The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-08-11
SEARCH FOR BODIES
B. D. Pay Adds Another Chapter
to Campbell-Liscom Affair.
He Was a Member of the Com
mittee TO investigation.
found the People of New
U'm Quite 0yster-Like.
Located Hole In the Ice Where
Remains We're Concealed.
From Wednesdays Daily.

From Wednesdays Daily.
Benjamin ID. Pay is the only surviving
member OF the committee of four, who
in December of the year 1866, drove up
to New Ulm to see what there was to
the report of the killing of Alexander
Campbell and George Liscom in that
town OH Christmas day. Mr. Pay re-
members that two others of that com
mittee were Mr.. Flowers, who was then
running the Clifton House, and Dan Ty-
ner, former shariff of this county
Mr.. Pay thinks the other member was
Mr.. Griebel, father of Charles H. Griebel
manager of the Mankato Theatre
The committee found out that the
story of the killing was true, but as to
how it happened and who did it and
what had become of the bodies-those
things were hard riddles to solve. All
the people to whom they talked gave
exceedingly reserved answers Every
body seemed afraid to converse on the
subject Each would say that somebody
else told him something. The sheriff
was the frankest of all, and vet he was
certainly close mouthed enough
The committee visited the jail, and
saw the blood marks and other evil
dences of what had gone on there, but
there was nothing showing what had be-
come of the bodies. In New Ulm the
inhabitants were awestruck and filled
with fear. In }Isnkato, all was wrath
and threats were numerous.
After searching everywhere inside the
town of New Tim, where there seemed
any chance that information of the
whereabouts of the bodies might be OBJ
tained the committee came to the con-
clusion that the remains of the murder.
ed men had been made away with in
some way. and naturally they thought
of the river.
Down to the river the quartette went.
and began thorough search, two going
up stream and two down stream. The
two who went down stream were Mr..
Flowers and Mr.. Pay. They had just
gotten opposite the mill, as they trav
ersed the frozen surface. when they spied
place where the ice had been cut
through. On closer investigation they
found spots of blood, pieces of human
flesh. and hair, burnt matches and chew
ed tobacco frozen to the ice around the
place where the hole had been chopped.
Surely the attempt to dispose of the
bodies in mysterious manner had
been very bungling one. Mr.. Pay
cut from the ice some of the chunks of
frozen flesh, and preserved them care
fully to show in Mankato.
Perhaps some one was watching the
movements of the committeeman from
the bank At any rate the latter did
not wish to have it known that they had
made any discoveries, but the four
quietly made their way back to Man
kato and gave the information that they
had secured
Acting on this intelligence, Captain
Holmes organized second searching
party and went up to New Ulm and
found the bodies under the ice in the
river. lust as narrated in the article on
the subject, that appeared in The Free
Press last Thursday.
Mr.. Pay later made visit to New
Ulm with ATTORNEY General Colvil and
assisted the latter in collecting evidence
the dual murder.