Book 2 - Nathan, Amy, Madison and Ethan Berga

A Shocking Tragedy
Richland Rustic, September 11, 1897 88
“Deck” Thompson was almost instantly killed by Jerome
Fry at the home of the latter in the town of Willow
about 12 miles northwest of this city, last Saturday
evening at about 7 o’clock. 88
The killing of Thompson was the sequel to a quarrel
and fight which occurred at a public sale at the farm
of Ed Stevenson on Buck Creek, Saturday
afternoon, with Dexter J. Thompson, better
known as “Deck,” and his brother Lew, on
one side, and Jerome Fry on the other. 88
TWO AGAINST ONE
But Thompson was not ready to let the trouble drop
and hunted up his brother, Deck, who was lying asleep
and intoxicated nearby. The brothers assumed the offensive
at once, one or both being armed with a club.
Fry seized a buggy neck-yoke with which to keep his
assailants off, and struck Deck a blow on the shoulder.
The brothers pressed him closely and he sought the
vantage of the porch of Stevenson’s house. Here he
made a desperate swing with the neck-yoke at Lew
Thompson who was probably saved, a whole skull, by
After the sale of Stevenson’s personal property,
a large number of the men present
remained for some time, discussing farm
matters and visiting. After a while the
conversation turned to ring wrestling, and
wrestling in general, among the athletic
inclined younger fellows. Lew Thompson
was among them and he offered to bet five
dollars that he could throw any man in the
crowd. Jerome Fry, a husky young farmer,
was lying on the grass near the crowd, and
he remarked, “I don’t know about that,
there are some pretty good men here.” He
declined to bet, however, and was told by
Thompson to keep his mouth shut. This appeared to
nettle Fry a little and said that his mouth was his own
and that he would talk when he wanted to. Impassioned
words followed and culminated in Thompson
throwing himself onto Fry, who still reclined on the
ground, and endeavoring to choke him. Fry raised up
with his opponent and threw him off and struck him
two or three light blows. Then several men intervened
and the fighters were separated. 88
Jerome Fry standing; courtesy of Lori Dollevoet 86
the prompt action of a bystander, who pulled him out
of harm’s way. At this juncture, George Hines, who
had sold off the property that afternoon, and was
greatly disgusted over the disgraceful scene, stepped
out onto the porch from the house and endeavored
to pacify the combatants, inducing Fry to enter the
house. He advised Fry to go home and avoid further
trouble. Fry took the advice kindly, stood the neckyoke
in a corner of the room and left the house by the
back door, went up over the hill and home which is
three miles from Stevenson’s. Deck Thompson soon
afterward entered the house to look for Fry and not
finding him, concluded that he had gone home. 88
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