A rousing man chase both began and came to an end on this day in 1911. The chase was a result of a disagreement between a farmer and his housekeeper, both from Shelly, Minnesota. Although the incident began in Minnesota, it ended in North Dakota where the chase was put down by authorities near Buxton. It was deemed “one of the most exciting man chases which ever occurred in this section of the state…” by the Fargo Forum newspaper.

The confrontation that led to the chase was between Shelly, Minnesota farmer Austin Hauge and his housekeeper, Mrs. Vigness. Mrs. Vigness was a widow who was employed by Mr. Hauge to live and work in his home. On the evening of June 1, Hauge and Vigness engaged in a fierce quarrel in Mr. Hauge’s home. The nature of the argument was unknown, but Mrs. Vigness was so upset by the clash that she went to a neighbor’s home to spend the night. At 6:00 the following morning, Hauge showed up on the neighbor’s doorstep and ordered Vigness back to his home. After the housekeeper refused to return to his house, Hauge pulled out a rifle and attempted to shoot at the widow. The farmer missed the woman but, using the rifle butt as a club, ran up to Vigness and savagely beat her over the head. Vigness suffered severe injuries from the beating, and fell to the ground. Her employer then ran back to his buggy and took off for the North Dakota border.

Hauge worked his team into a run and cleared the border shortly before noon. By this time, Deputy Sheriffs Osman and Wulss had heard about the assault by telephone and were on the lookout for the assailant. They spotted the farmer and began an intense pursuit of the man’s rig. After an exhaustive chase, the officers were forced to shoot one of Hauge’s horses to bring the buggy to a halt near Buxton, North Dakota. It was later found that the farmer was in fact an escaped inmate of the Minnesota State Hospital in Fergus Falls, and was known to drink heavily, both of which may have accounted for his bizarre behavior that day.

Source:
Fargo Forum and Daily Republican, June 2, 1911: p. 1.

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