The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-04-19
A WILD RIDE.
Through MankatO's Crowded
Streets on the Run.
Morris Raymond Finds Key That Had
Been Hidden By a Com
mittee.

Morris Raymond, who Tuesday sue
ceeded in escaping from hand cuffs,
shackles and barred cell in twenty Sec
onds, performed another wonderful feat
Wednesday. He undertook to find some
article hidden anywhere in the city,
and to follow the course taken by the
committee of citizens who should be
chosen to hide it. From the crowd at
the opera house at noon a committee
was selected, consisting of L. A. Lin
der, DR.. l. D. Webster S. B. Wilson,
P. 81. Jordan, S. Wilhartz, D. 7.
Bowen, F. L. Hansing and Peter
Sanger. A part of this committee took
a key and went down Second street to
Plum, thence over to Front. down
Front to Rock, then back on Front to
Jackson, then north again on Front to
the hardware store of G. Lulsdorf &
Son. There they hid the key under
the mat inside of show case. In the
meantime the remainder of the COM
mittee had charge of Mr.. Raymond in
the opera house and did not know
where the other members were going.
When the first half of the committee
returned from hiding the key, three
members Messrs Linder, Wilson and
WilhartZ, entered a hack with Mr..
Raymond and held copper wire, one
end of which was bound around Mr..
Raymond head. The team was Mr.
Sanger's sorrels, which is one of the
speediest in the city. Mr.. Raymond
took the drivers seat, and was securely
blindfolded. He bid the three mem
bers of the committee who were hold
ing the wire to place their thoughts
on the route travelled and the place
where the key was hidden.
Mr. Raymond seized the reins, ap-
piled the whip to the horses, and
mad race began. Like hound with
his nose to the scent, Mr.. Raymond
retraced the route taken by the COM
mittee. The horses were put to dead
run, mud flew, dogs barked and
women and children screamed The
committee members who were in the
hack thought of their homes and won
dered what would happen next. In
turning the corner by the City Hotel
the hack swayed and made the turn
on two wheels, while the faces of the
committee blanched with fear. Front
street was full of teams, but the
driver who was lashing the powerful
sorrels to fury dashed by them as
though perfectly unconscious of the
danger, and seemed to be protected
from harm by merciful Providence.
An express wagon was missed by an
inch or so, and the hack whistled by
other vehicles.
When Mr.. Raymond pulled up in
front of Lulsdorf & Sons store not
more than four minutes had elapsed
from the time that he had taken the
reins. The remainder of the commit
tee had only, time to walk to the store
from the opera house when the pant
ing team was refined up and their
frightened fellow members tumbled
out, still clutching the copper wire.
The horses were dripping with perspir
alton and the hack and the people it
contained were plastered with mud.
The wizard entered the store
followed by the committee, and after
going around it little he went to the
case, put his hand under the mating
and drew forth the key. The blindfold
was then removed from his eyes and
the nervous strain was over. Success
had crowned his undertaking, and the
committee and spectators were again
mystifed, and were baffied in their
attempts to understand by what power
the man had been able to accomplish
what he had done. The committee
were convinced that there was no
flake" about it, but they could not
explain how it happened. Some said
that it Was mental telepathy, and
others thought that the man must be
practiced in the black art, of which
"none may speak. Whether twas
witchcraft, enchantment or the work
ing of some unfamiliar mental law,
ali were agreed that the thing was
most wonderful. u.