Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1910-10-14

She was closely guarded but not
handcuffed, Sheriff Madden having
| ordered the manacles removed as
soon as he noticed that his deputies
| had put the steel bracelets on her
| arms.
| The wife of the Cameron dam de-
| fender told this version of the bat
| tie:
Eve were not expecting an attack
| this morning. she began. eve had
no idea that the deputies had crept
SO near US. 1t was without a
| thought of what was about to come
| upon us that l sent little Johnnie
| and Helen out after the COWS, which
had strayed over beyond the lumber
| pile. They tripped out of the cabin
without the slightest fear and I
watched them cross the plank over
| the Thornapple dam below the
| house.
when the children stayed too
| long I sent Leslie out after them.
He went around the other way, over
the hill, near the lumber pile. My
God, he walked right into the trap
which the deputies had set.
| II was in the yard and heard the
! shots come whizzing over the roof.
| | saw Leslie turn and start back
| toward the house. There was more
shooting and he turned in among the
/, lumber piles.
| II ran to the house and got in
side where my husband was with his
| loaded guns. 1T has come, john
| cried They have come to kill u.s.
| Get Leslie into the house. was
all he said. His teeth set down hard
and I knew he was going to fight
! them.
II was nightly afraid, but I went
out on the porch and yelled to Les
lie to come in, that they would kill
him if he stayed where he was.
'He got up from the lumber pile
where he was hiding and walked
| to the house. They shot at him
again and again, but my brave boy
wouldn't run. 1t was miracle that
they all missed him.
"Then the little ones came into
the clearing l expected to see them
shot down by the bloodthirsty crew
that surrounded us. | thank God
| that the deputies had the heart to
spare the little innocents. ..
'"Then they began that awful
shooting
Mrs. DietZ put her hand over her
eyes for a moment as if co shut out
| the thought of the battle, When she
looked up she asked with quivering
lips:
What do you think of men who
spend all day shooting into a home
where there is a defenseless woman
and her children who have never
| harmed anyonee"
There was no answer and she
went on with the story.
Bullets seemed to come from every
direction. They ripped through the
| windows and found beds in the walls
and furniture. The thud of them as
they struck the logs of the outer
| wall was like the patter of rain.
1--WE adj gathered ia the living
| room, keeping carefully out of range
4 of the windows. We pulled out the
i organ and heavy bureau the draw
ers of which were filled with sheets.
We crwuched behind this barricade
most of the day
Johnny trembled like a leaf and
what could I say to hearten him?
Little Helen nearly tainted several
| times. The child was fairly sick with
| fear. How 1 kept UP l do not know,
| for L surely Thought we would all be
! murdered.
@Leslie was with me and the chil-
| dren the whole day. He never fired
| shot. q
| eff it hadn't been for the children
! I'd have failed then. 1t was all 1
| could do to keep up. If the children
] had only cried I believe could have
I stood it better. They were too
/ frightened to cry, poor, little, white
j faced innooe1Its A bullet came
| through the wall and passed within
an inch OF J0hnny's body where he
1 was crouching behind the organ. Les
i lie picked it UP. 1t was steel-cased
i bullet. The whole house now is lit
tered with them.
''The next I remember was when
i John came staggering into the house.
i He had made the run from the barn.
- I've been hit, mother he said,
holding up his hand, from (which the
blood was dripping.
Then l began to plead with iaE1n
as never woman pleaded before. q
asked him for the sake of our un-
born child to give up the hopeless
hShI. IL W A1OpSlcSS. ui1CtS were
still raining on the walls and through
the windows and we did not know at
b what minute they would rush us.
i prayed to God TO soften his heart and
! make him give UP the fight.
Leslie was moved first. He
/ Joined with me in begging father to
I give it up. Finally he said, Well, all
/ right. | started to get a white flag
/ to go out of the house with.
John pulled me down and told
me they'd kill me if l showed my
self. Before I knew what he was
/ about, he gave the flag to little
Helen and she ran out of the house
| waving it in the air
/ John Dietz, in telling his story Of
/ the battle, said
surrendered at the pleading of
my wife, who is soon to become a
mother, She and the children hid
ali day behind the organ, a bed and
a bureau. The bullets came in so
| thick that T was afraid fhat cbo opd