Surnames: Desens

----Source: NEILLSVILLE TIMES (Neillsville, Clark County, Wis.) 07/11/1907

Desens, Peter (? - 6 JUL 1907)

Peter Desens, who was badly cut in a fight with his neighbor, Fred Zell, near Greenwood (Clark Co., Wis.), died last Saturday as a result of his wounds. Zell is in the hospital at Marshfield and is in a precarious condition, and death may come to him also.

A coroner’s inquest was held Monday, and a verdict rendered in which it is stated that Desens came to his death as a result of knife wounds inflicted at the hands of Fred Zell.

There are of course two versions to the fight. Zell claims that Desens was the aggressor and that the fight resulted after an altercation over some cattle. Zell says that Desens was standing near the gate at the Desens home and that the old gentleman called to him as he was passing. As he stood with his hand resting on the gate, Desens suddenly drew a knife and cut him across the hand, severing the cords. He was also badly cut about the face and chest.

Desens claimed, before his death, that Zell grabbed him by the throat and that he drew the knife in self defense.

It will be a pretty hard matter to determine who was the aggressor in the fight, and if Zell recovers and is brought into court his plea will probably be self defense.