The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-09-10
GORDEN is HIS NAME.
The Young Man Caught With Cas-
wells Wheel.


young man who is alleged to have
stolen the bicycle of W. R. Caswell
from in front of Kuenzli & Luscher's
store on Monday evening of last week.
He is just eighteen years of age and
his face is beardless. He is fairly we'll
dressed and there is every indication
that he is young man of more than
ordinary intelligence.
According to his own story given to
reporter for this paper at the Jail last
Thursday afternoon his home is at
Norwood. His mother was visiting
at Stevens Point on that day and was
not aware of her son being under ar
rest. His father died about five years
ago and since his death, which occurred
at Stevens Point, the home of mother
and son has been at Norwood. He
claims to be nephew of Hon. E. T.
Young, State Senator from Swift and
Chippewa counties, and one Of the
leading young men of the State. Cor
den also claims to have graduated
from the Central High school, st.
Paul, last spring, and when asked what
he proposed doing this winter he said
that he was about to enter the law
school department of the State Uni
versity. He evaded the question of
where he proposed to get the money
to take the course, except that "his
relatives would undoubtedly furnish
it." While in St. Paul, attending the
high school, he boarded with M. R..
Prendergast, one of the leading citi-
zens of that town, and he talked about
the public men of St. Paul as fuently
as the curb stone orator talks about
silver.
According to his story he came to
Redwood Falls on the St. Louis train
on Monday afternoon of last week. He
came from Fairfax, where he had been
employed as thresher, and came
here for the purpose of finding work.
While here he fell in with couple of
tramps, he says, and spent an hour or
two around the falls. Not being able
to find work, he started for Morton
about seven o'clock that evening. He
says he went to North Redwood and
then walked down the track, arriving
in Morton about eight o'clock. When
cornered on the latter statement, to
the effect that ne could not walk from
here to Morton via North Redwood in
i hours, he admitted that it might
haye been longer than that and he
may not have got into Morton until
nine o'clock. Arriving there, he says,
he put up at the Exchange Hotel, re-
naming there all night and getting
breakfast. On Tuesday morning, he
says he met tramp with the Caswell
bicycle. The tramp told him that the
rim of the rear wheel was broken so
bad that he could not use the wheel
that inasmuch as he was lightweight
and could use it he would sell it to
him for $40. Gorden states that he
had just $40 left and he gave it to the
tramp. Shortly afterwards, he started
for Hector. He was without a cent,
but counted on getting to Buffalo
Lake that night, where he had friends.
He passed through Olivia aud Bird
Island, arriving in the latter place
about six o'clock in the evening. An
hour later he was under arrest.
Upon being arrested he told the off,
Ger, Frank Whitney, who clerked in
Hotel Francois of this city last sum-
mer, that he had come up from Iowa,
making the distance from New Ulm
to Hector that day. Afterwards he
contradicted this statement with the
Morton story. When asked why he
told the first story he said that if the
wheel was stolen he proposed to hang
on to it as long as he could and he
thought that story would allow him to
keep the wheel.
The story leading up to the arrest
is about as interesting as can be told
| in print. Mr.. Caswell realizing Tues
day morning that the wheel had been
stolen, spent $40 in sending kilograms
to every town within a. radius of 30
miles, Hector being the limit. Bird
Island and Olivia we're both notified
but the marshals there failed to nail
the young man. As Gorden went in
to Hector he was completely tired out
and he laid down on the lawn around
the residence Of the telegraph opera