The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-09

pitiless, contemptibly cowardly and
brutally bloodthirsty.
So far as is now apparent, there was
no earthly provocation for the murder
Of either victim.
The last man to talk with the muir
some words with them, was C. ].
Schunk, of Aberdeen, like Oestern, a
travelling representative of farm i'm
plement company. the ]. l. Case Manu-
featuring company.
THORBURN'S LAST DRAFT.
Five minutes or less before the
corpses of Thorburn and Oestern were
found weltering on the floor Of the
bank, Mr.. Schunk stood at the little
window where Thorburn was SO soon
to meet his death. Schunk was buying
draft when the two men who COM
mitted the murder entered the bank.
One Of them, in manner suggestive
half of slouchiness and half Of ner-
vousness sidled up to the window and
asked If Thorburn had any mortgage
blanks.
Thorburn replied that he would wait
on him when he finished with his pres
| was standing in the extreme front of
the room, looking out, his hands in his
pockets, while he whistled merry air.
Upon the reply Of Thorburn, the in
terlocutor made some semi-quizzical.
semi-impudent remark about not want
ing any. but just wanting to know If
| Thorburn had any.
Securing his draft, the last that
| Thorburn ever signed. ghastly me-
| mento Of the tragedy that 1t is, Schunk
left the bank, and walked up the street
| toward the Empey house.
1t now seems probable that as soon
as he left the bank. the intruders re-
turned to the ticket window and that
one Of them covered Oestern with his
revolver, while the other looked after
the banker. Which was shot first may
never be known unless the scoundrels
confess. Mrs. Masters, who witnessed
part of the tradgedy from across the
street, Is Of the opinion that Oestern
| was the first killed. but she was not
where she could see Thorburn shot at
ALL
| DESPERADOES WERE COWARDS.
The wound that caused the death Of
| the latter shows the cOwardice of the
men that killed him. He had evident
| ly turned away from the window.
whether to get the mortgage blank the
murderer had asked for or a weapon
to defend himself being, of course con-
1ectural. Be that as it may the ball
| from the revolver entered his head
about three inches from the ear It
was in almost the Identical spot which
Harry Hayward found from his medi-
cal friend was SO certainly fatal, and
which Blixt used with such Infamous
success. Whether or not the scoundrel
| in this case had time to take such
deliberate aim is not known, but the
circumstances show that his aim was
| unerring and the shot instantly fatal
| Oestern, on the other hand. evident
| ly had an intimation Of the terrible
| fate that awaited them, for the same
bullet, 1t is supposed, that entered his
forehead, just above the brtm of his
steel gray Fedora, had previously
passed through his hand, between two
Of the metatarsal bones. The incised
wound was in the palm of the hand
showing that the member had been
| thrown up in repellent rather than
a menacing manner, the 1acerated
tissues being on the back of the hand
where the bullet had come out after
being deformed by contact with the
| bone.
The men then leaped over the rail-
ing as described by the women who
witnessed the terrible deed, and. 1t
now seems likely. remained only long
enough to hastily unload the cash
drawer. This was a double decker
having a slide half the area of the
drawer. with pockets for coin. In this