Great Falls weekly tribune., 1896-10-16
" AS SHOT DOWN
A Brave Officer Meets Death at the
Hands of a Fugitive From
Justice.
The TRAGEDY IN MINNESOTA
After Killing the Officer the Robber
Shoots Himself Rather Than
Surrender.

ST. PAUL, Oct. 9.--The northwest por
ton of Iowa and southern Minnesota are
wrought up over the terrible tragedy of
Wednesday, the work of two bandits in
robbery and burglary at Sherburne,
MINI. Yesterday afternoon a posse Of
citizens of Bancroft, led by Marshal
Will Gallen, set out in pursuit of the
robbers, taking up the trail that had
beep loet at Baskerville the night previ-
Gus. 1t seems that the two bandits sep
arated at Estherville, one going east and
the other southwest, and Gallien and his
men took the east trail. They were pos
tive late last night when darkness
overlook them, that they were on the
trail. The robber was still riding
bicycle and the curves in the road
plainly indicated that he was wearing
out. He was following very closely the
Iowa and Minnesota line, going east.
This morning they started out again at
4 o'clock, only to find that the robber
had rested by the side of the road dur
ing the night and stopped at farm
house shortly after 6 o'clock and de-
manded his breakfast. The farmer had
been notified of the robbery and imme-
diately suspected the man was the rob-
Der and questioned him. The desperate
told him he was travelling man and
was making his way through the coun-
try on bicycle. He still wore his bicy-
Gle suit. When the posse came up to
the house they we're notified that the
desperate had left only an hour previous,
and with speedy horses the posse set out
in hot pursuit, with Gallien in the lead.
At point about eight miles east Of
the place where he stopped and about
twelve miles west of Elmore, Mimi, the
posse sighted their man about half
mile ahead. He had punctured his
tire. They pushed rapidly forward. He
was placid and fatigued and stood by
his wheel. But he was gamy to the last
Marshal Gallien called to him to throw
up his hands, but instead he leveled his
revolver at the marshal, sending bull
let through his body. The brave mar
shal lived but four hours. The despera
do then attempted to make his escape
into the cornfield, when Deputy Sheriff
Brayton fired at him with a
shotgun. Bound not to surrender
he placed his weapon to his head and
fired, blowing big hole through his
head He died instantly. The body of
the desperate was taken to Elmore. The
remains of the marshal were taken to his
late home at Bancroft
The other 1obber is believed to be in
custody at Jackson, MINI. Although
the officers are in hot pursuit of another
man, who is making his way southeast
through Winnebago county, the man
who is under arrest at Jackson tallies
exactly with the description. The man
killed is ]. d. Sair, who was at one time
at Heron Lake. The other is supposed
to be Fred Pratt, who was seen with
Sair, two days before the robbery. Re-
port is also received that tall man en-.
tered the bank of Hardee, southeast o1
Luverne, this afternoon and covered the
cashier with q revolver and demanded
money. He was handed out 800 anC
made his escape.
Sair and Pratt worked this year on {
farm owned by an uncle OF Pratt, neal
Heron Lake. They have been regarded
as hard cases. A large barn was recently
set on fire and burned at Heron Lake
and the crime was charged to them.