Allen Kills Cross, then Himself - 1895

ALLEN, CROSS, MINK, MINCHK, BOYLE, TOWNSEND, DIETRICH, KRIEBS

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 4/6/2022 at 18:04:39

Our town was greatly excited last Saturday by the deed committed at the home of Mrs. A. Minchk, on Prospect street. She is said to be a woman of not very good character and had a boarder named Will Cross.

Hans Allen, a well digger, thresher and farmer, of Sni Ma Gill, came to the house at 11 o'clock that morning and called on Cross. They got into a quarrel and Hans drew a revolver and shot Cross, the ball entering his heart and killing him almost instantly.

Mrs. Minchk ran out of the house and her little girl, Ida, ran another way. Hans followed the girl out of the front door and on to the porch, shooting as they ran. The ball struck her near the spine, and inflicted but a flesh wound. He then went back into the house and shot himself through the heart.

Hans Allen is very well known in the county, and has been generally considered a good business man, straight in all dealings. But it appears now that he was morally very low and this last act of his life does not come with much of a surprise to those who knew him best.

Cross has lived here the past few years trapping and fishing, and was a plasterer by trade. He was 25 years old.

The Coroner was summoned and an inquest held Sunday morning.

The funeral of Mr. Allen occurred from his house in the Swede settlement Monday afternoon. He was about 60 years old and leaves a wife and thirteen children. Mr. Cross was buried here from his home. His father came here from his home, Dekorra, Wis., to attend the funeral.

Elkader Register, Fri., 29 Nov. 1895. McGregor column.

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Added by S. Ferrall 4/10/2022:

Saturday's Tragedy
About noon Saturday last our citizens were shocked by the report of a shooting affair, at Mrs. A. Mink's on Prospect Street. Hans Allen came into town to trade, his wife coming with him, she stopping up town for a visit with her daughter who is attending school here. Hans Allen proceeded down town delivering and making some purchases.

Going to Mrs. Mink's residence he and Wm. Cross met, Cross coming over to see his younger brother who had just called to see him. Cross had boarded with Mrs. Mink for 3 or 4 years. Cross had been to work next door plastering.

It seems that Allen and Cross on meeting immediately began to quarrel, very few words passing between them. Allen told Cross to shup up or he would shoot him. Cross turned to leave the room, Allen pulled a 32 calibre revolver [and] fired, the ball entering the left breast of Cross, and he entered the next room and dropped dead. Allen sent two more shots at him which entered the door.

On hearing the shooting, Mrs. Mink and her daughter ran out of the kitchen door, and along by the side of the house until they reached the corner, when they turned to the left and ran along the porch, followed by Allen. By the time Allen had reached the corner of the house, the mother and daughter had gotten as far as in front of the hall door, when Allen fired again, the ball striking the daughter in the back, about two inches above the spine, and passing around lodged a little in front of her left side, from which place it was extracted Saturday afternoon. She did not fall, but letting go of her mother she ran to the next house, being the same where Cross had been plastering.

Her mother ran back, passed Allen, turned the corner of the house, but instead of going into the kitchen, ran to a small shed in the yard. Allen immediately turned and went back to the kitchen, and not finding Mrs. Mink there let go at the boy Cross, and missed him. The lad darted out of the kitchen, then out into the dining room, and, crossing this, he darted through the door and out into the street, shouting as he went.

Two more shots were fired by Allen, both of which entered his own body, one in the right breast and the other in the left directly over the heart.

This ended the life of one who might have been an honored citizen but for his animal nature.

A guard was placed on the premises. The Coroner was notified. He arrived Sunday morning, holding the inquest. The following verdicts were rendered:

Verdict.
An inquisition holden at McGregor in Clayton Co. on the 24th day of Nov. A.D. 1895 before F.J. Kriebs, Coroner of said county, upon the body of Hans Allen there lying dead by the jurors whose names are hereto subscribed. The said jurors upon their oaths do say that the said Hans Allen came to his death on the 23rd day of Nov. A.D. 1895 from a wound in the left breast caused by a revolver in the hands of some person to the jury unknown.

In testimony whereof the said jurors have hereto set their hands the day and year aforesaid.
A.C. Boyle, Gideon Townsend, Peter Dietrich
Attest: F.J. Kriebs, Co. Coroner

Verdict.
An inquisition holden at McGregor in Clayton Co. on the 24th day of Nov. A.D. 1895 before F.J. Kriebs, Coroner of said county, upon the body of Wm. Cross there lying dead by the jurors whose names are hereto subscribed. The said jurors upon their oaths say that the said Wm. Cross came to his death Feloniously on the 23rd day of Nov. A.D. 1895 from a bullet wound in the right breast caused by a revolver in the hands of Hans Allen.

In testimony whereof the said jurors have hereto set their hands the day and year aforesaid.
A.C. Boyle, Gideon Townsend, Peter Dietrich
Attest: F.J. Kriebs, Co. Coroner

--
Ida Mink will recover, she is doing as well as can be expected.

We will not attempt to give a history of Hans Allen, it is too well known to the people of this vicinity. He leaves a family of sons and daughters who are respected by all and to those we offer our sympathy in their sorrow.

~McGregor News, Wednesday, November 27, 1895; pg 2

Hans Allen obit:
http://iagenweb.org/boards/clayton/obituaries/index.cgi?review=444739

William Cross obit:
http://iagenweb.org/boards/clayton/obituaries/index.cgi?read=835217