The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-24
FIRED FIVE SHOTS


side or the house, where it was rified
OF the contents, one dollar in dimes and
the same amount in nickels Fifteen
pennies in the drawer were passed up
by the thieves, who evidently did not
care to risk any chances of arrest for
such a small sum-, 1t is probable that
1t was while one of the burglars was
going out OF the bar room with the
drawer that he stumbled against the
spittoon which was the noise heard
by Mrs Curtin just before she awaken
ed her husband. In the course of the
investigation made by the officials the
revolver which Curtin had in his hand
at the time of the murder was examin-
ed by County Attorney Manwaring
one or the chambers of the revolver
was found to contain an empty she'll
and 1t was then learned that Curtin
had taken a shot at his murderer. The
bullet was found imbedded in the door
OF the room opposite the archway,
Where, the murderer stood, and this. to-
gether with the intentions made on
two of the other cartridges in the re-
Volver, showed that Curtin had made
desperate struggle to defend his life
and property. The revolver, however
had only been fired once, the other
times Curtin had pulled the trigger
the cartridges not exploding. The
failure of the weapon held by Curtin
- ASNoPCiA " IAiS pun Ol Tile LIiSRGE Is
explained by William Kunde, his broth
er-ln-laW. who says that the day Curtin
secured the weapon it was noticed that
1t missed fire oftener than it discharg-
ed. The revolver was taken to a gun
smith and repaired, but unfortunately
for Curtin, no attempt was made to
see II it worked properly after 1t was
repaired. Those who know Curtin in
t1mately say he was a very quiet man.
but game to the last. One of his asso-
clates, on learning that the cartridges
showed that the murdered man had en-
deavored to discharge two other cham
bers of the weapon, said it was too bad
Tom had not succeeded, for he was GER
tain that had the revolver worked the
burglar and not Curtin would have
been the dead one.
Coroner Freligh made an examina-
ton of the body Of Curtin, and found
that all five of the shots fired by the
murderer had taken effect. One enter
ed the left breast two inches below the
nipple and lodged in the heart. Another
entered the right breast at about the
same position. Another struck Just be-
low the ribs on the right side and pass
ed through the body, coming out at
the right hip. Another went through
the fieshy part of the left arm, and one
was buried in the upper part of the
left thigh. Coroner Freligh empaneled
a jury, consisting of G. A. Myers, John
Frank, John Lohmann, Rudolph Dorm
faldt, Peter Klein and Louis Lohmann,
and after the jurors had been sworn in
the body was taken in charge by an
undertaken from Saltwater and re-
moved to that city.
Mrs. Curtin was then called before
the jury, and although laboring under
a terrible mental strain, told the story
Of the murder in a graphic manner and
illustrated the positions of herself,
her husband and the murderer during
the shooting as outlined above. She
said the man was about five feet nine
or ten, and to be positive about his
height had a friend of the family stand
in the curtained archway where the
murderer stood to get the exact height.
The man, she said, was of slender
build, wore dark clothing, and his coat
buttoned up cloSepto his chin. He wore
a black SLOUGH hat and the lower part
Of his face was covered with a black
mask. His eyes shone like fire, and as
she looked toward the spot where the
murderer stood, she involuntarily
pressed her hands to her eyes as if to
shut out the memory of the fearful
scene. He had a gruff voice, and said
keep still' or keep quiet" she did not
| remember which. Just as he said this
| he commenced to shoot, and what she
did after that she could not say, ex-
| cept that she lighted the lamp. which
had gone out after the second or third
shot, raised her husband up, and
saw the man again she could identify
him, and said she would know him
among a thousand
After giving her testimony Mrs.
Curtin left the house and was taken
in a carriage to the residence of her
father, Herman Gunde, proprietor Of
the Chicago house at Saltwater After a
consultation with County Attorney
Manwaring and Assistant County At
torney Sullivan, it was decided by
Coroner Freligh to adjourn the inquest
until Thursday next at 2 o'clock
The theory was advanced by some
of the residents at Elmo that the muir
der was the work of tramps but Sheriff
Smith and Chief of Police McIlree do
not think tramps had anything to do
with it, Tramps, they claim, would
have been satisfied with the 81 obtained
from the drawer in the saloon and
what they could make away with in
the shape of liquors and cigars. In
the opinion of these officials the men
engaged in the robbery and murder
were professionals, and desperate ones
at that On Saturday night about II
o'clock a short, well dressed man, hav-
ing no appearance of the tramp about
him, stepped into the saloon and asked
Curtin how late he kept open. John
Lohmann, who lives at Lake Elmo, was
standing at the bar talking with Cur
lin. and while he did not take any par
ticular notice of the fellow, is certain
that he would be able to recognize him
again. Curtin told the man that he
had no regular time for closing up, but
generally closed about 1870 o'clock. The
fellow did not make a purchase, but
said he would be back about half past
II o'clock and went out. Perhaps, fif-
teen minutes later T. Lalond, who has
charge of the club house ON the lake
shore while on his way to the depot to
meet the train from ST. Paul, which
reaches there at 1870, saw two well
dressed men standing near the station
engaged in conversation. He described
the men yesterday as wearing dark
clothing and hats, and said that one
was tall and the other a short man.
Further than this he could not describe
them.
Shortly after the murder freight
train passed the station at Lake Elmo
and the station agent noticed two men
on one of the cars, who were evidently
stealing a ride. The train dispatcher's
office at St. Paul was notified, and the
attention of the police department was
called to the fact. The freight did not
stop at Lake Elmo, but the station
agent figured it out that if the two men
on the car were the ones concerned in
the murder they would have had plenty
of time to walk to Saltwater junction,
half a mile from the scene of the MUIR
der, and get on the train there, the
rules of the road requiring that all
trains come to stop at the juno
ton Lieut.. Hanft and Sergeant Ryan
met the freight train at Arcade street
yesterday morning at $50 and took in
custody the two men who were sus-