Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-04-14


Q-Was tAsss any subsequent convsssa
tiea a1oas ~ sebbefv Of the sage?
A-TAsy ~ tAsrs was. bat I deat re
msnber much about II. We were oil on
. big spsss 1t Finlay, q few days afterwsrd,
l-nyself Creppen. Dunniug, Campbell end
Jones and perhaps some Others. We were
In the stage stable and were very druak. I
don't remember much of what happened.
I know It Wa said that I had . Eight With
Mark Dunning aud that he whipped me.
but l have no recollection Of II OF Of any
other doings. Creppea has claimed that
this was the day whom the stage robbery
vas broached.
Q-This was probably the occasion when
the blood-curdling, ku klux oath was ad.
ministered, which the Sioux Falls Pants.
graph mentions!
A-There never was anything Of the
sort done, 70 fr % I know. Nobody
Was In . condition to administer an oath.
were oil very drunk. Campbell wa
lying in . stall. I have heard. and what l
was doing I don't know. know never
heard anything about any oath or any OF.
ganization. 1t might have been that there
was some proposition that day to rob tho
coach, but I can't tell, for I was drinking
Q great deal those days.
Q-When do you remember that the pro-
iect VA first talked of.
Alt was a few days after this. Crep.
pen was cleaning his horses. He took me n
side and gave me . drink Of whisky and We
had some talk. .Creppen told me that on =
certain day he was to take in the stage .
package Of about $500 In money to Sioux
Falls for Mr.. Treat, with which he was to
buy a draft on a Evansville, Wisconsin bank.
The proposition was that I should take the
money package and divide with Creppen
and then he was to skip the country.
Q-Were Campbell or Nellison present
OF did they know Of the arrangement?
Another, and they knew nothing about
this arrangement.
Q-Was anything said about robbing the
mail?
A-Nothing at all. Campbell had pre-
viously talked about robbing the mail and
a partial agreement had been fixed up for
it, but no time was fixed and no definite ar
rangement made-it was merely talked
about, but had no connection with Creppen's
scheme.
Q-Had you been drinking on this day
you mention, when you and Creppen talked
together about the robbery?
Al had not. remember considerable
Creppen said. He told me the robbery
would be merely q breach Of trust on him.
He would leave and I could stay about Fin
lay and not be disturbed. I did not exactly
bonsent to take part In it.
Q-Then it was understoed that you was
to help Creppen get away with the pack
age?
Al suppose he understood it 90. The
Thursday following the package was to be
on the stage. On Wednesday Creppeu
came on horseback to see me, We went
out of the house together ana he drew 4 re.
volver out of his pocket and showed it to
me and said he had got it Of Vincent &
Leavitt, in Sioux Fallf-that he took it on
trial, but they'd never see it again. He
said to me, "you take the revolver and get
a horse and ome to Saddle creek" He
said when he got there with the stage he
would stop to water his horses. When he
got out of the stage all l was to do was to
draw the revolver and demand tie money
package. He said there would be money
in the mail bag and he wanted me to take
it. I told him I wouldn't do i'll Wouldn't
have anything to do with it. I refused to
take the revolver and told him to take i,
back and put it in his pocket and went away,
This occurred At T. c. Elce's house.
Q-What happened after this? Please
state the circumstances as they occurred.
A-The next day I went to Finlay in The
morning and went into the drug store, where
I attended to Creppen's mouth. He bough,
a bottle Of whisky and drank freely himsel
and treated the crowd. I refused to TAXI
any. Then Creppen and myself went ont
side the store. He urged me to attack the
stage that day. He said Treat had the
money ready and it was to 60 to Sioux Falls
that day on his stage. While he va. get.
ting his harness repaired I walked around
with him and talked about the robbery. ]
told him I didn't want to 20 into it. He
said, Eve might as we'll have it as not-il
You don't 60 into it l shall do it alone" ]
said ! didn't think I'd touch it. He said il
was then too late to get any other party and
he was bound to have that money. I then
went home with Mr.. Elce and had my din.
ner. After dinner, I cat around awhile and
finally went out Of the house aad down to
the road. As I was crossing the road Crop.
pen came along with the stage. He called
to me and I stopped and he came up to me
and handed me . letter.
Q-What did that mean?