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TRAGEDY!
Chris Luick Shoots Wife and Mortally Wounds Himself
Chris Luick, a well known farmer residing ten miles southwest of town, shot his wife in the shoulder and later shot himself through the bowels Saturday, from the effects of which he died twenty-four hours later. The woman's wounds are not serious and she will recover.
A representative of the NEWS visited the Luick home Sunday and from the eldest son, Paul, secured an accurate account of the tragedy.
Luick has been a heavy drinker for years, and when under the influence of liquor seemed to be a fiend incarnate. He made threats against his wife and members of the family times without number and had gone so far as to attempt to carry out his threats.
Just before noon Saturday, and while his wife was preparing the midday meal for the threshing crew that was waiting in the barn near by, Luick appeared in the kitchen door of the little home, and as his wife, who was in the east end of the narrow room, turned from her position at the kitchen table to see what he wanted, the crazed man fired at her with a 32 calibre revolver from a distance of not over twelve feet. The bullet entered her right shoulder, and as she rushed past him to the outside Luick walked through the door by which he entered, passed through the dining room and into a small store room where he seated himself on a pile of sacks.
When the son Paul and two members of the threshing crew rushed into the house they located Luick who was evidently trying to shoot himself as he was seated, his back to the door, which was open a few inches. As they started to enter the room Luick heard them and quickly turned and fired point blank at the trio, the ball lodging in the door jam a scarce three inches from Paul's head. The men retired quickly from danger and Luick passed out doors through a door from the store room to the east side of the house. Here again the crew attempted to close on him but he held them at bay with his gun, firing two shots, one of which passed through the hat of a member of the crew. The crazed man then ran down to the section road which passes through the west end of a long slough a few rods from the house. Standing on the edge of the grade, which has a deep ditch of water on either side, Luick fired the last remaining charge in the weapon into his bowels. He fell backward onto the road and was later taken up and was removed to the hospital at Lidgerwood, whither the wounded wife had already been taken.
An examination of the woman's injuries revealed a painful flesh wound, but at no time was her condition dangerous. The ball passed through the shoulder from the front and lodged in the flesh at the back.
Luick's first inquiry when he reached Lidgerwood was as to his wife's condition, and he expressed regret when told she would recover. He was shot through the intestines, which were pierced in seven places, and from the first it was seen his case was hopeless. He died Sunday afternoon at 1 pm, almost exactly twenty-four hours from the time of the shooting.
Luick was a well-to-do farmer, owning a 480 acre farm where he lived (about a mile southwest of the pond known as Gully's slough on Schuett's lake) and three quarters farther west a few miles. He was somewhat past the fifty mark in years while the wife is in the forties. They were among the early settlers and have a family of ten children, six of whom live at home, the youngest a girl of nine years.
Luick's abuse of his wife and family has been notorious for years and neighbors expressed little surprise when they heard of the tragedy, in fact many had predicted something of the kind. He was insanely jealous of his wife when drunk, though there was no foundation for his jealousy. He had been under the influence of liquor for a month or more before the shooting and a short time ago attempted to destroy the home by sprinkling gasoline over the house but was overpowered before he could apply a match. He generally carried a gun during his sprees and last spring fired three shots at his son Paul, a lad of twenty, and has frequently endangered the lives of his household.
Hankinson News, 9/27/1906
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AXBERG PLANE KILLS TWO MORE
Clifford Lomsdal, 8 years old, and Elsie Moe, 14 years old, are dead, the victims of a collision yesterday afternoon in Hitterdal, Minn., between an airplane and a school bus. Several others are injured, two of them seriously, Ruth Melby and Clarence Solomonson, both about 14 years of age.
The Lomsdal boy was killed instantly, his neck being broken. The girl lived until nearly 9 o'clock last night. The accident happened about 4 p.m.
All four are children of prominent farmers near here and were on their way home from the local consolidated school when the accident happened. There were about 15 children in the large open sleigh which was being used in the place of the bus, at the time.
The plane belongs to Lieutenant Ed Axberg of Enderlin, N.D. He was giving exhibition flights here yesterday afternoon, taking up passengers who desired to fly. He was just landing between some buildings on the outskirts of the town and right into the path of the landing plane.
Seeing that a collision was inevitable. Lieutenant Axberg turned the plane suddenly upward but it was too late. The tail caught the sleigh full of children, turning it over, and instantly killing one and injuring most of the others. Axberg and the plane were not damaged.
The team of horses ran away, and in his attempt ta {sp} stop them, the driver was dragged for some distance before he let go. He was unconscious when picked up, but soon revived. He is not badly hurt.
In the mean time, the injured children were brought to homes here and given first aid as there is no local physician, Dr. Heimark of Hawley and Dr. Meighen of Ulen were sent for and were soon on the scene.
Among the crowd of spectators wha {sp} saw the accident, opinions differ as to the cause of the accident. Lieutenant Axberg declared that he could not turn aside from the sleigh because he feared he could crash into the crowd which lined the landing field. His only chance, he says, was to try to ascend, but space wastoo {sp} limited.
This is the second fatal accident in which Lieutenant Axberg has figured in the past three months. Late in August he lost control of his machine and darted to earth near Jamestown. His passenger, a son of Alex Karr of Jamestown, met death then.
An inquest will be held today at Hitterdal to place the responsibility for the accident, according to County Attorney Garfield H. Rustad. Mr. Rustad, Coroner E. G. Melander, and Sheriff Dan W. McDonald will leave Moorhead for Hitterdal this morning, where a jury will probably be impanelled to take testimony and fix the responsibility for the collision.
Valley City Times-Record, 11/6/1919
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BOY IS ALMOST ELECTROCUTED BY LIVE WIRE
Fargo, Oct. 3.—Ibey Barnes, the 14-year-old son of Dr. P. M. Barnes, 318 Third Avenue north, narrowly escaped death Tuesday evening, when he came in contact with a live wire carrying 2,500 volts. He is convalescing rapidly, however, and, aside from some burns on his left hand which may trouble him for a time, will soon be completely recovered.
The boy was crossing at the corner at Fourth Street and Third avenue north about 8 o'clock Tuesday evening, and saw Charles V. Arvig, of the Union Light, Heat & Power Co. working with the lamp on the corner.
The lamp had been out of order for several days, and Arvig had just put in a new carbon, and was trying to raise the light again, by means of the pulleys. It stuck, and was swinging near the bround {sp}. The boy thought to stop the lamp's swinging and thus help the electrician, and, not knowing there was current in the wires, he took hold of the lamp. Instantly he was knocked senseless, but it is said that the current held him, and Arvig, who had on his rubber gloves, pulled him away and saved his life. He was taken to his home, unconscious, and remained in that condition for about fifteen minutes.
There was some hemorrhage from the lungs during the night, but that has stopped now, and though it was a very narrow escape, the boy will recover.
Bismarck Tribune, 10/4/1913
Editor note: not only did Ibey survive, he lived another seventy years.
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Elwood Tyler Coates, aged 17 days infant son of Rev. and Mrs. J.T.L. Coates, died Monday evening, death being caused by infantile convulsions. The little son was ill only a short time and his sudden taking away from his fond parents leaves a sad home. Rev. L.P. Warford of Cando performed the religious rites. The interment was made in the Island Lake cemetery, the burial being in charge of John A. Murphy. The sympathy of the many friends of the mourning parents goes out to them in the sad hour of bereavement. Those who attended the funeral from out of town were: C. A. Bessler and Russell Bessler of Egeland and Mrs. George Copeland of Cando.—Rolette Examiner.
Turtle Mountain Star, 9/30/1909
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PAINTED WOOD
A Halloween ghost party will be given at Wild Rose school No. 1 at 8 o'clock Oct. 31st. Ladies and gents are requested to come dressed as ghosts and be careful to talk to no one lest they know who you are. A dime fishing pond and other pleasing stunts will be the order of the evening. Everyone is cordially invited.
Williston Graphic, 10/26/1911
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DIVORCED COUPLE REMARRIES
Monday afternoon, A. J. Dunham and Mrs. Elizabeth Dunham of DeVillo Township were married by Judge Jersin of the county court.
More than thirty years ago these people were happily married in an eastern state. They came to Richland County more than twenty years ago, and opened a large farm, raised a nice family and prospered. But the serpent crept in, misunderstandings arose, and Mr. Dunham left the home which his labor had established.
Six years ago Dunham left the country, and Mrs. Dunham sued for divorce on grounds of desertion. She secured the divorce, but that did not bring happiness. Years passed and both reflected. Their differences gradually grew smaller until they finally disappeared.
One day Dunham, thinking of his family in the west wrote them a letter. An answer was returned, and he wrote again. Letter followed letter, and in one was an invitation to visit the old home. Dunham took the fastest train for the west.
He and Mrs. Dunham talked it all over, and they decided they had made many mistakes and they would rectify them. They came to Wahpeton, and their marriage ends all. Many old friends extend congratulations and best wishes for the future.
Hankinson News, 8/10/1905
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