Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2025 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== The Dunn County News Saturday, July 16, 1881 A DOUBLE MURDER MILTON COLEMAN, Undersheriff of Dunn County, And CHARLES COLEMAN, Deputy Sheriff of Pepin County Shot and Killed by the Notorious WILLIAM Brothers While Attempting to Arrest these Desperadoes at Durand last Sunday Evening One of the most shocking tragedies occurred in the suburbs of the village of Durand last Sunday evening, that ever took place in the Chippewa Valley. About half-past eight on that evening, MILTON A. COLEMAN, Undersheriff of Dunn county, and his brother, CHARLES G. COLEMAN, deputy sheriff, of Pepin county, were shot dead by two desperadoes, ALONZO and ED. WILLIAMS, while attempting their arrest. The circumstances connected with this double murder are these: Information was received by Sheriff SEVERSON, from Wabasha, of the arrest of a man, with watches and jewelry in his possession, and supposed to be the person who burglarized E. A. Toft's jewelry store, in Menominee, two weeks ago. Saturday, Undersheriff MILTON COLEMAN accompanied by MR. TOFT, started for Wabasha. Under- sheriff MILETUS KNIGHT, of Pepin county, joined them at Durand. The goods captured were identified by MR. TOFT and they returned with the prisoner. On arriving at Durand, Sunday evening, it was learned that the WILLIAMS brothers had crossed the river in a skiff, about five o'clock in the afternoon, just above the village and were lurking in the vicinity. MILTON put his prisoner in the Durand jail, and accompanied by his brother CHARLES, started out to capture them. Several citizens, who knew their mission, told the officers not to run so great a risk in attempting to capture, without assistance, two such desperate men, armed to the teeth with revolvers and Winchester ri- fles, and urged them to take a posse of armed men along. But they declined all assistance and went on alone, each armed with revolvers and double-barreled shot-guns, loaded with small shot. They proceeded up the street leading to the Eau Claire road, enquiring of parties as they went along if they had seen any armed persons. Arriving at the house of a man, named DORCHESTER, they again stopped and made similar in- quiries of a couple of boys who were on the porch. The boys had seen no such persons, and came out to the gate. It was now in the dusk of the evening, be- tween half-past eight and nine o'clock. While they stood there talking, MILTON looked down the street toward the village and saw two men walking side by side, coming towards them, close to the fence by which they were standing. CHARLES was talking to the boys, when his brother said,"Hush! there they are now." The COLEMANS cocked their guns and the men continued to approach leisurely. MILTON stood near the fence and CHARLES stepped about six feet from the fence and two or three feet to the rear of his brother. Both held their guns at a "ready," and when the two men approaching them were within five or six paces, MIL- TON brought his gun to his shoulder, leveled it on ALONZO WILLIAMS and said: "YOU ARE MY" ____ He never finished the sentence, for that instant WILLIAMS fired, and the fatal ball passed through his neck, breaking it, and severing the veins and arteries in its course. Almost at the same instant MILTON fired and fell dead. A second shot from the desperado grazed MILTON'S left cheek as he was fall- ing. After firing his second shot, ALONZO WILLIAMS turned and run back down the street to the corner where they were first seen. During this fatal and bloody duel between MILTON COLEMAN and ALONZO WILLIAMS, another, equally bloody and equally fatal was being fought by CHARLES COLE- MAN and ED. WILLIAMS by their sides. They exchanged shots almost instantaneously. COLEMAN received a fatal shot, the ball entering his body just below the heart. He staggered several steps toward the middle of the street, WILLIAMS firing shot after shot in rapid succession. COLEMAN at last sank on one knee and fired a second time, then fell and al- most instantly expired. He was struck twice - one shot taking effect in the body, and the other in the arm near the shoulder crushing the bone. It is not known whether ED. WILLIAMS, his antagonist, was wounded or not. ED. fired five or six shots, then turned and walked deliberately away and joined his brother near the corner of the fence. The two ruffi- ans then made good their escape. The only witnesses to this awful tragedy were two boys who stood at the gate, and from the oldest, a lad about fourteen, the details above narrated were received. He stood inside the gate, the COLEMANS a few feet to his right, and the WILLIAMS a few feet to his left. The shots exchanged between MILTON COLE- MAN and ALONZO WILLIAMS, who stood nearest the fence, passed within three feet of his face. It was all the work of a few seconds, and almost paralyzed with ter- ror, as he must have been, it is remarkable that he is able to give so clear an account of the horrible scene. He says the moment MILTON COLEMAN spoke, both of the WILLIAMS brought up their rifles and fired. It is evident, however, that he is mistaken about the rifles. Each of them doubtless had a Winchester rifle, but it is plain they did their bloody work with the revolver. It is well-known that a Winchester cannot be fired a second time without throwing out an empty shell. As near as can be ascertained ALONZO WILLIAMS fired two shots and ED. five or six shots, but the most diligent search failed to find a single empty shell. It matters very little, however, what kind of weapon was used the awful result remains. The rapid succession of shots ringing out in the still night air aroused the people in the vicinity, and they rushed quickly to the scene. Both brothers were found dead where they fell - MILTON near the fence and CHARLES near the center of the street. The hat of ALONZO WILLIAMS - a low-crowned black hat with a band of crape around it - was picked up near where he stood during the shooting. Spots of blood were found on the boards of the fence several feet which is pretty conclusive proof that he was, at least, slightly wounded. The bodies of the murdered officers were conveyed to the residence of their brother-in-law, MR. MAX- WELL, where they remained until removed for burial the following Tuesday. THE FUNERAL of the two murdered men was held at the residence of MR. MAXWELL, in Durand, at 9 o'clock A.M. Tuesday and a vast throng of people were in attendance. - The services were conducted by Rev. JOHN STEELE, of Menominee, assisted by Revs. W. C. ROSS and G. D. BROWN. An opportunity was given those present to take a final view of the martyred brothers and the scene in that little parlor as the men, women and children with solemn and sorrowful faces passed by the caskets that lay side by side in the presence of the bereaved family was deeply affecting and moved the stoutest hearts to tears. It had been previously decided to bury CHARLES in the cemetery at Durand and take the body of MILTON to Menominee for interment. Accordingly after the ser- vice at the house the brethren of Durand Lodge of Masons, of which he was a member, took charge of the remains of their deceased brother and buried him with the usual Masonic ceremonies. A delegation of Bury Lodge I.O.O.F., of Menominee, were present and took charge of the remains of MILTON, who was a member of that order, and they were conveyed to Menominee Tuesday afternoon. The arrival of the funeral cortege at Menominee was announced by the toll- ing of church bells, and the throng upon the streets as it passed along revealed the deep feeling that stir- red all hearts in the community. The body was conveyed to the court house and there laid in state while the assembled people passed through and gazed for the last time on the familiar features of one they knew so well and esteemed so highly, and who in the performance of duty suffered martyrdom in the cause of Law and Justice. Followed by a long procession of sympathizing friends of the cortege wended its way to Evergreen cemetery and, as the day was closing, the mortal remains of MIL- TON COLEMAN were laid at rest. THE PURSUIT When the news of the sad affair was brought to Menom- inie it was received by our people with feelings of mingled grief and consternation beyond the power of words to express. Crowds collected on the street cor- ners and the greatest excitement prevailed. A meeting was immediately called at Concert Hall and a posse of thirty volunteers enrolled by Sheriff SEVERSON and dispateched for Durand in charge of Deputy Sheriff E. L. DOOLITTLE. It is genearlly believed that the murderers recrossed to the west side of the Chippewa river during the night of the tragedy and are now lurk- ing in their favorite haunts in the dense forests along the Eau Galle river and its tributaries. The first party the sheriff started in pursuit has been largely aug- mented by constant accessions until now there must be nearly two hundred men picketing the roads and scour- ing the woods in the neighborhood of their suppossed retreat. The fact that the outlaws are familiar with every road and trail in that region gives them a great advantage and we fear will enable them to baffle their pursuers and make their escape. They were seen Wednesday in the edge of a thicket near the Pine Tavern, at Eau Galle, by a woman who came across them while she was picking cherries. She fled to the Eau Galle mills and gave the alarm. The pursuing party concentrated at that point, but the murderers had left their retreat and were traced down the river. In a belt of woods near THOMPSON'S house in Waterville, the pursuing party Thursday morn- ing found where they had slept the previous night. The forces have been distributed at different points and it is believed they are closely corralled. Our latest advices are that the advance will be made to- day (Friday), and if they have bagged the game there will be a desperate fight. Deputy Sheriff DOOLITTLE, has a force of one hundred men, and his is ably seconded by FRANK KELLEY, JAMES BLAIR, DAN HARSHMAN, J. G. INGALLS, T. J. GEORGE, H. F. WOODWARD, ED. COLEMAN and a score more of old veteran soldiers who understand their business. The WILLIAMS brothers are old offenders and desper- ate to the last degree. Their right names are EDWARD and ALONZO MAXWELL. Both have served a term in the Illinois state prison at Joliet. Their father, DAVID R. MAXWELL, resides as Oscar, Kearney county, Nebraska. They have also a brother at Macomb, Ill. About six years ago ED. MAXWELL was in Stillwater, Minn., and there threatened to shoot Chief of Police SHORTALL, who went to arrest him for discharging his rifle on the levee in that city. He got away from the officer, but the latter in looking up his history found that he was wanted in McDonough county, Ill., and the re- ward of $350 offered for his capture so spurred the officer that he and Sheriff HOLCOMBE, then deputy sheriff, went to work, and by dint of strategy cap- tured him at Denmark, in that county, notwithstanding he had a seventeen shooter Winchester rifle and two revolvers, all loaded, in his possession at the time. An officer from that place came up and took him back. He was so notorious a character that at least 2,000 people met him at the depot upon his arrival at Macon, the county seat of McDonough county. He was tried and sentenced on three indictments to six years in Joliet, from which place he emerged about a year ago. He had been in jail in that state before, and had broken out. As soon as he got out of the penitentiary he came up to Hersey, Wis., were LON, his brother, had been liv- ing for the past two years, and they are supposed to have been the parties who broke into the St. Croix lumber company's store at South Stillwater about two months or so ago. He had been seen in that vicinity the day previous. The conviction that they were the guilty parties was so strong that MR. CHALMERS, a member of the concern, and Sheriff KELLEY of St. Croix county went to their place in Hersey, to search the premsises and arrest the boys, if necessary; but they were met by them with four loaded revolvers and driven clear to the depot and out of town. LON. WILLIAMS had been living in this section for the past two years. He was married the 4th of July, a year ago, and since that time, until the death of his wife, which occurred about a month ago, he has lived at Hersey. His familiar haunt in the section of the country along the Eau Galle river from Hersey to Arkansaw. He does not seem to have made any attempt to conceal himself, going about the country as he pleased. Last fall he worked awhile at Knapp, and he was in Menomonie when Forepaugh's circus exhibited here, June 30, and dined at Dean's restaurant. Since then he has been seen, from time to time, along the Eau Galle river, generally in company with his brother ED and armed to the teeth. ===========================================================================