On a late afternoon around 1980, Pat and I had taken our young daughter (Gretchen) to piano lessons. She wasn't a particularly willing participant but we thought it important to her development.
Our home was in the small Kansas village of Bremen. The small country bank in Bremen was owned by me along with a branch in the larger (but small) town of Marysville. Marysville is the last stop on highway 77 in the diametric position of Arkansas City. Bremen was a solid German community that had only later used English at home, school, and church. We had built a home on a small acreage in Bremen and joined the church in that it was the only church. The church was Immanuel Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod). Gretchen was enrolled in the church school and only through the years have we understood and grasped the discriminatory situation of which she was exposed.
When returning home from the piano lessons in Marysville the three of us entered our home from the garage entrance. Gretchen went to her upstairs bedroom, Pat remained on the main floor and I headed downstairs. Soon, Pat came to the head of the stairs and asked that I come upstairs. When I arrived, an intruder with a pistol and a ski mask met me and instructed us both to secure a position face down on the living room floor. No other communication was given and no demands were made. He was dressed in combat gear with a knife stuck in a boot (as I remember) and I sensed he was getting ready to secure us with a rope. Quickly and frantically attempting to assess the situation I was aware that if he was able to tie us up we were at his mercy. Our daughter was upstairs and not knowing his intentions she was possibly in as much (or more) jeopardy than her parents.
As later my wife testified in preliminary court the intruder had his pistol to my head while in the process of his next move(s). Quickly, I lurched and began wrestling with the bad guy. I asked Pat to go get help as the fellow and I struggled from the living room to the dining room forever marring furniture in the process. While in the dining area I heard the pistol discharge but luckily I was not injured. Securing a hand on the pistol hand that had also been beating me about the head (literally forcing me to "see stars") we fought again into the living room. With a quick motion I was able to wrest the gun from his hand, pick it up, and level it against the scoundrel. I demanded that he place himself to a living room chair without further movement.
The "help" that Pat secured from across the street chose to stay outside so the masked man and I waited inside until a deputy from the sheriff's department arrived to handcuff the man and take him to jail. My son arrived and drove me to the emergency room of the hospital where they took a photo of my head and found nothing. (Pun intended for gosh sakes!)
The man was a farmer from the area who had walked for some distance down a small stream until arriving at a small A-Frame built to house some fowl close to our adjoining pond. They later found an alcohol container in the building but we're still not sure if he was waiting in our home or in the building. He was charged with numerous crimes and authorities removed the bullet from our dining room ceiling for evidence. He and his family were strong members of the Bremen church and political pressures allowed him a not long stay in jail. Certainly, he was younger and stronger than his foe but I was able for a few excruciating moments to call upon the genetics of my Uncle Dale not only to survive but to possibly save my wife and daughter.
He plead guilty in a plea agreement so there was no formal trial. We never learned the motive of his stupidity. He was struggling financially and I had turned off the credit for him at the bank. A very strange man had arrived in the neighboring town of Hanover and pronounced himself "Jesus". Hanover was a mixed Catholic and Lutheran community but he was able to recruit a rather large "congregation" from even those strong religious strongholds (indeed including the weird intruder. It was said that he was urging his gathering to secure additional funds and gave them a list of possible sources. "Jesus" left town after the episode either the next day or the day following.
Our home was in the small Kansas village of Bremen. The small country bank in Bremen was owned by me along with a branch in the larger (but small) town of Marysville. Marysville is the last stop on highway 77 in the diametric position of Arkansas City. Bremen was a solid German community that had only later used English at home, school, and church. We had built a home on a small acreage in Bremen and joined the church in that it was the only church. The church was Immanuel Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod). Gretchen was enrolled in the church school and only through the years have we understood and grasped the discriminatory situation of which she was exposed.
When returning home from the piano lessons in Marysville the three of us entered our home from the garage entrance. Gretchen went to her upstairs bedroom, Pat remained on the main floor and I headed downstairs. Soon, Pat came to the head of the stairs and asked that I come upstairs. When I arrived, an intruder with a pistol and a ski mask met me and instructed us both to secure a position face down on the living room floor. No other communication was given and no demands were made. He was dressed in combat gear with a knife stuck in a boot (as I remember) and I sensed he was getting ready to secure us with a rope. Quickly and frantically attempting to assess the situation I was aware that if he was able to tie us up we were at his mercy. Our daughter was upstairs and not knowing his intentions she was possibly in as much (or more) jeopardy than her parents.
As later my wife testified in preliminary court the intruder had his pistol to my head while in the process of his next move(s). Quickly, I lurched and began wrestling with the bad guy. I asked Pat to go get help as the fellow and I struggled from the living room to the dining room forever marring furniture in the process. While in the dining area I heard the pistol discharge but luckily I was not injured. Securing a hand on the pistol hand that had also been beating me about the head (literally forcing me to "see stars") we fought again into the living room. With a quick motion I was able to wrest the gun from his hand, pick it up, and level it against the scoundrel. I demanded that he place himself to a living room chair without further movement.
The "help" that Pat secured from across the street chose to stay outside so the masked man and I waited inside until a deputy from the sheriff's department arrived to handcuff the man and take him to jail. My son arrived and drove me to the emergency room of the hospital where they took a photo of my head and found nothing. (Pun intended for gosh sakes!)
The man was a farmer from the area who had walked for some distance down a small stream until arriving at a small A-Frame built to house some fowl close to our adjoining pond. They later found an alcohol container in the building but we're still not sure if he was waiting in our home or in the building. He was charged with numerous crimes and authorities removed the bullet from our dining room ceiling for evidence. He and his family were strong members of the Bremen church and political pressures allowed him a not long stay in jail. Certainly, he was younger and stronger than his foe but I was able for a few excruciating moments to call upon the genetics of my Uncle Dale not only to survive but to possibly save my wife and daughter.
He plead guilty in a plea agreement so there was no formal trial. We never learned the motive of his stupidity. He was struggling financially and I had turned off the credit for him at the bank. A very strange man had arrived in the neighboring town of Hanover and pronounced himself "Jesus". Hanover was a mixed Catholic and Lutheran community but he was able to recruit a rather large "congregation" from even those strong religious strongholds (indeed including the weird intruder. It was said that he was urging his gathering to secure additional funds and gave them a list of possible sources. "Jesus" left town after the episode either the next day or the day following.
3 comments:
I would imagine that most of us with a gun to our heads, would have too frightened to react the way you did. You are my hero.
But maybe the Xray was right.
:>)
Thanks for adding some excitement to the blog. There must be something that could be said about an Indian fighting off Germans, but I can't think what it might be!
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