslie had a
longer distance to run, and showed
some fear. Whether he was hit or
not could not be learned.
1t is not definitely established that
John Dietz was hit. Mrs. Dietz was
in the midst of the hail of bullets,
but was not hurt. One scream was
heard from within the cabin, where
Helen. aged fourteen, and Johnnie,
aged seven years, were sheltered.
One of the watch dogs was killed.
In all, about 100 shots were fired
and five shots were fired from the
cabin.
1t appears that John and Leslie
Dietz walked into the trap set by the
deputy sheriffs. Leslie left the cabin
to 20 to the far side of the clearing
for a COW. He had proceeded about
$50 yards when single shot was
fired at him, followed by ten or
twelve more.
Leslie jumped back and ran along
the crest of the hill on which the
cabin stands, to get behind a lumber
pile. For distance of about 200
feet he was fair target for the guns
of the officers. He weakened as he
ran, but whether it was from fear or
because he was wounded can not be
stated.
John Dietz, when the shooting
started, was between the barn and
the lumber piles. Behind one of the
piles of lumber were some deputy
sheriffs and he received the full fire
from these men.
He suddenly pitched forward and
down on his knees and then lay pros
trate for a moment. Then, scram-
bling to his feet, he ran for the house
and darted inside the door. Mrs.
Dietz was about 100 feet from the
door when the bullets began to fly.
She ran, inside the house and appar-
emily was not injured.
Meanwhile the fusillade was kept
up from all sides of the clearing,
the crack of high power rifles ming
ling with the rapid fire of automatic
pistols.
Neither John or Leslie appeared
to be armed. When they were all
within the shack, five shots were
fired back through the windows.
That was the only reply. The guns
of the besiegers soon quieted down.
Before the shooting began John
Dietz, for two hours, walked about in
the early morning fog on the edge OF
the trap laid by the officers. Over
night the Dletz farm yard Mad been
taken possession of By the officers.
John F. Dietz came into the lime
light about. four years ago when he
defended Cameron Dam, on the
Thorn Apple river, against one OF
the largest lumber comapnies in the
State. He claimed the dam was on
his property and tied up several WIN
ters' cut of logs valued at thousands
of dollars by refusing to allow them
to pass the dam without paying tolls.
He was fought in the courts by the
lumber company, but defed the order
of Judges and held off, at the point
of a gun, all officers who attempted
to serve papers upon him. Dietz
won. The lumber company paid him
large sum and he allowed the logs
to go through.
The sheriff deputized men from all
over the State to make the Arrest OF
Dietz, and several people were shot.
In one engagement Dietz's son was
shot in the head but recovered.
The latest controversy dates from
September 6, when Dietz shot and
seriously wounded Bert Horrel, IN a
wrangle.
Dietz first quarreled with c. e.
O'Hare, president of the Winter
school board, it is said, and Horrel'
taking O,Hare's part, struck Dletz'
Dietz then shot Horrel, and has since
claimed he shot in self-defense.
cinco tha shooting DietZ has deneQ