River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-10-15
WORK OF BANDITS.
Cory Deed of Desperadoes at Sher-
burne, MINI.
Rob q Bank and XIII Two Men-One of
Them Being Overtaken Shoots Mar
shall Gallien and Kills
Himself.

In in the widest state of excitement
over the most thrilling tragedy that
ever occurred in southern Minnesota.
I The Bank of Sherburne was robbed of
large sum of money and two men
were almost instantly killed at about
1870 p. IN. Wednesday. About noon two
men. one of whom looked like a mere
boy, rode along the main street on BIZ
cycles. They were both well dressed,
4 but were unshaved and trayel-stained
The strangers hung around the out
skirts until shortly after one o'clock.
apparently sizing up the situation. AT
that time they sauntered lazily down
the street and stopped Immediately
in front of the Bank of Sherburne.
After moments talk they went into
the bank, and the elder of the two men
engaged Assistant Cashier George Thor
burn in conversation.
Precisely what occurred inside The
bank is not known, as nobody was on
the street in the immediate vicinity at
that time. Que of the desperadoes.
however, evidently got hold of a roll
OF bills containing about $1,000. Thor
burn probably tried to prevent the men
from getting away with the money.
and they whipped out their reyolvers
and began firing, and at the same time
retreating.
One of the bullets struck Thorburn
in the neck and another cut the aorta,
causing almost instant death from in
ternal hemorrhage. The shooting in
the bank aroused the town and people
began running in that direction. The
first man TO reach the place was Olaf
Oestern, of Luverne, travelling sales
man for the Wood Harvester company.
of ST. Paul. The desperadoes evidently
feared that they would be captured, as
they quickly turned their firearms upon
Oestern. lie made a dash to grapple
with them, but was not quick enough.
as ne was struck on the head and fell
dead at their feet. They ran down the
street. firing at random, while people
in the street scurried TO places of safety.
The fleeing robbers ran about three
blocks to clump Of bushes, where they
had coached their wheels, mounted
them and rode rapidly away toward
the Iowa line. six miles to the south.
Mayor G. +. Everett at once did all in
his power together with the town
marshal to run down the bandits. He
also sent a dispatch to Gov. Clough at
St. Paul, telling him of the awful
tragedy and asking advice.
Wells. Mimi, Oct. l0.-John ID. Sair,
who no doubt engineered the robbery
at Sherburne Wednesday afternoon. is
dead. as is also Marshal Gallien, of Ban
croft, la. This bloody sequel to the
Martin county tragedy came a few min
utes after nine o'clock Friday morning
in a bloody battle on the state line road
near Gilmore, MINI. A posse of 100 men
in command of Deputy Sheriff Ward, of
Martin county, got on the trail of Sair
shortly after daylight and tracked him
to farmhouse. Deputy Ward knocked
at the door and was answered by wom-
an, but before she had spoken three
words Sair rushed up behind her aud
began firing over her shoulder at the
officers. lie fired seven times in quick
succession, one of the bullets striking
Marshal Gallien in the forehead and
killing MIN instantly. The desperate
then quickly ran out of the house by
way of the back door, mounted his bicy-
Gle and dashed eff toward the east. The
posse caught sight of him and followed
close behind. This chase was kept up
for four miles, when Sair broke a
pedal on his wheel and took to the fields
on foot.
AS he ran across a cornfeld toward
"a clump of trees Deputy Sheriff Ward
dashed up, dismounted, and, resting his
gun upon a tree, fired, the shot from his
Winchester taking effect in the robbers
shoulder. The latter fell, ii was sup
posed from the shot from the gun, but
when the posse gathered around him il
was found he had shot himself in the
head. the shoulder wound only beiug a
slight one. Upon examining the body
the officers fonud a portion of the
money stolen from Sherburne in an in
side pocket of his shirt, the amount be-
ing about 5000. Fastened to a bell
around his body were two revolvers
and a wicked-looking dirk knife. The
body was taken to Gilmore at noon and
thence west to Sherburne later. The
coroner's inquest has adjourned until
Monday without finding a verdict. The
body of the dead marshal was taken to
Bancroft. la.
Albert Lea, Mimi, Oct. 10. - Fred
Pratt. the companion of John ID. Sair
in the bank robbery and double MUIR
der at Sherburne, this state, last
Wednesday, is in Jail here, having been
taken into custody Saturday morning
while attempting to escape from the
woods where he was surrounded. Pratt
was captured near Lake Mills, Winnie
bago countys Ia. about IL miles from
the Mace 1Nhere Sair killcd himself