Bio: Hewett, Harry (Victim of Assault - 1913)

Contact: Ann Stevens

Email: ann@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Hewett, Babcock, Bradford

----Source:  Neillsville Times (Neillsville, Clark County, Wis.)  July 24, 1913

Hewett, Harry (Victim of Assault - 17 Jul 1913)

Last Thursday afternoon Sheriff Harry Hewett had a close call to death when he attempted to arrest Dean Babcock.  Hewett had gone to a farm near Carlyle Corners where Babcock was living in defiance of the protests of the owner.  When the sheriff served the warrant Babcock seized an axe and struck at him.  Hewett was not wholly prepared for the murderous assault, but turned in time to ward off the blow and the axe struck him on the head with the flat side.  Hewett then grabbed Babcock and threw him upon the bed at the same time trying to wrest the axe from Babcock.  Babcock continued to jab at the sheriff with the axe and finally did succeed in cutting a long gash back of Hewett’s ear.  After he had been choked into submission, Babcock released his weapon and was brought to Neillsville and lodged in jail, where he awaits a hearing for trespassing upon other people’s property and will probably later answer to the charge of assault with attempt to kill.

At one time Babcock owned the farm where the assault took place, but through the foreclosure of a mortgage the title was transferred to another and later the farm was sold to a young man from Chicago.  Babcock refused to vacate, claiming that he has not been paid for his equity in the farm, and when he was ejected by Sheriff Bradford he lived alongside the road for some time.  Later he broke into the house and took up his residence and refused to allow the owner access to the property.  It was for this that the warrant was issued for him.  Babcock is a very powerful man and according to those who are familiar with the affair, had Sheriff Hewett been a smaller or less powerful man that he is, he would have met with serious injury at the hands of Babcock.