Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1912-11-26
MADMAN KILLED IN /
AREv0LvER BATTLE.
COUNTRY TERRoRIzED BY Es
CAPPED LUNArIc WHO DANGER.
oUsLY WOUNDS BOYS.
Is coRNERED IN BURN.
Flights to End, Seeking Death Of o.
ficers-vietim May Die-Hap
pens at Hamel,
MINI.

Two persons near mere, terrOrlZlNS the
whole countryside land then succeed.
ed in escaping for a time. A posse.
headed by Sheriff Otto Langum and
halfdozen of his deputies secured
the surrounding territory finally cap
turing the desperate or maniac.
The Wounded.
The wounded are Matt Lenzen, 20
years old, and his brother, Leonard
I.enzen, Jr., 10 years old.
The elder Lenzen has four revolver
wounds and his life is despaired Of.
The younger Lenzen was hit but
once and his condition is not belived
serious.
Shots Fired Through Window.
The two Lenzen boys were gathered
around the kitchen stove, talking with
their mother Friday evening at 9
o'clock. Mrs. Lenzen's back was to.
ward the window. Suddenly revCiI.
yer shot rang out and the ping" Of
bullet was heard by Mrs. Lenzen.
Six more shots followed in rapid sue.
cession and the mother saw both hor
sons lying desperately wounded on
the floor in front of her. All seven
shots had been fired through the win.
dow.
Desperate chases Her.
Mrs. Lenzen ran screaming from the
house. She saw mounted man rid.
ing rapidly away. When he heard her
screams he turned his horse and gal.
loped back toward the house. Shout.
ing and shooting in the air, he threat.
ened Mrs. Lenzen until the frantic
woman ran back into her home. Then
once more the desperate started of
on a gallop.
Riding east from the Lenzen home,
which is about q mile and quarter
from the village of Hamel, he en-.
countered on the road a party of young
girls returning to their homes from
neighboring festivity.
According to the accounts given by
the girls, the man rode up to them,
shouted, and fired his revolver in the
air several times, then. as crafty as
he had appeared, he disappeared down
the road, leaving the terrified girls
shaking with fear. He made no at
tempt to modest them.
Mother Shows Bravery.
Frightened back into the house by
the maniac, when she would have Sc
cured help, Mrs. Lenzen bravely ran
out again shortly afterward and sum.
moned DR.. A. Aubin, who lives nearby
The physician Immediately telephoned
Sheriff Langum, then took the wound
ed boys in his automobile to ST.
Mary's hospital in Minneapolis.
One in Critical Condition.
Matt Lenzen is in a critical condi
ton He has bullet in his right
lung, another one struck him glanc
ingly on the right temple, and both
arms were wounded in the fusilade OF
the mad rider. The younger boy has
q bullet in the calf of his right leg.
Doctor Captures Horse.
On his way to the Lenzen home Dr.
Aubin saw a riderless horse and cap
tured it. 1t is undoubtedly the horse
ridden by the desperado, abandoned
shortly after he met the party of girls
on the road.
Sheriff Langum and his deputies
made a rapid auto ride to the scene Of
the shooting.
The man was found in a barn on
the farm of his father by the sheriff's
posse and the barn was surrounded
by deputies and farmers we'll armed
The cornered man held the officers at
bay with rifle. The mans name was
Henry Poker and he is an escaped
maniac from the Rochester asylum,
according to reports. He is 26 years
old and was taken to Rochester last
spring, being captured after terrific
struggle. He is said to have set fire
to number of barns in the vicinity
at that time, which led to his capture
as lunatic. Neighbors say he may
have borne gruGge against Lenzens.
The mailman was finally shot and
killed in a rifle duel with deputy sher.
ifs. Deputy John Wall fired the
shots which ended the life of the in.
place in the barn Poker say Wall and
Deputy Joe Schutta take stand in
q nearby shed. After while he ran
out of the barn and with a string OF
oaths on his lips made for the shed,
rifle in hand. He fired three times at
the deputies, but missed Wallis first
shot missed, SO did Schuttas Then
Wall, with revolver, shot the mad
man twice, the bullets causing in.
slant death.