The Saint Paul globe., 1896-11-30
HERMAN ROsENTHAL DELIGHTS
THE POLECEI WITH A WEIRD
BUT INTRICATE TALE
OF HIS MANY SAD TROUBLES.
FOR MERELY TRYING TO WRECK
TRAINyHE SERVED TEN
T. YEARS,
Inasmuch as-Deputy Warden Lemon
of Saltwater, Says Herman
Was Not There.

A young man was found by PATROL
man Zacher stretched across the side
walk near the corner of Seventh and
Ramsey streets late Saturday night.
1t was supposed at the time that he
was intoxicated, and the patrol wagon
was called and the prisoner taken to
fellow arrived there he had sufficiently
recovered to give an account OF him
self
His name he said was Herman Ros-
entha1, and he was at present work
ing at 104 East Third street for his
board and lodgings He was not drunk,
and neither had he been drinking, and
to prove his assertions he told a rather
pitiful story. This is his story: Ten
years ago last summer he, with a party
of dozen other youths, had congre-
gated at ST Cloud, MINI. The band
Included young men from various parts
of the country who drifted about from
one place to the other, doing as little
work as possible and also doing every
body they could. To avoid being dis
turbed by the police officials the gang
made headquarters in church just on
the outskirts Of the city. A plan was
made up. to- rob a passenger train on
one of the railroads which passed near
ST. Cloud, and all the party were to
share and share alike in the booty Sc
cured. Rosenthal was delegated to
take position. on the locomotive ten
der, and when a certain part Of the
road was reached where there was a
steep incline he was to cut off the en-
gine, and thus give the members Of
the gang a chance to rob the express
and passenger cars. According to the
story told by5 Rosenthal the scheme
miscarried,. owing to the failure of the
attachment between the express car
and the engines to become disconnected
when hemadeEt eEthe attempt.
He, according TO the story, was
caught on the tender of the locomotive
with q piece of cloth over his face
and a revolver in his pocket. The other
members of the gang skipped when
the plan failed to carry and only seven
of the thirteen were captured. Two
of those arrested at the time, who
went by the names Of Hughes and
Murray, proved an alibi at the trial
and were discharged. The other five
were arraigned in court, and, after q
trial, four of them were sentenced
to the penitentiary at Saltwater for d
term of years. Rosenthal says he did
not have trial, but took advantage
of the position and entered g. plea of
guilty and was sentenced to twenty
one years in the states prison, the
other four prisoners receiving shorter
sentences. OF the four who went to
the prison with him, Rosenthal says
two died from fever, one fell down
stairs in the prison and fractured his
skull, another was sent to the insane
asylum at Rochester and he was par
doned by the governor, Sept. IA, last.
Rosenthal made quite a hit with
Capt. Rouleau and Jailer Stadfield, and
he was given huge chunks of sympa-
thy and advice, if nothing else. DR..
BrimhaH was sent for, but he could
find nothing wrong with Rosenthal' s
heart, which the young man claimed
was the cause of his sickness.
Deputy Warden Lemon telephoned
yesterday afternoon no such person
had ever been confined in the prison,
neither had any prisoner convicted of
attempted train wrecking been SEN
fenced to twenty-one years in the pris-
on. Rosenthal, or whoever he is the
deputy warden said, must have been
smoking the pipe" or was a gigantic
liar.