"Douglas County History and Centennial Observances 1961", pgs 119 and 121.

"As in all communities, there were also unfortunate occurrence. One such was the fatal shooting on the night of March 8, 1910, of Henry Dilges by Matt Zimmer. The shooting took place at about eleven o'clock at night as the men were supposedly going to the Zimmer home in the south part of town. It happened to the south and east of the present telephone office. It was reported to be the first homicide in the county, and of course created considerable discussion and feeling. The coroner's jury, meeting the same night, ruled that "Henry A. Dilges met his death by a shot fired from a .38 caliber revolver in the hands of M. Zimmer."

Mr. Zimmer, with a Mr. McDonald, ran a saloon in Corsica. The saloon was sold the following week. Mrs. Dilges' father of Farmingdale, S. Dak., came to get the Dilges family to make their home with him. Corsica people were sympathetic to Mrs. Dilges and four children and gave her a hundred dollars cash before she left.

Testimony at the coroner's jury was that Dilges first attacked Zimmer, firing two shots at him. Since Zimmer carried considerable money, the motive was thought to have been robbery. Zimmer waived a hearing and Justice Nieveen bound him over to Circuit Court where he was acquitted on the grounds of self defense. Henry Dilges had quit carrying mail a few months before his death, and was known to have been in financial straits, as well as other difficulties.

Throughout the fifty years, this is Corsica's only homicide."

"A History of Pennington County, SD 1981", pg 254

Mr Val Wehy, father of Mrs Agnes Dilges, was a German from Armour, South Dakota who later settled in Farmingdale, SD. Mrs Dilges, and her 4 children settled north of Creighton, SD. Eventually Agnes remarried.

More information is available in "Eastern Pennington County Memories 1965", pg s 424 and 425.

This information courtesy of Travis Bolt (#48571015)