Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-09-17
ONE MAN KILLED
AND MANY WOUNDED
In An Attempt to Arrest Alleged
Slaekers Near Withee, Clark
County, A Battle Ensues

a pitched battle occurred one and 9
half miles south of Withee, CLARK
county, between United States officers
and $50 of the home guards and -four
alleged selective service dodgers re.
! siding on farm. Wausau was called
up about four o'clock Sunday morn
ing by citizens of Clark county, ask
ing that assistance be sent to the
scene of trouble. At that time Harry
Jensen, the depot agent at Withee, had
been killed and a score of others
wounded. AS the officers of Clark
county and the home guards were
handling the disturbance and there
had been no call from the state for
assistance, nothing could be done. II
stirred up considerable excitement
throughout the city to know that a
battle of this nature was in progress
and it was the general theme of con-
versation during the day. From the
Milwaukee Journal, the following is
taken concerning the battle:
"a dispatch from Neillsville. the
county seat of Clark county, at /
a. M, Sunday, reported the battle still
in progress. The number of wounded
has been given at thirteen.
When United States Marshal Joseph
Gantz and United States Deputy Mar
shall Cyril Marks, Madison, called at
the Kruger farm, to serve warrants
I upon the four sons of the family,
Frank, 81; Louis, 26; Leslie, %, and
Ennes, 20, for alleged failure to regis
| ter, they found themselves opposed by
Frank and Ennes Kruger, who greet
ed them with revolvers, the officers
| say.
"You are under arrest by special
order of the United States department
of justice, and l demand your sur
render to me as a duly appointed Off
Ger of this department" said United
States Marshal Gantz. AS an answer,
two bullets, fired from the revolvers
held in the hands of the Kruger boys,
Whizzed by the officers heads, accord
ing to the story related by the officers.
| The officers retreated from the build
ing, and sent in hurry call to the
nearby town of Owen. More than
| fifty armed citizens answered the
| hurry call and surrounded the build
| ing. This posse was later Joined by
| $50 uniformed men of the Home
| guard. Hundreds of shots were ex-
changed and it took almost three
hours before the first of the alleged
registration dodgers, Frank Kruger,
gave himself up. He appeared out
side of the building waving a handker-
chief tied to a stick. He had been
shot through the right leg.
While volley after volley was sent
| into the building and many shots were
| returned from the alleged dodgers, up
to an early hour Sunday the rest of
the men sought by the government
failed to give themselves up.
On the side of the posse, Harry Jen-
sen, station agent of the 500 line at
| Owen, was killed. Among the men
wounded are the following:
Emil Lane, automobile top manu-
facturer, Owen, shot through both
legs and shoulder.
Angus Page, employee of the Owen
Box factory, shot through right leg.
Frank White, employee of the Owen
Box factory, shot through right leg.
Mott Mattson, farmer residing
| near Owen, shot through the leg, who
suffered broken arm while falling
Frank Kruger, after being treated
| by physicians, was taken to the Owen
| jail. AS it was feared that a lynching
| party might try to storm the JAIL his
removal to an unknown place was
planned.
When it became known that Frank
| and Ennes Kruger failed to register
last Thursday, the marshals went out
| to the house to arrest them, as we'll
as their brothers, Louis and Leslie.
| The latter two registered on June 5,
| 1917, but failed to heed calls from
their selective service board. United
States officials have been ON the look
| out for them. Up to an early hour
Sunday it was not known whether
| Louis and Leslie Kruger were in
their home, and members of the party
in battle with the officials"
H. L. French of this city, with an
U. S. detective, made the trip to Withee
on Sunday and returned with pictures
| of the Kruger boys, who were in the
| fight, and otehr pictures of some of
| those who were wounded. They say
that in the Jensen car there were four
men. The car was stopped a quarter
| of mile away from where the
| Kruger boys were. The men got out
| and Jensen was shot and instantly
killed and that the other three men
were seriously wounded, one receiv-
ing four bullets in his body and not
expected to live. The car was riddled
with bullets. Frank Kruger in at
tempting to escape was wounded and
surrendered. Ennes Kruger and his
brothers escaped under cover of dark
ness. Mr.. French said the mother of
the boys was also arrested.
The Kruger family was plentifully
supplied with rifles and ammunition,
enough for a force many times as
large. Mr.. French says that the
Kruger residence is of a very pre-
tentious farm home and it was badly
riddled with bullets.
| u. s.. Marshal Frank O'Connor and
]. F. Lamont, Owen Rabbit and Harold
Cawley. who were at Eau Claire, hur-
ried to the scene of the shooting. The
mother and captured son were taken
to Eau Claire by the u. S. Marshal.
On Monday afternoon, gas was
formed in the barn to drive out the
boys if they were in hiding. This
caught fire and the barn was burned
to the ground.
All available military forces in this
section have been called out to search
the country for the missing men,
Capt. Becker of Company C, 10tt
Inf. w. S. G., received the following:
"State guard is hereby detailed tC
active duty to report at once to sheriff
of Clark county and to Major George
A. Huntzicker at Owen, Wisconsin
fully armed and equipped with bal