Omaha daily bee., 1896-10-13
BANK ROBBERS CONFESSION
Young Man Arrested at Lake Mills Tells
His Story, but Not His Name.
CRIME WAS PLANNED BY HIS BROTHER
Two Men Undcrtook the Crime and
the one who Planned IL Took His
own Life Rather Than SUBJ
init to Capture.

FAIRMoNT Mimi, Oct. 12.-The second
Sherburne bank robber is guarded by the
militia here tonight, grave fears Of an at
tempt at lynching being entertained by the
authorities. The young desperate gives as
his reason for not divulging his name that
he has praying mother and sister Of very
high connection and repute and he will never
allow them to stand the stigma of such a
crime. He is the coolest man in Fair
mont tonight, although there is great dan
ger Of his dangling at ropes end before
morning. The county officials at s o'clock
tonight called out fifty members of COM
pany ID and have them stationed inside the
Jail enclosure. A report was received from
Sherburne that mob was forming there
to march on the Jail here but officers de.
clare they will not surrender their man.
On the street great deal of excitement
prevails.
LAKE MILLS, Ia, Oct. 12.-The young man
under arrest here on a charge of having
been implicated in the double murder ana
bank robbery at SheEburne has made con
fession acknowledging that he wes ssso late ]
in the affair He says that the man killed
while resisting arrest near ElmOre was his
brother. He will not reveal his true name
nor the location Of his home
The confession was secured by his captor
Marshal Ruby. In 1t he declares that his
brother planned the robbery and killed
the two men in the Sherburne bank After
detailing the killing Of the two men he said
he and his brother were greatly alarmed
lest they be penned up in the bank, and
both agreed that they must work rapidly
He continues:
EFFORTS TO ESCAPE.
81 went to the money drawer and took out
the money. | thought there was about $500
In the bunch that had | put 1t in sack
that we had for that purpose. And then we
cut the screen to the window and left town
on our bicycles Just as we got on the
bicycles | handed my brother the money and
he put 1t in his bicycle bag. We separated
about two and one-half or three miles out
Of Sherburne. My brother, being the best
rider, made south for the state line. and ]
took southwesterly direction, until / got
south OF Jackson and then | struck south
along the Des Mones river to Algona. Then
| crossed the country around by Britt and
Forest City 10 Lake Mills. | had pretty
hard time getting through"
After making the confession to Marshal
Ruby, the latter wanted the prisoner to tell
his right name but he shook his head and
i
anything about this. suppose shall plead
guilty, under an assumed name
The name he first gave upon being taken
into custody was jim McMullen. He now
says that It is fictitious, but will give nc
other. so that under that name he will
probably be indicted. He will be taken &c
the Blue Earth county jail, located In BluC
Earth City. for safekeeping, as II Is con
sidered dangerous to lodge him in the county
Jail at Fairmount, the county seat OF
Martin county. in which the Sherburne aifaiE
occurred
A dispatch from sherburne says the body
OF the dead robber, j. ID. Sair. was inferred
at sherburne Sunday. The only service wa'
a short prayer by Rev. j. j. Lutz Thou
sands of people came in from all directions
The other funeral was that OF George a
Thorburn. the dead cashier The lndopend'
ent Order of Odd Fellows lodge, of which
the deceased was a member had charge o.
the funeral, and Rev. G. T. Walker preached
the funeral sermon. The body will be sent
to Ontario
MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 12.-An Albert Lea
special to the Journal says: The second
Sherburne bank robber captured at Lake
Mills Ia. passed through here In custoday
on his way to Blue Earth City, where he
is to be jailed for safety. He would certainly
be lynched in Martin county where the
crime was committed and there is fear tha'
even in Faribault an attempt to lynch MN
may be made. He has confessed, in addition
to his previous admissions, that he and the
head roDber, his brother. fired a barn al
Heron Lake. Mimi, a week ago today, with
the idea of rcbbing the bank during the eX'
citement. Owing to the care the cashier
took to lock up the funds the plan failed
He says they broke into a hardware store
at Sherburne and stole their revolvers
and bicycles.
Mason City. Ia, special says that the
dead robber, known as j. d. Sair, has beer
identified as Jesse Lake, who clerked in tha