The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-06-28
THREE SHERIFFS.
They Each Wanted VIM. Plum
mer and His Wife.
Their Names are Now Connected With
the Murder of Riggs at
Merriam Junction.

| merriam JunCtl0n.
Sheriff Gerlich returnedSunday night
from Minneapolis, where he went to
take look at VIM. Plummer and wife,
who took J. e. Michels' team. He
has concluded not to persist in his
endeavor to secure the custody of the
prisoners but to allow them to be
taken back, to Sioux City, where
Plummer's wife assisted him in escap-
ing from Jail. The couple will be pun
ished for their other offenses, and this
county will not have to bear the cost
of keeping them until next November.
| When he arrived in Minneapolis
Saturday, Sheriff Gerlich made de-
mand on Capt King for the surrender
of the prisoners, but he refused to
comply on the ground that he had al
ready wired Sheriff jackson of Sioux
City, Iowa, to come to Minneapolis,
and that it would be unfair to hand
over the prisoners to anyone until
Sheriff Jackson had a chance to make
fight for the man and woman under
arrest.
The Mankato sheriff contended that
as he was the first to produce proper
papers for the prisoners he should be
allowed to take them. Captain King
maintained that William Plummer
had been tried, convicted and SEN
fenced by an Iowa court and that Iowa
had the first claim on the escaped con-
vict and his wife, who figured in the
release of her husband.
Sheriff Gerlich, after some heated
arguments, withdrew, threatening to
bring habeas corpus proceedings in
order to secure possession of the pri-
soner.
Sheriff Wagner of Scott county, &C
companied by Pat Feehan, one of the
men who was with William Riggs,
the negro murdered at Merriam juno
tion Tuesday night, arrived in Mime
apolis Saturday afternoon. They went
to the Central station and after look
ing over William Plummer, alias John
son, land his wife, Feehan said he
thought Plummer was the man who
shot Riggs and that his wife CORES
ponds to the ''boy" in the case.
The police had found blood
revolver on Plummer when he was
arrested. Captain King telegraphed
to Sheriff Wagner and he came, bring
ing Feehan with him to identify the
prisoners.
The team was hired from Mr..
Michels about nine o'clock on the
night preceding the murder of Riggs.
Sheriff Gerlich claims that .Plummer
and his wife had time to drive to
Merriam Junction, commit the MUIR
der, and then 60 on to-. Minneapolis
He points to the condition of the team
as proof in support of his argument
The horses showed the effects of hard
'driYing.
The Sioux City police had offered a
reward of 800 for the arrest of the
Plummers. There is state reward of
$50 for the arrest and conviction of
horsethieves. So anxious was Sheriff
Gerlich to return to Mankato with the
prisoners, says the Minneapolis Times,
that he, as last resort, offered Cap
tain King sum equal to the reward
now upon the prisoners heads if he
would turn them over to him, but
Captain King maintained that when
Sheriff jackson arrived from Sioux
City the three sheriffs could fight for
the prisoners in the courts.
Sheriff. Wagner, while strongly of
the opinion that Feehan is quite COR
rect in his surmises that the Plum
mers are the two connected with the
murder of Riggs, is not going to go
too fast in the matter He has asked
Captain King to cooperate with him
in.unravelling the murder mystery
Mr. Michels is driving his team home
from Minneapolis. 1t was the woman,
dressed as man, who hired the team
at his barn.
A dispatch from Sioux City, dated
Saturday, says:
civilian Plummer, alias William
johnson, who has been arrested in
Minneapolis, made daring escape
from the county Jail here June 10.
Plummer is bold holdup man and
was arrested for doing Job in this
city several months ago. He pleaded
guilty hoping to get a light sentence,
but Judge Oliver would not listen and
sentenced him to five years in the
penitentiary. Plummer was in Jail
awaiting the pleasure of the sheriff to
be tahen away to serve this sentence
when, with the aid of his wife, he
made his escape Sheriff Jackson will
leave for Minneapolis tonight to get
the prisoner.
Mr.. Miller of Miller & Squire, the
Livery firm at Sioux City from which