The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-08-05
BURGLARY AND ARSON Ar SAUK
CENTRE.
Full Particulars of Somewhat Peculiar
Case.

SAuK CENTRE, MIMI, Aug. 4th, 1875.
EDITOR JouRNAL.-Since writing my
last, Sank Centre has met with another loss
in the shape of a fire, which, from the story
of Mrs. N. A. Clark, includes burglary and
incendiarism. On the evening or night of
the LIST inst, at about IL o'clock, your cor
respondent was awakened by noise, some
what like that of child crying, which soon
was increased by the cry of fire. He i'm
mediately repaired to the street, and dis
covered that the millinery shop run by
Mrs. Clark
WAS ON FIRE
and also learned that there was tale con-
nected with the burning. Mrs. Clark's
story is as follows: She went to bed at the
usual time and went 10 sleep, leaving a
package of$50o lying in the drawer Of her
sewing machine, as she intended starting
below in the morning to buy goods to re-
plenish her stock, which was quite low.
She was sleeping soundly when some one
put hand upon her shoulder and awaken
ed her, and she discovered
TWO MEN WITH BLAcKENED FACES
standing over her. All this time there was
= lamp burning dimly in the room. which
abe herself had left burning. One of the
men placed his hand over her mouth and
tied cloth firmly around her head and
over her mouth, something like gag, only
the cloth was not in her mouth, and also
tied her hands behind her back. Then one of
the men took the lamp and went to the
drawer where the money was and
APPROPRIATED THE $500
to his own use. He then said to his COM
panion, "Let US have some fun," and taking
the kerosene can poured the contents over
the floor, ignited the oil and left by the back
door, closing but not locking it. Mrs. Clark,
after they left, so she says, put her back to
the door and raised the latch, opened the
door and went to the Sank Centre House
and for the first time called for help. The
fire had then obtained so much Roadway
that it could not be extinguished.
The night police or guard had passed
along in front of the shop
NOT FIVE MINUTES
before she called for help, and it seems
strange that she did not call before she did ;
for the use Of speech was not wholly OBJ
structed by the cloth around her head, as
she was heard to shout one block off with
it on. The shop was cne-story frame
building; stood on leased ground and be-
longed to Mrs. G. There was an insurance
of 500 on the building and contents, in
Guiding her wardrobe, which she claims
was burned.
There are very many things in the case
that seem extremely improbable, 80 much
90 that that there are many persons who
D1scRED1T THE STORY.
No clue has as yet been obtained as to who
are the guilty parties. An indignation
meeting was called by the citizens and a
committee appointed to investigate the case.
The much needed rain has come at last,
and nature seems to rejoice over It'll The
most violent wind Of the season passed over
this village last evening doing considerable
damage in this locality, blowing over fences,
lodging grain, &c. Crops, with the excep-
ton of small sandy district between Mel
rose and Sank Centre,
NEVER LOOKED BETTER
or promised more bounteous harvest.
Harvesting has just begun and the farmers
are very busy, making it quite dull in
town, and we expect it to remain so until
after harvest is through. s.