The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-12-25
Record of Charles Kerfess Now
in Minnesota Jail.
His Daring Escape From Ellis
County Jail.
HELPED BY A WOMAN.
How Maggie BIick Bluffed a
Colorado Officer.
Kansas Official Armed With
Five Requisitions.

In a cell in a Minnesota jail a. Kansas
man is spending his Christmas 1t is
said that a Kansas girl is also in the
same jail. The young mans name is
Charles Kerfess and his home is in Ellis
county. The girls name is Maggie
Blick. She is not yet out of her teens
On his way to Minnesota is a Kansas
officer, Frank Stout of Ellis, armed with
five recuisitionS on Gov. Van SAINT of
Minnesota, asking that KerfesS may be
turned over to him to be brought back to
Kansas to stand trial for variety of
crimes. The girl is not wanted in Kan
sas, and unless she has committed some
serious crime in Minnesota she will prob
ably be released
Kerfess is credited with being an all
around desperado He is only about %,
but he has a greater series of crimes
charged up against him than most Grim
inals commit in lifetime In each of the
five acquisitions which Gov. Stanley has
issued on the governor of Minnesota he
is charged with a separate crime They
vary from horse stealing to burglary and
simple larceny. In addition to these as
many more might be charged against
him
Kerfess was captured in Ellis county
several months ago and imprisoned in the
Ellis county Jail. One day he took a no
ton to break away In some way or
other he got hold of a gun, shot the sher-
iff son who was on guard at the jail,
and made his escape The alarm was al
most instantly given and before kerfess
was out of sight posse was in pursuit
of him. but he got away.
1t was known that his sweetheart, Mag
gle Blick, was working as a domestic for
a family in Salina. 1T was suspected that
Kerfess would go to see her soon after
his escape and an Ellis county officer
went to Salina, to watch for hiin- The
Tase proved t6 6errefr Ior note m lfM fhaf Ss
would come for her on a certain evening
h ahe note 70 fe 1fo other he hands
sides those Of the the girl and the ofIiGeas
snd sbe The ns nndeEy sher
Meye s er "a and ID City Marshal Thompson of
Salina stationed themselves in the vicin-
Kerfess. He drove up after dark. and
told the girl to hurry "a and get her 1 things ing
der Sheriff Meyer stepped up IN the DARK y, &
agd bress tod him to
Instead of doing so, Kerfess struck the
weapon and started his horses: Meyer
shoot. He was between the buggy wheels
and was dragged for several rods before
stationed too far away to render any as
sistance, and Kerfess got away His team
found a. few days later. at a town
some distance west
But Kerfess did not give up his sweet
SaIina and took her away without the
officers knowing it until he had come and
The next heard of the young desperate
he was at Sugar City. Col An Ellis
county man recognized MIN ana 1Il1OI'IiftO
the officers that reward was offered
for his return to Kansas A. constable
who had a reputation as a terror to evil
doers and a record of having shot II
men, started to arrest kerfeSS- kerfeSS
and the Blick girl We're found some dis
tance from Sugar City The constable
leveled a revolver at Kerfess and ordered
him to surrender Almost Immediately
the girl leveIed rife on the officer and
told him to drop his revolver. The officer
did so. Then the girl ordered him to re-
turn to Sugar City fast as he could
go. The constable did that, too. Since
that nothing has been heard of kerfess
until a. day two ago the Ellis county
officials were notified by wire from the
city marshal at Worthington, Mimi, that
Kerfess is in Jail there. 1t is supposed
that the BIick girl is there with him. 1t
is not known how he came to be arrested
there
Frank Stout came down from Ellis
Tuesday armed with five applications for
acquisitions for Kerfess. which were duly
issued to him, and he left last night for
St. Paul to present them to Governor Van
SAINT
Kerfess has a bad family history. 1t
is said that one of his brothers was hung
in another state for murder, and another
brother is serving term in the Deniten-
tiary.