The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-09-30
Officers Rounded Up the Men on
Bridge Last Evening.
We're Given Tip BY One Of Par
ties to the Plot.
Men Under Arrest Deny They
Concocted Robbery.
From Saturdays Daily.

At six O'Clock last evening Chief Dona-
hue got telephone message saying
that a man wanted to see him at the
Stahl House. He went there at once.
and found stranger, who unrolled an
exciting story to him. He said that he
arrived i'll the city on the afternoon
train from the west on the Chicago &
Northwestern road, and that while on
the train he noticed two men who had
gotten on at Sleepy Eye. He made a
sign to them known to all crooks. and
they answered it and he Joined them.
The stranger said that after they got
off the train the two men wanted to do
holdnp job or commit burglary in
Nlankato during the evening and leave
quickly, and proposed that the three
should join in the work. 1t was agreed
that they should meet on the approach of
the Main street bridge at seven O'Clock
and hold somebody up that looked as
though he had some money, or failing in
that they would commit robbery dur
ing the night. The men who told the
story, and whose identity the officials
do not care to disclose at this time, said
that he had joined in the plot not with
any intention of carrying it out but to
lead off the proposed crime and have the
two men brought to justice. He had
| therefore sent for the chief and laid
the matter before him. He proposed
that he go with the men to the bridge
and hold up somebody and that the Of
Ulcers be on hand to arrest them.
sGhief Isonahue did moi like to have
the matter go so far, for fear that some
body might get hurt, so he suggested
that the three men meet at the appoint
ed place and time and he would gather
them all in. This was satisfactory to
the man.
A little before the time agreed on,
Chief Donahue and Officer Klughertz
went some distance upon the bridge and
waited until seven o'clock. In some un-
accountable manner they missed the trio,
and were unable to find them. Officer
Bienaph, who was also detailed to assist
in the capture, had better luck. He was
to approach the bridge in citizens
clothes from this side and cooperate
with the other officers in surrounding
and capturing the men, a la the Japs
with the Russians.
When Officer Bienaph, dressed in citi
zens' clothing, approached the bridge at
Just seven o'clock he saw three men
standing at the approach, and he walked
up to them and asked them when the
train went out. They talked a little and
then the three men started to walk to-
ward Front street, and when at the
Saulpaugh corner the officer placed them
all under arrest and escorted them to the
city hall, where the two alleged bad
men were locked up over night.
The man who has 'put the officers
wise' said that when Officer Bienapf
approached, the smaller of the two men
suggested that they hold him up, but
he himself suggested that he did not
look as though he had anything.
The two men who were locked up
gave their names as Delaney and San
ders.
Delaney said that he was a labor
err, and had worked in Bingham's ele
vator at Sleepy Eye three days. San
ders, the smaller of the two, said that
he was also a laborer and had worked
in the elevator for some time. He said
that his home was in Pittsburg, Pa. His
hands were soft and did not indicate
hard work. Both said that they had
come to Mankato to seek work, and de-
MED that they had any intention of
holding anybody up or committing rob-
berry. They admitted that they had
talked in an idle way about such
thing.
The authorities had no good evidence
against the men and liberated them this
morning. They said that they intended
to stay in Mankato and seek work.
The case is strange one. The Off
GERS are inclined to think that rob-
berry was planned and that they were
given correct tip.
Stack of Wheat Burned.