Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1913-07-31
TELLS OF
SHOOTING
PsIcenan Decker Arrived on the
Scene Of Tradgedy Just in
Time to Prevent Murder.
GLAD HE DIDN'T KILL LUNATIC
Fred Schriber Explains Details Of
he Terrible Tragedy in Cod
ington County Jail.

the Terrible Tragedy 10 l0d-
ington County Jail.
OHicer E. H. Decker, who shot the
insane man in the arm last Wednes-
day evening and undoubtedly saved
the life of Sheriff Elkias, while in
conversation with reporter for the
Saturday News, said:
Il was on my regular beat, geing
past the court house and was Just in
frost Of Bartron's hosRatal ut about
1915 O'Clock when | heard the cries
for help from the coart house, The
frst aaarus heard came frean Mr..
Elkins' little girls. and few seconds
LATER a IIaRs voice also 'oaaaed for
help. lost mo time in getting to the
court house, The Gdrls shrssked that
the crazy man was killing their papa
In one OF tire cells. ! ran right up TO
the cell and there stood thss man ovar
the prostraee body of the sheriff
lposmding him in the face with a piece
OF the broken ei,siir. Tiss crazy asssii
did not stop for an instant when he
.sHN nae asad / sessiled for him to stop
Al first I took Eut my sap" asJa 1t
WIS my tntentiaa to gux,ight into the
cell and battle with Eim. Btfs on
tsscond thought could not see Aow
lseguld get into tine cell without facing
lEm and Gunnirss chance Of 1neeting
with the same fate ahat the asheriff
llFad met with. | had mo time ITO CON
Hder the masr er. The ifttfs girls
were terribly .exciteG and tBna men
Isvho were thSre wee ALSO .serribly
tsncited- put my rap hack in my
Eaacket alid ssssppeds i2up 20 lslse easss
\ door ard j2stsas Tanned al the crazy
naan he raissil his aarm to deal the
i nFostraas sheriff aEyather blew with
flis deadly biaidgean. finsif-I aim
4 ed at o1e side as Y did mot want to
bikin the !nTan Afase ! shpi the man
i disappeared sas if by magic and then
EsFeriK cut We tapok the ssheriff to
/ the hospital ss nd Idfid Bo1idk1ow until
4 fifteen minutes latter MheriEE returned
too the gail iSrst AHsw baday ! had in.
1 juFed the crazy zaan. Rsiheye me,
EMas mighty gslad Nthen afdound that
! nle aim bad been arue arsSathat / had
1 only slightly wcxanded Tfse unfort,l,
maize maas Il waasd very :gauch hate
ito !s;aoot Ii man no kill gzfaess it was
] in q case of this 'slnd toNpotect an
Soatasr man s Mife tsst. my ssUa. 1t was
\ the worst siEnt Ieever. Saw and I viii
sI,nevsr forget st If Z live to be hun.
i|ifrad years OLD. There lay poor Frank
|sasysgalpless Ss "a K,stby oarH aall uncon-
,IBcioaa Of Whit wig taking place and
lTilen that cr4SZy man wotlA hit him
fa tHe face With sTiiat club it would
szoni2d like .ttutdsssr hitting a quar-
j Isl aotHoeef with "a atieaver. The sher-
\ iif was a sicEesniIrg sight when we
got him out. firnaty believe that il
4 I iaad:5gpt arrived aon the scene at the
critical nnoment Frank ElkiiEs would
have been killed. no human being
eoGzd sstand the blows that llmatic
was adm nistering and live. AS ]
saws said before / dislike to shoot
any man h,ut l was up ;agailxst the
reaa tsiing e hat time and | had to act
and act qsasckly.'
Ssstreiber Tells Of Tragedy.
Trsd Schre Der, who with his broth
er and Sheriff Frank EH9ins Megt to
the cen to remove the crazy man to
the padded cell last Wednesday exen-
ing, In speaking of the matter to a
reporter for the Saturday News, said !:
II noticed by you. paper last week
that you did not get the story very
correct 80 FAR as was concerned. II
know that my brother and myself
have been criticised by a number of
people for nOf stopping the crazy man
from beating the sheriff with a club.
Tie truth OF ssse story is this:
i I
My brother and myself happened
to drop into the sheri8's Office that
evening about 10 o'clock. We sat
there and chatted with the sheriff. [
for few minutes, when we heard ,
the insane man howling to beat the
band and breaking up the eitair that ]
was in his cell. The three of us 4
vent UP stairs and looked In at him. /
He was as crazy as could be and II
started throwing pieces OF the chair t
1t the sheriff, who was standing on /
he outside of the bars. None of the Z
pieces of the chair went through the II
,ars or hit the sheriff. We went II
lown stairs again and after sitting
here a few minutes the sheriff said: rc
/ must get that broken chair awaytt
rom him and lock him In the padded a
ell. He kept me awake last night s
lntil 3 o'clock and he will do the L
anne thing tonight II don't lock him III
n the padded CELL Mr. Elkins said, 4