Palas, Louis J. 1875-1953

PALAS, LENTH, OELKE, SCHULTZ, KLINGE, MCGONIGLE

Posted By: Paul Moritz (deceased)
Date: 6/8/2010 at 12:22:34

Death takes Louis Palas at Elkader
Funeral services for Louis J. Palas 78, of Elkader were held last Saturday afternoon at 1:30 o'clock from the Witt Funeral home to the Zion Lutheran Church at Clayton Center at 2 o'clock with Rev. J.H. Zerhusen officiating.

Burial was in the Clayton Center cemetery.
Mr. Palas had been in ailing health since last February. He suffered a stroke at his home June 11, which was followed by another June 21. He was taken to the Postville hospital June 25, where he died Thursday morning July 1, at 2:30 o'clock.

He was born a son of Mr. and Mrs. John Palas, July 25, 1875, on the Palas homestead, east of St. Olaf.. He was married to Maria Lenth at the home of Rev. F. Braun in Farmersburg, Feb. 26, 1901.

Mr. Palas was prominent in Clayton county public life. He lived on the farm in Farmersburg township until 1928 when he moved to Elkader. He served as a member of the township school board, was township trustee, a member of the St. Olaf cemetery board, and was vice president of the Farmers State Bank of St. Olaf.

He was elected county supervisor and served two terms. He was elected sheriff in 1932, serving three terms until 1938. Of late years, he has been a member of the Clayton count selective service board.

During his office as sheriff, he attracted national attention in solving Elkader's "hillbilly murder'. He was instrumental in the arrest and conviction of five persons in the slaying of Dan Shine, a backwoods farmer.
Palas deduced that the motive for the slaying was to obtain title to Shine's 80 acre farm, through the marriage of Maynard Lenox and Pearl Shine, Dan Shine's bride of a week.
Pearl Shine and Lenox were sentenced to life terms, which were commuted. They were paroled in 1952. Others sentenced were Albert Cornwell, James Hines, and Minnie Hines.

He was preceded in death by his wife, who died in 1948 and three brothers, Henry, William and John.
He is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Gaylord Oelke of Monona; three sons, Luver of St. Olaf, Harley of Farmersburg, and Sylvan of Berwyn, Ill; four sisters, Mrs. Ella Schultz of Baldwin Park, Calif., Mrs. Bertha Klinge of San Leandro, Calif.. and Mrs. Ida Klinge and Mrs. Louise McGonigle of Delavan, Wis; four brothers, Fred of Luana, Arthur of Postville, Ben of Monona, and Herman of St. James, Manitoba, Canada; nine grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
Honorary pallbearers were William Mueller and Ole Embretson.

Pallbearers were: Arthur Klinge, Anton Johnson, Clarence Woods, Ed Reynolds, George Kluth, and Paul Haverland.

Source; newspaper acticle (specific newspaper is unknown. DOD was 07/01/1953)