Claus Griese 1886-1914

GRIESE, KISH, HARNIS

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 11/28/2014 at 21:38:00

Mr. Claus Griese Brutally Murdered
Wm. Ryan, His Companion, In A Fit of Anger, Attacked Him With A Knife Friday Evening And Inflicted Fatal Wounds
Griese Died At Hospital Saturday
Ryan Surrendered Himself Sunday Noon Near Ceylon, Minnesota. Upon Hearing of Greise’s Death and is Now in County Jail Awaiting Action of Grand Jury
Friday evening at nine o’clock Claus Griese of Dolliver was fatally stabbed by William Ryan three miles north of Gruver. Griese and Ryan were tilling a farm on which Fred Paasch is living and were apparently good friends. Friday evening at 8:30 Ryan went upstairs to bed leaving Griese and Josephine Patchett of Estherville who is working at the Paasch residence, downstairs reading. At nine o’clock Ryan came down stairs and told Griese he was going to the barn to sleep and let them have the upstairs. He then began to call Griese names and went out into the yard and said, “Come out here in the yard and I will show you your guts.” Griese refused to go out and remarked, “That’s all right, Bill, we will settle this in the morning. “ Ryan kept calling Griese names and dared him to come outside. Griese stepped out on the porch and told Ryan he would not go off the porche and to forget it. As Griese went out doors Josephine Patchett went to her room upstairs not wishing to see the trouble. When Griese refused to come off the porch Ryan sprang upon him with a knife stabbing him in the left arm. Griese then told him to stop as he had the best of him, but Ryan then stabbed him on the left side the knife penetrating one of his lungs. He then slashed him in the stomach which disemboweled him. Griese then called for help but just as he turned Ryan stabbed in the back. Hearing the cries for help Miss Patchett came down stairs and as she entered the room the wounded man was holding his abdomen trying to keep his intestines from falling out. She ran to the Morton home, a short distance away and asked for the men folks for help not telling them the trouble. Drs. Wilson and Birney of Estherville and Mr. Nereness of Dolliver were summoned. In the meantime Taylor and Owen Morton arrived on the scene and were amazed to see about four feet of his intestines stringing from his body to the floor. Shortly after the reached the Paasch residence Ryana stepped up and said, “How do you feel?” Owen Morton remarked, “All right.” Ryan then said, “Oh, you are not Claus, are you?” Morton then asked him who he was and he said, “I’m the fellow who did the cutting.” He then stepped off the porch and informed them that he was going to Estehrville to give himself up. By that time physicians had arrived. They took several stitches on Griese’s arm and also sewed up his abdomen to hold his intestines in, then wrapped him in a sheet and rushed him to the city hospital. Here they operated on him in hopes of saving his life but the hemorrhage was too great to be checked and Saturday evening at twenty minutes after seven he passed away.

Griese was a very powerful man about thirty years old, being six feet six inches tall and weighing one hundred ninety pounds.

Sheriff Butler of this city was notified that Ryan was on his way to Estherville where he was going to give himself up but he failed to show up. All neighboring towns were notified of the crime and were given a description of the villain. Sheriff Butler and a posse of men spent Saturday in the vicinity of Sherburn as it was reported that a man answering Ryan’s description was seen between Dunnell and Sherburn, Minnesota, walking on the railroad tracks. Bloodhounds from Waterloo were secured Sunday morning but on account of the heavy rains Saturday night they were unable to aid in the search.

Sunday noon Sheriff Butler received a call from Clyde Davis who lives three miles south of Ceylon stating that Ryan was at his place and had surrendered himself upon hearing of his victim’s death. Sheriff Butler and County Attorney B. M. Coon hurried to the Davis farm and brought Ryan to Estherville.

In a conversation with him Sunday afternoon Ryan said that immediately upon leaving Paasch he walked to Ceylon and reached there about five o’clock in the morning. He stayed around the saloons and drank very freely all day. He says that he heard the marshall of Ceylon tell a fellow that he was looking for a fellow by the name of Ryan from near Gruver who cut a fellow the night before. By evening he was well under the influence of liquor and walked to the outskirts of town where he slept all night. The following morning he went to the Davis home and inquired about Griese. He claims he was not trying to make his escape for if he was he would not have gone to Ceylon as he knew a number of fellows there.

Ryan is a single man forty seven years of age and has worked near Gruver for about a year. He is five feet four inches tall and weighs about one hundred forty pounds. He was born at Baltimore, Maryland. He has several brothers, a sister and a father living in the east.

Ryan does not realize that he has such a serious charge to fact having been under the influence of liquor for several days. He will be kept in the jail here until court convenes the last of this month. He expresses regret that the fight occurred at the Paasch home especially as Mr. Paasch was away, for he hated to cause them so much trouble as they were fine people.

The coroner’s inquest was held Sunday afternoon and the verdict was that Claus Griese’s death was caused from wounds inflicted by a sharp instrument at the hands of William Ryan. The knife was an ordinary wooden handle pocket knife. At the inquest Ryan refused to answer any questions except that his name was William Ryan. He said he expected to appoint attorney and until that time he had nothing to say. The coroner’s jury was Chas. Carpenter, Fletcher Howe, and F.W. Burhann.

Attorney B.M. Coon filed charges Tuesday morning against William Ryan for murder in the first degree. Ryan pleaded not guilty and waived the hearing until the next term of court and will fight the case. He has not appointed an attorney. If he should be found guilty of the murder he is apt to receive a life sentence or be hanged in the jail yard. If this should be the case Sheriff Butler or Sheriff Elect Nivison will have to be the hang man. (Vindicator and Republican, Estherville, IA, August 26, 1914)

Obituary Claus Griese
Claus Griese was born in Ogle County, Illinois, on May 8, 1886 and died at the city hospital August 22, 1914. He moved to this county in 1900. Since that time he has been living on a farm near Maple Hill and Dolliver. He leaves to mourn his untimely death a mother, six brothers and three sisters.

Claus was always a very ambitious man and was never known to have an enemy.

Funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon at two o’clock in the Methodist church at Armstrong and the remains laid to rest in the Armstrong cemetery. (Vindicator and Republican, Estherville, IA, August 26, 1914)

Clause Griese Murdered
No Apparent Cause for the Act as Parties Had Been Good Friends
Slashed With a Pocket Knife
Terrible Deed Committed By William Ryan a Tiller Forty Years of Age
One of the most brutal, and probably the most unprovoked murder that ever occurred within the borders of this or any other county, occurred at the Fred Paasch home north of Gruver last Friday night when Bill Ryan stabbed Clause Griese to death. From what we can learn there was absolutely no reason for the killing unless it was from a sudden fit of anger caused by the attentions of a young lady at the Paasch home to young Griese.

It seems that Ryan had been working at the Paasch place for about three months and that he had become attentive to a young girl by the name of Patchett who was working there. About two weeks ago Claus Griese came there to stay while he worked on a tiling contract. Ryan had been working in the same ditch for a few days past, and on the afternoon of the murder they were both working together with no trouble. After the completion of their work Griese went to Gruver on his motorcycle. On his return he sat in the kitchen to read the papers and Miss Patchett also stayed up to read. Ryan left them and went up stairs to bed. In a short time he came down again and commenced to call Griese all the vile names that could be thought of. Young Griese did not seem to be moved by this, but told him to cut out that language. From this time on the stories obtainable do not coincide. Miss Patchett says they started out on the porch and she ran up stairs. She heard them fighting as did Mrs. Paasch. During the first of the fight Mrs. Paasch blew the light out and left them in the dark thinking that would end it. It was too late, however, as Ryan had done the work he evidently had intended to do, and had laid Griese open as he had previously threatened. So bad and so deep was the cut that his intestines laid out on the kitchen floor. Ryan then attempted to call up a doctor but the wires were broken and he went over to Charles Fanks and called the doctor up at Dolliver and told him to come to the Paasch home. He then went back to the house again cursing young Griese and demanded him to show the wounds evidently intending to see that they were sufficient.

At the arrival of the doctor he left the house taking off his overalls in the yard and leaving them. This would indicate that he had changed his clothes before he committed the deed. Doctors Wilson and Birney of this city were also summoned. The tragedy happened a little before 10 o’clock and the doctors could not be summoned to reach him until about eleven. This did not give the young man much fighting chance for recovery. He was rushed to the hospital but was too far gone to recover and died on Saturday evening about 8 o’clock. He was conscious but gave no more information than was known only to say that they had had no trouble and he was aware of no cause for the deed.

After bringing the wounded man to this city Sheriff Butler was notified and he immediately took step to head off any escape by rail, and had men on duty at all the towns around here.

Ryan did not try to leave, but took to the corn fields and kept in them. He wandered around Saturday in the neighborhood of Ceylon, Minn., and went west towards Huntington on Sunday landing at the Clive Davis home about 1 o’clock. He knew Mr. Davis and asked for something to eat and also advised with him as to the best thing to do. It was evident he had seen the dogs and the farmers hunting for him with shotguns, rifles and revolvers, and knew his fate if caught. Mr. Davis told him that young Griese was dead and that they had the dogs here from Waterloo and there was no chance of escape and the best thing to do was to give himself up to Sheriff Butler, who was then in Dunnell, Minn.

To all this he assented and Mr. Butler was called and in a very few minutes had his man headed for Estherville and the jail.

Ryan is a dogged fellow, and refused to talk at the inquest or even to be sworn. To a reporter of this paper he said he had nothing to say and repeated that “I have nothing to say.” His demeanor at the present time is against him and will do him the appearance of being frightened but this had left him to a certain extent on Monday

The preliminary hearing was held on Monday at which time he waived hearing to the grand jury.

Clause Griese was a popular young man and had a host of friends. He was a giant in stature, being six foot seven inches and was as good natured and full of fun as he was tall. Every one who knew him was fond of him and his murder is a terrible blow to his relatives and friends. The remains were taken to Dolliver for burial. (Estherville Enterprise, Estherville, IA, August 26, 1914)

Attorneys Morse and Kennedy have been employed by Griese brothers to assist County Attorney Coon in the prosecution of Bill Ryan for the murder of their brother. (Estherville Democrat, Estherville, IA, September 2, 1914)

Stabbing Affray at Gruver
Brother of George Griese of Germania Victim of Brutal Assault
Clause Griese of Gruver, a young man 27 years old and a brother of Geo. Griese of this place, was stabbed in the stomach by a man named Ryan north of Gruver last Friday night and Griese died in the hospital at Estherville Saturday night. It seems that Ryan called at the Griese home Friday evening following an argument during the day and when young Griese stepped out on the porch he was stabbed in the stomach by Ryan, who later disappeared. A posse of men were in search of Ryan and located him about twenty miles north of Estherville and Sheriff Butler of Emmet county took him in charge and he is now in jail at Estherville. Geo. Griese went up from here Saturday to help in the search and attended the funeral of his brother which was held Tuesday [August 25, 1914]. – Germania Record (Titonka Topic, Titonka, IA, September 3, 1914)

Card of Thanks – We desire to express our appreciation and thanks to all who so kindly assisted us in the hour of our bereavement, caused by the death of our son and brother, Claus. Also the dolliver M.E. quartet for the way they rendered the beautiful sons. – Mother Griese, Mrs. John Kish, Mrs. Lawrence Harnis, Carrie Griese, George Griese, Henry Griese, Hiram Griese, John Griese, Everet Griese, Martin Griese. (Estherville Enterprise, Estherville, IA, September 16, 1914)

Life Term for Slayer
Estherville – William Ryan, who murdered his companion, Clause Griese, near Gruver on Aug. 21, was sentenced to life imprisonment by Judge N.J. Lee of Estherville. Ryan pleaded guilty of murder in the second degree. (Lemars Semi-weekly Sentinel, Lemars, IA, September 18, 1914)