Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1902-12-04
ATTEMPTED BANK ROBBERY.
The Bank Of Aurora Receives a Second
Call from Burglars.

Early Monday morning an unsuc-
cessful attempt was made to rob the
Bank of Aurora, in that town.
About O'Clock In the morning the
burglar alarm in the rooms over Kel-
sey's general store commenced to ring
and Henry Kelsey and Thos. Buckley,
who were sleeping there were aroused
and Kelsey, who had at hand a rifle,
shot several times from his window
into the building. This frightened
the men and they jumped through the
front window and ran south TO the
railroad tracks. After Kelsey and
Buckley got into the street and Kel-
sey had started to awaken the town
marshal, he says be overhauled two
men who ran and refused to answer.
He shot at them and hit one man,
though they both made their escape.
Along about an hour later a man
came into the depot here and asked
where the sheriff lived. The night
operator told him that the night
police had just left and he could over
take him and be directed. This the
man did and with the officer Larson
they aroused Deputy Beyerstein at
the jail and the man said his partner
had been shot in a fight at Aurora
and was in hay stack east Of town.
Beyerstein disarmed the man as pre-
caution, he being a stranger, and af-
ter waking DR.. Tenant at his Office,
the three proceeded TO the haystack
south of the track and about three
miles east. There the man was found
unable TO move, and was taken in the
buggy and brought to BrooKings.
Soon after their arrival here, Dep
uty Pond, who had gone to Aurora,
the town marshal and Tom Buckley
drove in and gave an account of
what had happened there. The tool
house at the railroad had been broken
open and spike maui, hammer and
an iron bar taken, which were found
at the bank. The bank had been en-
tered at the rear door and the burglar
alarm in the room knocked to pieces.
The combination and handles were
knocked off the safe and around one
of the holes had been formed funnel
like ridge Of soap and through it a
liquid, supposed TO be a high explosive,
had been poured. The rifle shots had
rudely interrupted the sweet dreams
of conquest and the swift retreat via
the front window had been the sequel.
The wounded man gave the name Of
e. l.. Michel, and has been working
at Arlington and Volga and did work
here some time back. The other gave
the name Of Bert Ross and claims to
be stranger. Michel is being at
tended by DR.. Miller, Jail physician,
and the wound is flesh one Just be-
low the thigh in the leg. Is was in
tiicted while the man was running and
is higher in the rear than in front.
The doctor rather fears septic poison
ing and will use every endeavor to
make the wound heal.
These men claim that they were on
their way to Elkton from Arlington.
That they stopped here to collect
some money which Michel claimed
was due him from a painter. That
they missed the freight train and de-
cided to walk to Elkton. That while
going through Aurora they heard
shooting and bullets flying and getting
scared started to run. All of which is
respectfully submitted to the jury
without argument.
The bank sent for An expert to open
the safe, as the nitro glycerine that
had been run 10 made the operation
extremely dangerous. The safe was
opened Tuesday morning and the ex-
pert then repaired the same.
The bank had no difficulty in doing
business as they keep large surplus
deposit in Brookings.