Fred Beell

Fred A. Beell (January 17, 1876 – August 5, 1933) was a German-born American professional wrestler and police officer.

[1] He attended Immanual Lutheran School as a child, and at the age of fourteen he began working at the Upham mill in Marshfield.

It was not until 1906 that he gained national attention, when he defeated Frank Gotch, the reigning American Heavyweight Wrestling Champion.

Four buckshot from a shotgun blast hit Beell in the head, without his being able to return fire, killing him instantly.

Marshfield police chief William Paape organized a posse with Wood County, Wisconsin sheriff Martin Bey.

One of the suspects, Edward “Speed” Gabriel, was hit by shots fired from Fyksen in the initial gun battle, his body being located in a shallow grave alongside a roadway in Minnesota the next day.