Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-12-26

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aud Dollars.
Sioux Falls Paragraph.
The incoming train yesterday brought
the report that Lester Turner, until recent
y in business here, had been robbed of
$4,000 At Worthington At about 2 o'clock
the previous morning. The circumstances
a gathered BY US 1t secondhand from Mr..
Turner, who was still at Wor,hington, and
from other sources are as follows:
Last Saturday, Turner Bros. sold their
stock Of general merchandise 10 Phelps T.
for $4,000, which money, togeth.
er with $1,000 which were the profits Of the
business, Lester Turner took in cash on his
person and on Monday started for St. Paul
and other points to settle up all indebted
ness of the firm. This it was known would
leave . snug balance which vas to be used
IN dealing in wheat, that business being
chosen BY Mr.. Turner because it would re-
lieve him of the confinement 10
which he had been subjected 10 store
Keeping. He reached W%orthington
Monday evening where he had
70 wait until 2:3O tuesday morning for the
train from Sioux CITY to St. Paul. About
ten minutes before the time for the train to
leave the depot, he went to the water.closet
q the WorthinRton hotel, which is quite a
distance from the depot. He soon af er an.
peared in the Office Of the hotel, announcing
that he had been garroted and robbed Of
$4,000. The story he told was that az he
came out of the water closet into the storm
court surrounding the door, two men who
had secreted themselves there grabbed him
around the neck, clapped a hand on his
mouth, held his arms and at once tore open
his white shirt, reached into apocket on the
inside Of it and took therefrom the $4,000.
No injury had been done to him, and those
who saw him cay there was not a scratch
upon his person.
Dan Shell, the landlord, was summoned.
and the fact that the train was an hour Ia!e
gave some time for investigating the matter.
MIR. Shell got the sheriff and a deputy, who
went with Mr.. Turner and others to the
train. There we're two or three passengers
to get on at the station, who were
travelling without much baggage, and
the sheriff proposed searching some Of
them for the money; but Mr.. Turner
would not consent, because he didn't
think they were the men who had attacked
him. The upshot.o of the matter was that the
train pulled out with everybody that wanted
to 60, and nothing had been done to dis.
cover ifthe garroters were abroad. The of.
6cers, Turner, and all who had taken any
part in the search, went back to the hotel.
There eeemed to be nothing that could be
done which would gain any clue to the real
facts of the case, and those who could do go
went to bed. In the morning search was
made for tracks in the snow, which mi. hit
possibly lead TO the truth Of the affair, but
none were discovered, neither could there
be any marks found in the etorm court, in.
dica,ing What sort Of struggle, if any, had
taken place there The result was that
when the train lef. at Z o'clock, all that was
really known in regard to the matter wse
the story told by Mr.. Turner-no,hing
more. When The train left he was in the
office Of the hotel, apparently stricken to
the heart, his head bowed upon his arms at
the table by which he was sitting. The
news was carried to his brothers Merritt
aud Columbus here, one Of whom finally
started to Worthington to comfort him and
to see if anything could be done about
learning where the money might be.
There are a good many mysterious feat
ures to this affair, and various theories AZ 10
the bottom facts. Suspicion attaches to sev-
80 fSAoOLAo oo OSALS A0IpAlCdt6OI Ill
the robbery which has been committed.
Some are ofthe opinion that by some means
some person or persons learned here about
where the money was carried, and put up
a job for capturing it. Others conjecture
that the man who knew about it was at
Worthington because Mr.. Turner BY his &C.
tions might unwittingly have given the cue
somebody who happened to be looking at
him or somebody at Worthington, might
have been notified Of the game by a letter
written from here. Affairs of this kind al
ways do excite c%onjecture.. A question
also arises as to what recourse Turner Bros.
creditors can have. The goods have been
turned over TO Phelps & Struthera, and have
been removed to their own quarters, which
gives them possession. The creditors then,
could ordinarily have no chance at them. 1t
would seem therefore that they will have 10
charge up q good share Of the robbery as
their v loss-at least until Mr.. Turner
can make another stake.