The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-02-05
Kill Dozen or More Prominent
Citizens if they Refused to
Pass over the Doodle,
And of her Being Compelled to
Join the Robbers at the
Point of a Revolver.
She Creates Intense Excitement
In the Office of the Probate
Court During the Recit-
nj of her Story.

One of the most romantic schemes
and startling plots to rob banks and
hold up certain prominent men of
this city, was unwound by Mrs. S. G.
Soule Monday in the office of the
Judge of Probate, where she was
being examined as to her sanity by
Doctors Davis, Jacoby and another
physician.
There is no telling how long the
affair would have continued had she
not been arrested on Sunday night.
The witnesses who testified as to what
Mrs. Soule told them in regard to the
deep plot, were Chief Yates, Colonel
Thomas, John T. Meagher, J. a.
Willard.
During the testimony Mrs. Soule
convinced everybody that she had the
story by heart, for the minutest de-
tails were referred to by her in her
questions to the above witnesses. At
the conclusion of the testimony of
the witnesses mentioned, Mrs. Soule
took the witness chair and for fully
two and a half hours, held the atten-
tion Of every person present with her
story, which was told in calm AMI
positive manner. Her demeanor was
any but that Of woman of unsound
mind, and when she had concluded
there seemed TO be as much mystery
in the minds Of those present as when
she first took the stand
Substantially her tale was this:
son the night of Jan. 5th, OF the
present year, l was in the water
closet, situated on the premises in
which / live with my family, when |
heard0several voices very indistinctly
at first, but later | could hear them
very plainly. They seemed TO be up
to some plot and suddenly one of
we may be heard As they came
toward the water-closet, [ hid behind
the door and heard their scheme,
which was to rob the three Banks of
VI dIhd w 0tG1l ilOlil uD SCNCl&1 plOIlIl-
nent men of the city, whose names
are Messrs j. F. Meagher, Stephen
Lamm, J. A Willard, Geo. II. Clark,
W. G. Hoerr, j. H. Ray, L. Patterson,
John G. Wise, Sr. and Col Thomas.
These men they intended to eitherhold
up at their homes or on the street and
demand checks for large amount,
for their liberty. After some little
time, they left the water-closet with
out discovering me behind the door.
Feeling anxious to be able to identity
them / left the hiding place few
minutes after their departure and in
going out Of the door my dress caught
on buck-saw, and not on saw-buck
as one witness testified that / told
him it was Saw-buck. The noise of
the accident which befell me was
heard by members of the gang, for [
heard one Of them say: 'Ah, alb. some
body has been listening They re-
turned in hot haste, and one OF them
said to nae, DO you know what be-
comes of eavesdroppers?' When |
calmly told them that I had heard
all that they had said, one of them
place revolver to my head and said
the only chance for life l had was TO
become one Of them. Desiring to
gain time said: ]How much is there
in this?' One of them replied that
there was cool SOC 600 for each mem
Der. / asked them what they expect
ed me to do, and they said | could as
sist them by getting duplicate keys
and help in other matters which
would be developed as the plot thick
ened.
They told me how | was to know of
future meetings, and as they were
about to leave one of their number
said: Now, remember that any
treachery on your part means death.
We are ali of US watching each other.
| went into the house and as Mr..
Soule was i'll kept quiet and said
nothing to him of what | had heard.
Twas not afraid of anything for the
reason that as | now know their plan.
it would not be polite for them to do
me harm.
i. On the 18th OF January / was pass
ing or Front street, | think liz front
of the Model clothing house, when
two men came along. Both were
walking very rapidly. One of them
had handkerchief over the lower
part of his face. 1t was in the day
time.
As they passed me, one on each side,
a note was placed on my muff The
note / took to Col. Thomas. 1t reads
as follows:
"Keep watch for sign for meeting.
Remember Num-"