Mr. Ehlers allegedly came to "make a peace" with Hugo, the cause of contention unstated. During the meeting an argument broke out. Ehlers alleges that Hugo attacked him with a pair of sheep shears. Witness statements say that Ehlers struck Hugo with the butt of his Winchester. Hugo dropped the shears and Ehlers dropped his gun, then struck Hugo with his fist. Hugo went down, whereupon Ehlers picked up the Winchester and shot him.

The daughter who signs herself as Adeline could either be Agnes or Adelheid...I suspect it was Adelheid. The "sister" she refers to in her testimony would be Bertha. The following is Adeline's written testimony, with the original spelling:

"I was in the house sowing on the machine. I heard somebody hallowing very loud. It was Gus Ehlers. I ran over to the sheep pen and when I came in the gate Gus Ehlers struck my pa over his head.

Defendant then throws his gun out of the small pen into the large pen. When I went into the little pen and he throwed my pa down and hit him with his fist. I then went into the pen and he hit me twice on the head with his fist and then he choked me till I could hardly breathe. My father couldn't interfere, he was hurt so bad. Then he pulled my hair, then he throwed me down, then he went back on pa again and throwed pa down. Then he went out of the shearing pen into the large pen. When he shot, and when he shot he left the pen and went out. He shot one shot which struck pa, my father ....

...my father died on Saturday night at ½ past 10 o'clock.

Ques: How far is the house from the pen? Ans: About 800 yds. Ques: Are the pens of which you speak joined together? Ans: The small pen is inside of the large one. The small pen was to hold the sheep they were shearing. The fence which enclosed the small pen is ? feet made of boards. There is not very much ground in the small pen. It is about 10 ft. long and 15 wide. I did not see defendant when he came to the pen. I do not know what was first said. I don't know which one spoke first when defendant first came. When I heard this man hallow, my sister came running up to the house and told me defendant was down there. She was in the little pen, my father and Mr. Ehlers ? to him. The sheep shears fell out of my fathers hand when Mr. Ehlers struck him with his gun. My father had been shearing sheep the sheep shears were about a foot long. The shears were open. The shears were sharp pointed, the blades about 5 in. long. I was about 5 steps from my father when I saw the shears fall. The fell when this man struck him. My father was holding his hand down. My father dropped the shears first then this man threw his gun over the fence into the large pen. They were standing close to the fence ? this man dropped his gun over the fence. This man had the barrel of the gun in this hand and struck my pa with the butt. I was in the large pen about 3 or 4 steps from the little pen when he dropped the gun. I got over the fence in a hurry and went to where they were. When the gun and shears were dropped the defendant struck my father with his fist, and this man caught my father and they fell. I went up by my father and defendant struck me. I couldn't speak, I couldn't say nothing I was so excited. My father was trying to get up and couldn't. My father didn't get up at all he was lying on the ground when he was shot. He was lying on his back. The defendant was about 6 or 7 steps off when he shot him. Defendant was in the large pen when he shot him. My father didn't say anything, he did not speak at all from the time I first went there. The sheep shears were dropped close to the fence. My father was lying on his back with his feet towards the defendant when the def. Shot. My father was lying on his back ? threw down his gun and shot. Three men carried my father to the house. My father was about 5 ½ feet high would weigh about 150 lbs was a larger man than the defendant. I couldn't do anything, defendant throwed me off then went to my father. After def struck my father with his fist he never got up again. He throwed me off after that. I don't know whether there was a ? on his neck or not. I went and told my neighbor John St? about the matter, didn't tell no one else. My father never spoke after he was shot, could not speak. The large pen was used to pen the sheep at night. The small pen to keep the sheep in for shearing. There were sheep in the small pen and my pa was shearing. These pens were on my fathers place in Kerr Co., Texas. ? in on about 2 o'clock Saturday afternoon on 10th day of May 1891. I met my sister in the yard ? screaming & I recognized ? as the defendant. I didn't hear my father say anything, I couldn't understand the def. The points of the sheep shears were down. The def. never struck father any more after the shears fell out of his hand."

Signed by ADELINE SCHLADOER

The doctor was summoned and found Hugo had been carried to his house. Upon examination he found a head wound consistent with being struck with a blunt instrument, and a gunshot wound in his chest. There is a written statement from the doctor that I am in the process of trying to decipher. There are also several pages which appear to be the judge's charge to the jury or the lawyer's summation at the end of the trial. These will be added once I am able to transcribe them.

Ehlers was found not guilty...I assume the jury was convinced he was acting in self defense. Further scrutiny of the case notes might reveal more information.

Adeline/Adelheid's mother Catherine had died six years before Hugo was murdered. There is a single marker in the community cemetery of Quihi, Medina County, Texas for Catherine and Hugo Schladoer. Close by is the burial place of Adelheid and her husband Albert Reitzer. Near them is the grave of their son Hugo Reitzer.

Since it may be assumed that Adelheid had no connection with Quihi until her marriage to Albert Reitzer in 1898, seven years after Hugo Schladoer's murder and thirteen years after the death of Catherine, it seems obvious that Adelheid moved her parent's grave to this location after her marriage.

Still unresolved is how Hugo fit into the Schladoer family in the area. He is of an age to be one of Diderich and Christiane Lothiesen Schladoer's children, but this has not yet been established. No shipping lists that I have studied carry the name Hugo Schladoer, but Germans are notorious for calling people by nicknames, so it may be that one of the Fritz or Hermann Schladoers may be Hugo. Study on the matter of Hugo's parentage is ongoing.