Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1896-10-17
BOLD ROBBERY AND MURDED
a Crime That Is Worthy Of thu
James Brothers.
Two Masked Men Dash Into Sher
Durne, Mimi, Kill n Cashies
and ~Bystander and Es.
cape o. Wheels.

Fairfnoht. Mimi, oct. s.-There is III,
greatest excitement imaginable In THU
part or the country over one Of the bold.
est robberies and murders In the Grim.
maj n Of this state. Two masked
bicycle mounted robbers swept into
the little town OF Sherburne, fourteen
miles from here, yesterday, dashed int
the Bank OF S~herburne, murdered the
cashier and a bystander, secured $1,000
from the cash tray, mounted theii
wheels and escaped before the eyes OF
the startled villagers. The affair wa,
conducted with all the bravado of tn,
porder drama, and the killing of the
w men. n OF whom died instantly,
was purely wanton, as neither made
any resistance. The dead men are J. A
Oestern, travelling agent OF the Walter
A. Wood Harvester company. sh0
through the heart, and Cashier Thor.
burn OF the Bank OF S%herburne, shot ir
the head.
The crime Is paralleled only by ths
raid OF Jesse James and the Younger
boys, when they swooped down on tn,
little town OF Mortified, a few miles
north of the scene OF yesterdays crime
shot the cashier of the Bank OF North.
Held down and decamped with a large
amount OF money. In that instance the
robbers departed on horses, whereas
yesterday the criminals. In keepint
with the times, used bicycles In escap
ing from the enraged citizens Of Sher
burne.
About 1870 o'clock two masked mer
walked through the front entrance o..
tho ha MI 80 thn aaghaa~s. 49, anH x.,tth-
out a word whipped out their revolveri
and leveled them at Cashier Thorburn
The latter did not move, but the next
minute the report of two revolvers rams
out and Cashier Thorburn fell at his
desk. At another desk in the bank stcot
Oestern, a travelling a He was the
only immediate bar to the ends which
the robbers sought to gain, and as
Thorburn fell To the floor they turned
on him and shot him dead. Al
rapidly as possible they leaped oven
the railing which separated them from
the cashiers desk, and secured $1,000 IN
cash. They then ran for the back door OF
the bank, where they had left the.i
wheels, mounted them and rode away. II
all happened inside OF two minutes and
the only witness to the deed was a woman
who stood across the street from The
front entrance of the bank and who was
attracted by the report OF the ~revolvers
as the robbers shot Thorburn. She also
saw them turn on Oestern, secure the
money and decamp. As Don as possible
she gave the alarm and IN five minutes AT.
ter the deed had been committed the VI.
lage was in a state OF excitement such az
has never before been seen there.
Thorburn. 1t was found. was not dead
Oestern, however, mad been shot through
the heart and had apparently been IN.
stantly killed. Thorburn lived two hours,
having received bullets IN several differ.
ent parts OF his body.
The town OF ~Sherburne contains scarcely
a score more than 800 Inhabitants, but in.
sd OF ten minutes sevearl posses had
been formed. including nearly every male
citizen OF the town. and a search was al
once Instituted. Every town and villag,
where there g the slightest possibility OF
the robbers visiting in their efforts 10 es.
cape has been warned and their capture /,
expected at any moment.