The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-08-19
DETECTIVE WORK.
Special Agent HartshOrn. of the
American Express Co.. upon the
Recent Train RObberies.

|
the American Express Company at
Chicago, gave long interview to a
Chicago reporter the other day, in re-
gard to the identity of the men who
have recently committed several train
robberies. After stating the similar
ity of the robberies at Western Union
junction, Wis, on the night of Nov.
18th last, Kasota and Visalia, he says:
Criminals, as rule, use the same
methods of conducting their opera
tions, and in course of time they are
caught: Then you put two and two
together and make what you can.
You've got the men or man who COM
mitted all the crimes. That's logi-
Cal conclusion.
every well! On the night of Sun
day, July 3, Kasota, St. Peter and
Minneapolis train was held up and
robbed near Kasota, Mimi. Two men
did the work and employed the same
tactics used at the Western Union
Junction robbery. The American Ex-
press Company was a loser in both
deals. The men who used dynamite
in Wisconsin were the same who used
it in Minnesota.
"Mr. AntiSdel, our general superin-
tendent, sent Col. F. Warner and my
self to Kasota to investigate, we ar
1 piu Of hn
There was no clue. Col. Warner re-
turned to Chicago, and | remained be-
| hind.
81 learned that there were two
strange men from California at Man
kato. Both had plenty of cash; both
arrived there June 9th; but neither
knew the other. Rather strange
thing that: two Californians in a lit
tie country town and not become &C
quainted. One was George e. Contant,
the other Chris Evans, alias Charles
Naughton. Contant stopped at home
and Naughton stayed at the Sontag
House, which was kept by Contant's
stepfather, Sontag. Nice suspicious
thing this. neither man seeing or
speaking to TIE other. Picking up
the threads in the case l found that
Naughton came from Stockton, Cal
On July Naughton was not to be
found in town. The proprietor of
the hotel said he had gone to picnic
at Crystal Lake. A waitress said he
had gone to Minneapolis. [ knew
enough to watch Contant, or, as he is
known on occasions in California, Som
tag, and when he left Mankato for
Minneapolis on July s. took the same
train.
''On reaching the city Contant went
directly to the Wilbur House, where
Naughton had put up. He wasn't in.
Later he called again and ran into
Naughton. They had talk and
tickets were purchased for Fresno,
Cal. | wired the Pinkertons at Port
land and had them shadow Contant
when he reached Portland, July II.
He went directly to Fresno that night
and the next day started for Visalia,
reaching there at O'Clock in the even
ing. At Visalia he met his stepfath-
er's son, John Sontag, and chatted
with him for five hours, returning to
Fresno by midnight train.
"NaughtOn--or, as he goes by his
own name in California, Eyans-had
stopped by the way to buy ammuni-
tion, dynamite, and supplies. So when
he passed Reedley aud gave the signal
to Contant, who had room in a hotel
overlooking the station and spent
most of his time at the window, he
Immediately packed up and lit out for
Squaw Valley.
81 found mail carrier who took
Contant in mail cart to the valley.
The day was hot. Contant removed
his coat and belt containing two big
guns, placing them on the bottom of
the cart. The first man Contant met
in Squaw Valley was Naughton, the
friend he did not know at Mankato.
SIT might be said in connection
that three trains have been robbed in
exactly the same manner in Califor-
mia that was adopted in Minnesota
and WiscOnsin-one at Ceres, at Pix
ley and Goshen. Seven miles from
the latter place is Modesto, where
John Sontag and Eyans,or Naughton,
ran a livery stable. The men who
robbed the train at Goshen fled on
horses, that were traced to within
two miles of Modesto. About four
months after the robbery the livery
unfortunately burned and the men
left town.
Among other things stolen from
the train at Ceres was case contain
ing Is silver watches. A year after
the robbery the Methodist minister
asked in church for contributions for
a Christmas tree. The next day he
found box containing Is silver
watches. No address, no nothing
ContanJ lived at Visalia at the time.
''MOst of the robberies in California
have been committed by three men
who use dynamite, cigars and pistols.