Hostage Saved Us

Patty Lindgren --- abruptly grown-up at 13-said Sunday of her father, Eugene:
"Dad saved all of our lives. They would have broken down the doors if it hadn't been for his bravery."
Patty; oldest child of Lindgren, who was killed Saturday by the three O'Kasick brothers of Minneapolis was the family spokesman yesterday.
Her young sister, Donna, 6, still thinks "Daddy's coming home." Her brother, Thomas, 7, knows, but "doesn't say anything."
PATTY'S MOTHER, still shocked-by the horror that came to their family home, was unable to talk about it. So it was Patty who told the story.
"Dad had given me $10 to buy a-new dress for church" she recalled. "That's the way he always was."
The family belongs to Zion Lutheran church, Anoka, where services will be held
For Lindgren at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
"Mother drove me up to Anoka.1 bought a blouse and skirt. "Dad never saw them," Patty said.
Mother and daughter drove the 4 1/2 miles home Saturday afternoon. Lindgren had closed his paint store in Anoka at 1:30 p.m., and had spent the afternoon at home on Constance road with the younger children.
"WE NOTICED the car parked on the road," Patty said. "We passed it.
"We hadn't been in the house 15 minutes when we heard the shots.
"Donna and Tommy were playing out in the yard. Dad and our neighbor, Mr. (Matt) Olson were building a fence outside.
"Mother and I were in the kitchen doing the dishes. We'd left them until we had returned from town.
"When we heard the shots, Dad came running into the house. He said some men were having a gun battle with the police and to lock the doors.
"Tommy and Donna had run indoors, too, and Mother ran around locking doors.
"DAD SAID, "I think they're coming, up here. Right then, I was, in the living room and looked out the window and saw a man running in front of the house.
"He ran up to the front door and tried to get in but it was locked. Then he saw me.
"He aimed his gun through the window at me. Tommy came in and I pushed him behind the wall between the kitchen and living room.
"Dad yelled he was going to get his gun. He started out the back door and. I yelled to him to stop, because the man at the, window began running toward the side of the house.
"Dad must have gotten to the garage and got the gun and was coming back because we heard him say, "I live here," and later, they found Dad's gun in the car."
At this point blond, smiling Donna whom had been playing with the family dog, Twinkie, came into the room
WHEN PATTY, said that her father, a hunter, was con-sidered a "good shot Donna put her baby fingers up to her forehead and said: "Right between the eyes."
Nothing was said for an instant and then Patty said, "You run and play, honey"
Donna scampered back to where her mother and rela-tives were sitting in the family room.
"The next thing I heard, said Patty, continuing the story, was someone asking for the car keys. Dad had them on him. He must have given them the keys.
"Then we heard the car start�. and Dad was with them. "I ran to call the police. They were here within," five minutes.
"Please give the police credit. They deserve it. They were right on the ball."
AFTER THAT, Patty said, she doesn't recall too much of: what happened. With her mother and the younger children, she went into Anoka to stay with relatives.
They returned to the trim, gray and white house Sunday, six months to the day from when they first moved in.
"We're going to sell this house," Patty said, a poised, eighth grader at Anoka junior high school.
"We're going back to Anoka," she said. "We couldn't stand to live out here now after what happened.
"Both Mother and Dad had read about the Fossum killing. Everybody did, I guess.
"But you just don't expect those things to happen at your house. I didn't