Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1896-10-17
BOLD ROBBERY AND MURDED
A Crime That Is Worthy Of tn,
James Brothers.
TWO Masked Men Dash Into SHEER
ourne, MINI, Kill n Cashier
and Byetander and Els
cape on Wheels.

Fairmont, Mimi, Oct. s.-There Is thu
greatest excitement imaginable In thii
part OF the country over one OF the bold.
est robberles ahd murders In the Grim,
inal annals of this state. Two masked
and bicycle mounted robbers swept int
the little town OF ~Sherburne. fourteen
miles from here, yesterday dashed int
the Bank OF ~Sherburne, murdered the
cashier and a bystander, secured 81, 00t
from the cash tray, mounted theii
wheels and escaped before the eyes OF
the startled villagers. The affair wa,
conducted with all the bravado Of thr
border drama, and the killing Of the
w men,, one OF whom died instantly,
was purely wantoh, as neither mad,
any resistance. The dead men are ]. A
Oestern, travelling agent of the Walter
A. Wood Harvester company, sho,
through the heart. and Cashier Thor.
burn OF the Bank 81 Sherburne, shot ir
the head.
The crime Is paralleled only by tn,
RAID or Jesse James and the Younger
boys. when they swooped down on tn,
little town OF Mortified, a few miles
north OF the scene OF yesterdays crime
SHOT the cashier of the Bank OF North.
held down and decamped with a large
amount OF money. In that instance the
robbers departed on horses, whereas
yesterday the criminals, in keepinl
with the times. used bicycles In escap
Ing from the enraged citizens Of Sher
burne.
About 1:30 o'clock two masked mer
walked through the front entrance o.
the bank TO the cashiers box and with.
out a word whipped u their revolver,
and leveled them at Cashier Thorburn
The latter did not move, but the next
minute the report OF two revolvers rang
out and Cashier Thorburn fell at his
desk. At another desk in the bank stcoc
Oestern, a travelling a He was the
only immediate bar 10 the ends which
the robbers sought TO gain. and as
Thorburn fell to the floor they turned
on him and shot him dead. As
rapidly as possible they leaped ovei
the railing which separated them from
the cashiers desk. and secured 1900 In
cash. They then ran for the back door oil
the bank, where they had left the.i
wheels, mounted them and rode away. II
all happened inside OF two minutes and
the only witness TO the deed was a woman
who stood across the street from the
ron entrance OF the bank and who was
attracted by the report OF the revolvers
"a the robbers shot Thorburn. She also
saw them turn on Oestern. secure the
money and decamp. As soon az possible
she gave the alarm and IN five minutes af.
ter the deed had been committed the vi.
lage was in a state OF excitement such a,
has never before been seen there.
Thorbnrn. II was found, was not dead.
Oestern. however, had been shot through
the heart and had apparently been IN.
stantly killed. Thorburn lived two hours,
having received bullets IN several differ.
ent parts OF his body.
The town Of S%herburne contains scarcely
q score more han 800 Inhabitants, but in.
SIDE OF ten minutes sevearl posses had
been formed, including nearly every male
citizen OF the town, n a search was al
once Instituted. Every town and village
where there IS the slightest possibility OF
the robbers visiting IN their efforts 20 es.
cape has been warned and their capture (,
expected at any moment.