The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1900-12-07
Highway Robbery.


aged fifteen, were returning from
Emerson to their farm home, about two
miles from Pembina, they were the VIC
tins of an attempted llold-up. When
within few rods of the turn to go into
the road that leads to their house, which
is about seventy.6ve yards from the main
road, two men who were walking to-
wards Emerson, as they passed jumped
into the hind part of the sleigh. MIR.
Middleton remarked that they were well
come to ride but that he was going to
turn off in a few rods. Then one of the
men grasped him by the collar, put
revolver to his cheek and the other man
began to try and search Mr. Middleton's
clothes. MIR. Ms collar fastening gave
way, and reaching around he gave the
robber with the revolver blow in the
face that staggered him out of the sleigh.
Then struggling with the other man he
managed to tip him out in some way and
the horses Sill moving on left the rob-
oers behind. Mrs. Middleton, who was
SO much terorrized that she swooned
and also fell out of the sleigh. The boy
had run to the house to get a shot gun.
Notwithstanding Mr.. Middleton had been
struck three times at least over the head
with the revolver, he still had conscious
ness sufficient to gather up the lines, and
after getting his wife drove rapidly to the
house. He then got his shot gun and
started after the robbers who went to-
wards + nerson. But =, lur IL
tue bush aud MIR Nj. W, II, IA " T.. (.
son and rotr,, d uut IN y OPP wal, ,ulu-
ed out considerable mum ers to try
and find the r.scals. Meantime the SON
had come to Pe,Ibina on horseback an,.
in few minutes Deputy Sheriff Walters,
City Marshal Nloorhead with number
OF others were a so out after tine robbers.
Messrs, Walters, Moorhead and Geo.
Parker found the place where the rob-
berS had turned off the road and 70 lowed
their tracks across the ice on the Red
River up the other bank into the timber
and brush on the Minnesota side, and
there met the men they were looking for,
who probably alarmed at the teams and
persons from Emerson who were Out
looking for them, had retraced thei,
steps and were on their way back to this
side. The men were arrested, hand.
cuffed and put in rig and brought
round by Emerson to the county jail
MIR. Middleton though badly bruised
and cut, and with blood-stained clothing,
was sufficiently recovered to be about
town next morning, and received many
compliments for his plucky fight with
such odds against him. He actually had
but a few cents on him, so had nothing
to fight for pecuniarly, but MIR. NJ. had
an Irish father and an English mother,
and that is bad mixture of blood for
anybody to tackle. He is not a large
man and is IS years of age.
The robbers were evidently not very
bright. The moon shone so clearly that
objects could be seen almost as plainly
as at MONDAY, and ifthey had succeeded
in their object would almost certainly
have been run down and caught, as there
would have been no difficulty in descrlb-
ing them. And even before it was
known who they were, parties in town
expressed the opinion that these two
men, who have been about here some
time, were likely to be the guilty parties.
One ofthe men, named Murphy, was
arrested last fall by Deputy Sheriff
Walters, at toilette, for stealing over on
the Minnesota side, and has only lately
been released from the Hallock Jail after
serving sixty days for that offense.
The; prisoners were brought Up fol
examination before Justice Aylen on
Wednesday afternoon, States Attorney
w. ]. Burke being in attendance. They
waived examination and were held in
81 600 each to the district court. They
gave the names Of John Cronan and
James Murphy. though neither OF them
favor" the Irish in appearance. A
search near the spot where the arrest
was made discovered a revolver with
three empty cartridges in it. II was
about eleven feet from where the men
stood and it is thought the revolver was
thrown at the same time and motion as
when the robber threw up his hands in
obedience to the sheriff's command.
The crime is technically assault with in
tent to commit felony. The punishment
is Imprisonment from one to ten years.
One Of the men is adark i'll looking
fellow, the other has quite respectable
appearance, but it seems to be certain
that Deputy Sheriff Walters and Marshal
Moorhead have done creditable service
in SO promptly putting these men in a
place where they are likely to be kept
from preying on the public for some
time.
~ E,rs.A - S1olA $av, 49, .5