The Detroit times., 1910-11-24

Leslie Topped over the side OF the
wagon-bed at the first sign of dan
ger, drawing a Luger automatic as
he went. Thorbahn, who had a Lu-
ger in each hand, feared that Leslie
| would shoot from the shelter of the
wagon, hence his hurried shooting.
He fred wild at Leslie, shot Myra
through the side at the waist and
barked Clarence's arm, but missed
the lucky Leslie, who escaped af-
ter serving as a target for a fusilade
Of shots
Clarence and Myra were taken into
custody.
Posse opens Battle.
Then % or 80 deputies were sworn
| in and Thorbahn led the attack on
the Deitz cabin.
The clearing was closely besieged
| for several days. Finally Atty.-Gen.
Gilbert went in and urged DeitZ TO
surrender, assuring him fair trial.
| II Deitz had accepted this assurance,
| it seems not unlikely that he would
have come out of the dilemma with
| better grace than he eventually did.
But he decided to fight it out to the
bitter end
Each day Leslie would go up to
little knoll some distance from
the house and scan the environs for
signs of the besiegers. Then he would
come down and his father would
take his place, sweeping the clearing
with a pair of binoculars.
| On the morning Of Saturday. Oct.
I8, as Leslie approached this knoll,
he was surprised by deputies. They
| had strict orders to take him alive,
but they bungled the hold.up and be-
gan shooting. contrary to the orders
OF the sheriff Leslie ran, and the
battle was on. II lasted from $3.50
till p. m. Wildly fired bullets pep
pered the ground for rods, all about
the Deitz buildings.
Late in the forenoon DeitZ ran from
the house to the barn, leaving Mrs.
Deitz and the children lying on the
| floor behind a barricade of furniture
| in the rear room of the house. II Is
supposed that he climbed into the
haymow and fired through holes cut
| in the roof He was using smokeless
powder, however. and 1t Is a diff
cult raatter to establish this to a
certainty.
Deputy Is Instantly Killed.
While Deitz was in the barn Dep
uty Oscar Harp and several other
bold spirits crawled on their hands
and knees over the bald hill back
OF the barn, in an endeavor to gain
shelter of a row OF lumber piles that
commanded both house and barn at
short range. Harp was shot and in
stantly killed.
| Upon the question as TO whether
Harp was shot by Deitz or by a stray
bullet fired by a besieger. hangs the
present murder charge against Deitz
II the defense can show that there is
reasonable doubt as to where the
fatal bullet came from IL will be a
difficult matter TO convict. II seems
probable that this reasonable doubt
can be raised.
| Deitz surrendered at 3 o'clock
Wounded in the hand while running
back from the barn TO the house
he finally decided to yield. Little Hell
en- was sent out with a white flag
Now Deitz is In Jail charged with the
murder of Harp. Mrs. DeitZ and Les
lie are held on the same charge.
incidentally. the coroner's jury has
already CONVICTED Deitz of FIRST
degree murder"
This final clash between John
Deitz and the local authorities was
as inevitable as the climax of a Greek
tragedy. Shelf Madden could do no
less than he did. John Deitz. angered
by what seemed TO him the wanton
shooting of his daughter from am.
bush, and perhaps. feeling that he
might be lynched II he trusted him.
self to his enemies, could see no way