St. Paul daily globe., 1888-07-09
MURDERED HIS PAL
And Thus Terminated the
Criminal Career Of q
Young Burglar.
History Of August Menk, q
Former Resident of Bohe-
mian Flats.
His Mother Could Not Control
Him, and He Left
Home.
Well Known in This CIty as Q
Telegraph Company
Employe.

In little one-roomed house on the
bohemian flats lives man named
Ernest Gabel, his wife and family of
small children. The female head of the
family is the woman to whom reference
is made in the following telegram.
which Chief Clark received Saturday
from the chief of police of Independ.
ence, Wis.
Notify Mrs. Pauline Menk that her son
was shot and killed to-day by his partner.
She lives on flats.
The victim of the shooting was
August Menk, youth seventeen years
old. Little is known about the facts of
the tragedy beyond what was learned
from the following special from Winona,
Minn., which appeared in the GLOBE of
yesterday:
News reached here to-day from Independ.
ence, Wis, of a cold-blooded murder com.
mitted seven miles north of there last
nnmed Thomas %nrphg said to SS
store store OF Of i' Mr.. PETERSON aas eh'efea nt E1s sne
Creek Thursday evening, and secured several
drilling was interrupted and his drill broke.
Murphy concealed himself in the granary Of
Lars Salman all day Friday, and in the
evening, as August Menk went by tine build.
Ing Murphy shot him in cold blood. Menls
was found on the ground dead, with self.
cooking revolver by his side, recognized as
a weapon stolen from Peterson's the night
before. AS there was no clue to the muir
der, the coroner's jury passed a verdict this
morning of accidental death. Murphy him.
self came forward. however, and gave him.
self up, acknowledging the murder. He says
he came down from St. Paul for the express
purpose of burglary, but is much broken
down at his crime. The community is
greatly excited over the event. X
Inquiries made about Menk, yester.
day, developed the fact that he has
history and that he belongs to family
WITH A HISTORY.
Three years ago last September, while
he was but fourteen years old, he left
st. Paul. His mother did not know
where he was going and only learned
of his whereabouts after he had
got into trouble. 1t turned
Out, however. that he left St. Paul with
two men and went to Menomonee,
Wis, There, on the night of the 18th Of
October, 1884. they broke into b
store. Theft operations were inter@
rupted by clerk who slept in the
burglars, and, drawing a revolvery
shot and killed one of tho
trio. Menk and his companion got
away. A few days later the sheriff Of
Menomonee came to st. Paul in search
Of Menk and the other burglar, but,
failing to find him here, went
to Minneapolis, where both Of
them were found and taken back
to MenomOnee. Menk was tried and
years, while the elder party went over
the road. August Menk served his
term out at the reform school and res
turned to st. Paul last October. Shortly
afterwards he went to work with the
Western Union Telegraph company,
but left there to go into foundry, and
then with
AN UPTOWN BAKERY.
Last Tuesday he left st. Paul in COM
pany with a man who gave the name
of Murphy, for independence, Wis, and
that was the last heard of him until the
telegram was received bringing the
news of his murder. A reporter
for the GLOBE visited Mrs. Gabel
yesterday and questioned her about her
son and Murphy. She said that her son
had been living home for about eight
months and that he had been working
all the time. He frequently brought the
man Murphy to the house with him. She
says he was rather a short; stout
man. with brown hair and without any
whiskers or mOustache. Her son and
Murphy were great friends. and she
thinks that Murphy first put 1t into
young Menk's head to leave st. Paul,
Mrs. Gahel did not know how
much money her son had when
leaving. He always kept that
a secret and would never tell where he
was working for fear she would try and
get it away from him.
1t is said, however that Menk had
A ROLL OF MONEY
when he lett here last Friday. He went
into saloon on Eagle street and
showed checks and money amounting
to $500, and said that he was
going to independence, or some Wis.
consin town, to start laundry.
Whether or not Murphy shot Menk for
the money he had or by mistake, is not
known. Who Murphy is remains a
mystery, as he is not known to the po-
lice. He is either no professional safe
blower or, if he is, he never got in his
work in st. Paul, and has never been
brought under the eyes of the authoris
ties.