On August 8, 1919 Frank Hornyak shot and killed his boss, John Hook. Hornyak was a Hungarian immigrant who had moved from Wadsworth, Ohio to Brookfield Township near Owendale to work in the beet fields. Hook and Hornyak had traded hats in the days prior to the shooting. Hornyak, not happy with the trade, confronted Hook in the field where he was working. He demanded his hat back and a fight ensued. Hornyak pulled a revolver and shot John Hook in the abdomen. Hook was taken to Hubbard Memorial Hospital in Bad Axe where he would succumb to his injuries. Frank Hornyak fled the scene on a stolen bicycle before taking to the fields and woods to escape. He would evade capture for three years before being arrested in Yosemite, California. He was traced to Yosemite through a telegram, in the Hungarian language, sent to him from a town in Ohio where his parents lived. Sheriff McAulay set out to California to bring him back to Huron County, Michigan. While on trial, Frank Hornyak would plead guilty to murder and be sentenced to life in a Marquette prison.
Submitted by contributor: Karen Ferency Baker
Submitted by contributor: Karen Ferency Baker
On August 8, 1919 Frank Hornyak shot and killed his boss, John Hook. Hornyak was a Hungarian immigrant who had moved from Wadsworth, Ohio to Brookfield Township near Owendale to work in the beet fields. Hook and Hornyak had traded hats in the days prior to the shooting. Hornyak, not happy with the trade, confronted Hook in the field where he was working. He demanded his hat back and a fight ensued. Hornyak pulled a revolver and shot John Hook in the abdomen. Hook was taken to Hubbard Memorial Hospital in Bad Axe where he would succumb to his injuries. Frank Hornyak fled the scene on a stolen bicycle before taking to the fields and woods to escape. He would evade capture for three years before being arrested in Yosemite, California. He was traced to Yosemite through a telegram, in the Hungarian language, sent to him from a town in Ohio where his parents lived. Sheriff McAulay set out to California to bring him back to Huron County, Michigan. While on trial, Frank Hornyak would plead guilty to murder and be sentenced to life in a Marquette prison.
Submitted by contributor: Karen Ferency Baker
Submitted by contributor: Karen Ferency Baker
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