Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1911-04-27

Last Tuesday afternoon LeSse.
Schvab rode post-has.e 70 Linton,
bearing .idings that Mortified the
people Of the town.
He came after Frank Sikei ara
Dr.. Hogue. and brought the news
tina. Sylvester Sikel. who lived With
his brother ard sisser-in-law. Nh
and Mrs. Frank SikeI, about twelve
miles cas-. Of Linton. had shot ard
dangerously wounded his siste.-in-
Law, burned the house. barn and
granary. and then himself persisted
in the burning house. Frank Sikel
vas in Linton on business. and he
ard Dr.. Hogue. with Leonard Du
Heaume, in the latter auto, a. once
left for the scene Of horror.
As near as the Record has been
able to gather the details, they are
as follows:
Sylveste. Sikel. abou. thirty years
old. had been residing at his broth
er's home about two years. He was
not Of very strong mind. and several
years ago had been subjec. 70 fits.
Of late he had been reading books
on religious subjects, and he had
made some peculiar statements re-
gading matters Of religion. He
had had no trouble either with his
byothe. or his brother wife.
Monday Frank Sikel came to Lin
ton. leaving Sylvester TO do farm
work in the field. The latter cane
in from his work at noon and put
the team Of four horses in the stable.
leaving the harness on them. He
then went to the house and ate his
dinner. He ate very little nothing
like his usual amount. While he was
a. the table Mrs.. Sikel was ou. at
tending TO her chickens. AS she
came in she met him at the door 60
ing out. She then took the children
both babies-and sat at the table
feeding them. While she was doing
this, Sylvester returned to the house.
As he came in he said, What's the
matter now" Just then Mrs. sikel
happened to look out Of the window
and saw flames coming from the
stable She rushed to the stable
and tried to open the door to let out
the hogs, which Sylvester had e.i-
IDENTIFY driven in there before ne
fastened the door with crowbar,
with which he had braced the door.
She saw she could do nothing, as the
stable was full Of flames. and re-
turned to the house. In the mean
time Sylvester had gone back to the
house and placed the two little
children outside. When Mrs. sikel
reached the house and tried the door
she found it locked. As she sought
to enter. Sylvester called to her.
Let the door alone or I'll shoot
you. Finally she succeeded in fore
ing the door open and there stood
Sylvester with shotgun in his
hands. aimed at her. She seized the
weapon, which was detected Just as
the charge exploded. The shct en-
tered her left leg just above the
knee. making frightful wound.
some Of the bones protruding from
the flesh. She fell to the floor as
Sylvester ran upstairs. At once she
saw flames coming down the stair
way. he had evidently smeared
with kerosene the room in which
the shooting took place. and perhaps
also the upper rooms. as she had
noticed kerosene over the floor as
she came into the room from the
stable. When she saw the flames
the poor, desperately wounded
mother told the oldest child. a
bright little girl about two and a
half years old. to take the baby.
about eleven months Of age. and go
out Of doors; the children having
again entered the house after they
were put out By Sylvester. This