The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-04-15
CHARGED WITH
BRUTAL MURDER
Three 0watonna Boys Arrested Here
-@ Suspected of Killing
Henry Krier.
One of the Prisoners Said to Have
Confessed and Implicated
d., -..~ Others.
Says They Tried to Hold Up Krier
and Shot When He
- Ran.

i Charles Nelson, Henry Nelson and Will
liam Sutton, three Owatonna boys, were
arrested this morning by Detective
Charles D. Brown On Washington avenue
S upon suspicion Of being connected with
the murder of H. H. Krer, the Owatonna
saloonkeeper, who was found dead on the
railroad track in that city Monday night.
The boys were taken to police headquar- S
tiers where they were "sweated." The
officers say that Sutton broke down and
confessed the affair, but that the Nelson
brothers maintained sullen silence. ~
The prisoners, who will undoubtedly be
compelled to face charge Of murder in
the first degree, appear to be mere boys.
Charles Nelson says he is 81 years old and
his brother is only 20. Sutton is II years
old. They boys say their parents live
in Owatonna, but men from that city say
they have known the boys only a year.
The story told by young Sutton, as re-
lated by the officers to II n Q J u II a /,
shows that the Krier hold-up was delib-
erately planned. They knew Krier was
going to pass along the railroad track on
his way to the residence Of Jacob Glazier,
to whom he owed a rent bill, and they
deliberately planned to rob him. When
he ran away they pursued him and shot
him in the head, killing him instantly.
Sutton's Story.
Suttons story is substantially as fo1-
lows:
Eve were in Krier's saloon when we
heard him remark to his bartender that
he was going out to Glaciers to pay his
rent. We Winked at enc another and left
the saloon. We reached the railroad first
tied handkerchiefs over our faces and
waited.
eve had not been there long when
krier came along. We ran down the
bank, and, pointing our revolvers at him,
told him to throw up his hands. He did
tod Va
followed and, as he tried to climb over
the railroad fence, caught him. Henry
Nelson grabbed him by the collar and tore
it off him. Charles Nelson then placed his
revolver ct Krier's temple and fired. The
shot killed him instantly and we robbed
him. We took the bundle he was carry
ing and hid it about mile up the railroad
track from where Krier was killed. We
found $76 in his pocket and We divided it
among us. Charlie and Henry Nelson each
| got $50 and got Sic Henry and I threw
! our revolvers down by the body, but
Charles kept his gun and has it yet.
las soon as we had got all that Krier
| had In his pockets, we ran away thru a
grove. We then started for Faribault and
| walked to that town where we staid all
night, and yesterday. We left there last
! night on a Milwaukee freight train and
got to Mendoza about II o'clock. We
| walked to St. Paul this morning and at
|
got here a short time before we were ar
| rested.
| Nelson Boys Silent.
| Both of the Nelson boys were taken
! into the sweat-boX, but they said they had
| had nothing whatever to dow it'll the MUIR
| der. The police think however, that SUIT
| toms story is straight as it is substan-
tiated by clues that developed before the
boys were arrested. A revolver, with an
| empty chamber in it was found on Charles
NELSON and a bottle of whisky which had
! been purchased in Krier's saloon was also
| taken from the Nelson's.
! When Kriers dead body was found
early yesterday morning and it was
learned that the Nelson boys and young
| Sutton, who worked in bowling alley
| over the saloon, had failed to report for
work, suspicion at once pointed to them.
It was learned that they had not been
seen after leaving Krier's saloon at
| o'clock Monday morning. The officers
| at once supposed that they had gone to
Minneapolis or st. Paul and the police
| Of both cities were notified. Alderman
A. J. Lippert and William Ganser, both
Of Owatonna, came to Minneapolis this
morning and were with Detective Brown
when he saw the boys on the street
near the Milwaukee station.
Their Photos Taken.
! All three b oys were photographed for
the rogues' gallery and then locked up at
the Central police station. They were
taken to Owatonna on the afternoon Mil
waukee train and will probably be ar
raigned upon the charge Of murder to-
morrow. .-.-.s-.
Detective Brown will go to Owatonna
to aid in searching for the ebundle which
Sutton says was "panted' mile north
Of the scene. He will also assist in Sc.
i curing evfdence against the prfs0nerS