The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-23

the station and intended to break open
the safe, but Wilkins made so much
noise hammering at the safe combi-
nation and door that they became
frightened and went away after rif1ing
the cash drawer and taking q revolver.
O'Brien told where the money, includ-
ing the pennies from the station
drawer, had been given for meals, and
also where Wilkins had thrown the re-
volver after the robbery had been COM
mitted Detective Bresnan was not
satisfied with what he could learn
about the robbery Of the depot and in
sisted that it would be better for
O'Brien to confess about the robbery Of
the five men in the freight car on the
night of Oct. "a O'Brien at first re-
fused to talk on this line and claimed
to know nothing about the affair Be
ing pressed and the intimation being
thrown out that Wilkins had decided to
turn states evidence O'Brien weakened
and made another confession, giving
the robbery Of the five harvest
hands in the car in detail O'Brien.
however, in both confessions lays all
the blame on Wilkins and says that his
wicked partner shot the harvester in
the freight car after robbing the men
and also did all the robbing at the
Dassel station. O'Brien claims that
he first met Wilkins on a Great North
ern freight car between Larimore and
Grand Forks last July and that they
have been travelling together ever
since. After robbing the five harvest
hands near Melrose, O'Brien says they
went to Minneapolis and Oct. 30 left
that city intending to go out West
again. He claims they took wrong
freight car by mistake and instead Of
going West were surprised to find
themselves in West Superior. From
West Superior they made their way to
Elk River and back again to Mime
apolis. which point they reached
Nov. Z.
Detective Noble says 1t is possible
that O'Brien and Wilkins were con-
cerned in the robbery Of car load of
harvesters which occurred the night Of
Nov. 3, a short distance from Mime
apolis. A crowd of twenty harvest
hands made arrangements with the
brakemen on a freight train that they
be allowed to ride to ST. Paul from a
point in the northern part of the state
for fifty cents per head. At some point
between Elk River and Minneapolis
three men entered the car Two Of
them flourished revolvers and the other
coupling pin and the harvest hands
were robbed of what money they had,
amounting to something over $3.50 An
investigation made resulted in the
brakemen being discharged.
O'Brien is rather vague as to just
night Of Nov. 8, and it is possible that
the twain with a. third man might have
been the ones who were concerned in
the second hold up Of harvesters. This
feature of the case will be thoroughly
investigated by Detective Noble and
his assistants. O'Brien and Wilkins
will be arraigned at Litchfield, Meeker
county, Tuesday. The confession made
by O'Brien was before County AttOr-
ney Foster and Detective Bresnan at
Litchfield on Friday.
Wilkins claims to be COW boy and
gives his home as Los Angeles, Cal.
He is twenty years old, five feet seven
in height, weighs lat pounds, dark eyes,
hair and complexion.
O'Brien says he was born in Belfast,
Ireland, and has been in the English
navy. He is twenty-five years old, five
feet seven, light complexion, blue eyes,
high cheek bones, sandy mustache. He
has scars on each side of his neck and
a scar on his right wrist evidently from
a. bullet wound.