Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-10-05
The Clan
That Murdered
A Well

were mystifed and a little scared not long ago when
~ they angry band of peasants marching through
the armed with shovels crowbars and heaVy
pieces of timber
1t was plain to the onloolers that these
the rampage They walking fast and had the air of
people who about TO take the law into their own hahos
They swung along silently except for the crunch of their
heavy boots and headed for the market place.
crowd followed the crusaders and were sur
prised them hefnre aid lreu which had bean
landmark Of the community for something over three
centuries Some Of the men grabbed onto the big tmoers
using them like battering rams, knocked down the
low stone wall surrounding the well.
Others applied their crobars to rip up the circle or
around the well-stones that with the
footprints many generations people One by the
heavy stones dslodged and fell into the well with
resoundng splash the last stone about to be
pushed into the hole three big farm wagons appeared in
distance They loaded with earth and small stones
They backed up beside the old we'll and their contents
were shoveled into hole until ii Level with the
ground Then the sweating farmers picked up their tools
and paraded back in the direction from which they had
The job was done quickly that none of the local
police showed up at the spot to interfere But the ing
leaders promptly arrested and taken to
police headquarters to explain just why they had put IN
all that hard work
The chief Of police surprised at the behavior
of these dynamic citizens He knew that, week or so
before old Yova Mlachtch relative of the wellwrecng
had stumbled the well to become its tenth victim
many years.
1t didn't matter that Machitch carrying than
a normal load of plum whisley at the time So far as
grievng relatives concerned, he had been muir
tempered kh and kin took this spectacular way OF
avenging the old boys violent end
The police chief all about this tragedy and about
the temper Mlachtch family He went through the
asking few questions and listened patiently
while the prisoners told their side of the story-a story
with which he all too familiar
The well it seems hadn't supplied anybody with water
for ten years Back in 1881 Natalya KoBitch "a
beautiful young girl from neghborng village ended
her life by jumping into the well she had been nted Dy
her sQeetheart-
Her body was recovered but from that day
in Poduyevo would draw drop Of water from the we'll
A year later almost to the day schooboy took dare
and walked around wells low wall He lost his balance
and He drowned
There was talk at the time of covering up the well
that il could victims and a wooden cover
was put the low circular wall But In the Fail OF
1888 citizen Poduyevo, who went hinge after an
argument with his wife pred the boards off the temporary
well cover and dved He became victim number three
BY this time the water hole had become something
Of a grim legend-and its evil reputation was augmented
bv the death OF man assigned to look the we'll
over and estimate the cost Of filling il in He was
lowered down a Of bosun's chair and when his
companions pulling him out the rope broke and he
plunged the dark water lie couldn't swim and went
the Of the other three people who had ended their
lives n the Well
-he1hlld II The I-la-a st-44t+el
into the drowned The next year a neurotic
Young man by the name Marovtch jumped into
well after bitter argument with his bride of little
more than "A week
Jumped the weuen their lives at the bottom
of il Mlachtch himself had appealed 70 the poll
powersthatbe in the town 70 I'm the well in and end
its menace once and They listened TO him. but
they nothing Some day. they said with shrug they
would get around 90
The chief Of police knew an this He was also wise
enough understand that the family of the wells tenth
had not really destroyed public utility Moreover
familiar with the temper Of the popuace and knew
there would be general uprising II the welwreckers
were jailed fined for,their behavior.
The editor Of the Poduycpo paper made great deal Of
etory Tie also made heroes Of the Miachitches In
blazing editorial he warned the town fathers that they
grateful the people who had done job which
eeied dong for ten years.
The Miachrches received thanks from the town
cn.nrnnnIt BIZ they got away without much