The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-10-24
PUT UNDER ARREST
John A. LotfeImacher Gobbled
BY Sheriff Mcmillan.
He Is Charged With Attempting
to Perpetrate a Most DiaboIicaI
Crime.

Sheriff Mcmillan of Nicollet county
has completed his investigation into
the attempt to wreck the threshing
machine which John Mans and Adam
Vinegar were operating near West
Newton Monday morning When the
engine was steaming up, it was MOTTO
cd that something was wrong with it.
and on examination big pipe full of
dynamite was discovered slowed
away in it, which would soon have
caused an explosion which would have
wrecked the enigne and destroyed
many lives.
Suspicion at once pointed to mem
bers of the Loffelmacher family. The
two SONS, ii will be remembered, were
early last summer held to the United
States grand jury on the charge of
sending.ebscene letters and pictures
to Adam Vinegar, and john Mans was
one of the principal witnesses for the
government. The idea at once occur
red to the officers that the attempt to
dynamite the threshing machine was
an effort son the part of the Loffel-
machers to remove the government
witnesses and thus make the prosecu
ton OF, themselves impossible. If this
was their intention, kind Providence
interfered to Illustrate their designs.
Sheriff Mcmillan began his investi-
cations as soon as informed of the
matter. He succeeded in securing evil
dence pointing to the Loffelmachers as
the guilty parties, and last night ar
rested John A. Loffelmacher. He
is the older of the two boys who are
being held to the United States grand
Jury, which meets in this city next
month.
The sheriff took his prisoner to st.
Peter this morning. When seen on
the train by a Free Press reporter,
Sheriff Mcmillan said that he had
concluded not to take the younger
boy, as he is not much more than a
mere lad. The sheriff said that he had
secured plenty of evidence against
Loffelmaeher, and expects that they
will be convicted. The warrant under
which they were arrested charges
them with placing dynamite in the
threshing machine with the inten-
ton to destroy it.
Mr.. Loffelmacher was non-com-
munieative about the matter, but
deny the charge.
Sheriff Mcmillan had in his posses
sion the pip loaded with dynamite
that was foun> in the engine 1t is
three or four let long and about
three inches in diameter, and made of
cast iron. 1t is a piece of water pipe.
The sheriff handled it gingerly while
showing it to the reporter, and said
that it was nearly full of dynamite,
containing enough to blow the train
to pieces had anything struck it. This
pipe was wrapped in paper and had
caps to explode the dynamite. The
sheriff succeeded in finding on the
Loffelmacher farm piece of pipe COR
responding with the piece found in
the threshing machine, and which is
supposed to have been cut from it.
Pointing to his satchel, the sheriff re-
marked: "There is--enough evidence
in there to convict the mer."
Mondays outrage is the last of a
series that has disgraced that section
of Nicollet county for years. Once be-
fore, Messrs. Mans and Vinegar had a
threshing machine damaged or de-
stroyed by iron spikes that had been
secreted in shocks of grain in stack
that they threshed. Barn burnings,
cattle poisonings, etc., have occurred.
and it is curious coincidence that
the sufferers in every instance have
been two or three parties that the
Loffelmachers dislike. John Mans is
a son-in-law of one of these.
John A. LoffeImacher was arrested
on the charge Of poisoning COW. but
was not convicted. He was away from
home for a time, and week after his
return a neighbours barn burned from
some unknown cause.
August Loffelmscher. father Of the
boys, is an extensive farmer. and IL
reputed to be wealthy. He furnished
/ bail for his sons in the United States
court.
The latest outrage is the most das'
tsrdly of any yet attempted in the
neighborhood, and the people of that
section are aroused over the matter.
Sheriff Mcmillan. who. by the way,
is one of the best sheriffs in the state,
has had number of important case'
TO investigate, involving much mys
terry. and has performed his duty vel
and fesrlessly.