The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-06-11
ROBBED OF $S3.
Augusta Schellbach Tells How it
Was Done and How She Failed
to Prove 1t.
EVANSTON, ILL.,, June 5th, '97

| IL.
newspaper notoriety-though not so
cheap in the matter of dollars and
cents-that has fallen to my lot in
this place, many inquiries have come
to me from my Minnesota friends re-
garding the matter.
To be brief, in April had SS3 stolen
from my room. Dreading publicly, l
decided not to make an arrest, though
conclusive evidence pointed to the
| thief. She, after the manner of her
kind, began to circulate report
charging the offense upon some men,
Der of Judge Prentiss' family with
whom l board, and then | felt it
duty to have her arrested. Unfortu-
nately for me, Mr.. Prentiss, who con-
Quoted the prosecution, had won the
enmity of the police by his opposition
to the present municipal adminiStra-
tiOn which came very near being
turned down" this spring, and his
appearance in justice court was the
signal for his enemies to show their
sentiments. The J. p. who presided
exchanged winks with the attorney
for the defense, sustained all his OBJ
jections when their main witness was
being crOss-eXamined, allowed the
most insulting remarks to be made to
every witness for the prosecution, in
fact, as affairs were made to appear,
the only reliable parties were the
thief and her defenders. This was
my initiation into a political con-
spiracy, and also my realization of the
dignity Of the court as it exists in the
precincts of "classic" Evanston.
Ny brother came here, and without
revealing who he was, satisfied him
self in his talk with The chief of
police and other interested parties, as
to the intention of the justice of the
peace who announced that she would
not be bound Over-this was before
the evidence was all in-as the girl,
who, was after week bailed out, was
spending the rest of my money and
wearing out the apparel she had in
vested most of it in, there remained
no object for continuing the prosecu-
tion, and the case was dropped. Now
l am joint defendant in a 5000
damage suit.
She has lawyer who expects to
make a little out of this, and is not
afraid of anything in the line of
illegal and criminal means to bring
it about. Of course my finances are
decided minus quantity, but they
have boosted that they will harass me
when l am at work again. Of course
l do not fear that but am sorry for my
partner in distress, who has some rea-
son to anticipate bright future in
his chosen profession.
Some of the newspaper accounts are
highly original and sensational. The
Chronicle charged me with having
found the money behind my dressing
case, and moralizes at length upon
these hysterical women who will in
a moment Of excitement charge their
dearest friend with theft" 1t goes
on to remark that L was not generous
enough to acknowledge the wrong
done, etc. The reporter knew better,
but of course money is king here, and
though professors and others have re-
peatedly been to correct the false re-
ports, it has no more effect than to
ask the earth to stand still, and 1
realize very fully what is meant by
the Freedom of the Press" in the
city of Chicago.
l expect to be at home about the
middle of June, after graduation, and
l come back to Minnesota with
greatly increased respect for my ma
tive state, it's institutions and it's
people.
Besides my diploma, 1 have acquired
a varied experience; for this brief &C.
count but meagerly recounts the trials
I've been subjected to in the simple
effort to get justice against an adj
veuturess, which this girl is proving
to be.
Her aunt, with whom l formerly
boarded, and at whose house l made
the girls acquaintance, is my warmest
friend and will stand by me in the
trial. She is respectable hard
working woman and had no idea of
the character of the girl she was
harbori2g, but turned her out at once
when she learned Of her true nature.
Yours,
AUGUSTA SCHELLBACH.
Notice to Farmers.
All persons having any wheat stored