St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-10-20
BY KILLING THE INFORMANT.
Philip Cap;s:rapt Gave the
First Information of Lind
hoff'S Murderers.
GONE TO PARTS UNKNOWN
To Escape the Assassination
Threatened by the L'Orient
Street Toughs.

Phlllp CaplStrant, the young man who
first informed the police that he knew
''the men that killed the bartender on
College avenue" has fled from his home
to escape the vengeance of toughS. His
father and.nother are greatly alarmed,
and fear that some disaster will soon
overtake their boy. Philip is twenty
years old. He has ALWAYS lived with
his parents at $50 Mississippi street.
Thursday afternoon at 4 O'Clock, the
day before the execution, Philip kissed
his mother, and said:
"Good-by. mother. am going away,
and you may never see me again"
The boy thereupon left the II ouse, ,and
has not reterned since, nor communi-
Gated with his parents.
The Capistrants live near the corner
of Williams street, not far from a local.
ity OH L'Orient street known as ''the
fiat" This neighborhood is infested
with gang of toughS and thieves who
cherished deep regard for the late
Messrs. Ermisch and Wonigkeit When
the sentence of death was pronounced
upon the murdererS their loyal friends
ccrssd young Capistrans horribly, and
threatened, in case Ermisch and Wonig-
keit were executed,
That They Would Kill Him.
Two of the gang have been especially
anxious to ''do" Capistrant. They as
sured him once that if ''the boys'' were
hanged they would "fx" him, and that
man who gave others of the gang away
ought to be killed himself. They fol-
lowed up these threats with an assault
upon Capistrant some weeks later,
knocking him down and kicking him.
Fortunately. Capistrant was not seri-
ously injured. but after this experience
he was reduced to constant state of
terror. During the past four weeks he
was afraid to venture cut of the house
alone. A: the time the death sentence
was pronounced, which was at once fol-
lowed by the threats of the toughs,
Capistrant. VINO was engaged in driving
laundry wagon. applied to Chief of
Police Clark fol permission to carry
revolver for self-protection; but the
chief denied the request.
1t is not generally known that Capls-
trant furnished the first information
that established the identity of the
murderers, and so led to their capture,
but such is the case. 1t seems that
few days after the murder was COM
mitted Capistrant held a conversation
with WOnigkeit, whom he had always
known as "Dutchy" Milhausen. A
man named Baker was present at the
time. Wonigkeit. in the course of the
conversation. said:
"These are what I get my money
with, boys" drawing two revoivers
from his pockets. This one," indicat-
ing the weapon in his right hand, ''is
the one that killed the bar"
1t Is supposed that by the word "bar"
WOnfgkeit Meant ssBartender''
in accordance with the thieves code of
abbreviation. When this conversation
was reported to the police, Chief Gar
vim and Chief of Detectives McGinn
were disposed to pooh-pooh the idea
that two st. Paul boys committed the
murder and remained in the city after
wards. They were telegraphing to all
the large cities under the assumption
that the murderers were distinguished
criminals who had doubtless earned
such suggestive sobriquets as 'Red
Handed Nike" dead Shot Billy"
"Sure Thing Joe," and the like. But
finally the police decided to follow the
clue, and with the assistance of Capis.
trant. the murdererS were finally cap
tured.
After the trial and sentence Capis-
trant received his warning from the
toughs of L'Orient street. He was told
as already stated. that if the boys were
hanged his days would besnumbered.
The threat naturally alarmed Capis-
trant, and as 1t was repeated continu-
ally from time to time, his alarm in
creased to terror. His parents sent
him away to the country for a month
last summer, for they too were equally
fearful that some of the gang would
harm their boy. But no violence was
committed until one evening some four
weeks ago, when young Capistrant at
tended party given at the house of
neighbor. With two other young men
Capistrant went down stairs to the base
ment of the house TO partake of some
refreshment. This done Capistrant
started to ascend the stairs. He is blind
in the left eye, and as the stairway
was rather dark, he could not see
clearly. He had set his foot on the first
step, when suddenly
He Received a Stunning Blow
on the left temple. 1t felled him to the
floor, unconscious. Thereupon two
toughs began to kick his PROSTATE body.
kick his other eye OUT" said one,
and then he aimed vicious kick at the
right eye. The shoe struck Capistrant
about an inch below the eye and cut his
face. In the meantime Capistrant's two
friends came to his assistance and sue
ceeded In pulling his assailants tf.after
which they were elected from the prem
ises. How they entered the house is
not known, though it was probably
through the back door.
Since this occurrence Caplstrant has
scarcely dared to leave or approach the
house alone. The threats against his
life were repeated constantly, until the
young man could endure his situation
no longer. So, on the afternoon Of the
day before the execution he left his
home, and expressed the fear that his
mother would never see him again.