The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-07-28
II Is Claimed He Also Assault
ed George HarIin.
CuIprit Is Now Under Arrest
at lie Sueur Center.
Affair Is Outcome of a Feud
of Long Standing.
From Tuesdays Daily.

w. E. Harlin of the livery firm of
Harlin & Macbeth has received informa-
ted. on his brother, George Harlin, of
lie Sueur Center, member of the firm
of Harlin Brothers of that village, who
also have livery stable. Yesterday
morning George Harlin received tele-
phone message to drive with a hearse
to place near Cleveland, where such
a hearse was wanted. He started out
toward Cleveland about ten o'clock.
When about five miles from LIE Sueur
Center he was assaulted by two men and
the team and hearse were taken. He no
titled the sheriff and gave him all the
information possible, and the thieves
were traced up.
The thieves took the hearse and team
and drove to LIE Sueur, where they
changed horses and then left. The out
fit was traced up to point between
lie Sueur and Belle PLANE, where the
hearse was found and man arrested
being caught on the hearse. This was
Arthur l.. Nixon, name familiar to
many people at Blue Earth, Wells, Man
kato and other points in this part of
the state.
Nixon used to be furniture man at
Blue Earth and at Wells. He was ac-
cused of setting his place of business
on fire. OF late he has been travelling
salesman, and is said to have repre-
scented Walter Baker & Co.. the choco-
late firm.
The sheriff arrived with the hearse
and prisoner at LIE Sueur Center this
morning at about three o'clock.
The theft of the hearse seems to have
resulted from an old controversy. Nixon
once placed the hearse in the Harlin
barn at LIE Sueur Center. There was
some disagreement about the payment
of storage. The result was that the
hearse stayed at the barn, and was
finally sold at auction to pay the
amount due for storage. 1t was bought
for the Harlin barn. No doubt Nixon
was very bitter over the affair.
George Harlin does not seem to have
been seriously hurt, for he was attend
ing to his duties today as substitute
rural mail carrier.
John Owens, travelling man, repre-
senting the North St. Paul Casket COM
pany, was in LIE Sueur Center yester-
day and in Mankato today, and tells
of a great deal of street talk that came
to his ears in regard to the affair. He
heard that there were on the hearse
two parties at the time of the assault.
One was George Harlin and the other
was L. r. Dane, the undertaken, who
went with him in response to the same
telephone call. Some people gave cir
culation to the story that woman in
Garden city had u cnattel mortgage
against the hearse in the sum of $500
and that she secured the service of
some sheriff or constable to serve re-
plevin papers to get possession of the
casket. and that the ssault was real
ly committed by an officer and some
party with him, all of which has a de-
cidedv s'fishy" sound.
The following version appears in The
Minneapolis Times:
s'Belle PLANE, Mimi, July 24.-W. M.
Bangor and w. S. Nickson are under
arrest at this place, charged with lar
ceny in the first degree. 1t is alleged
that they stole an $500 hearse belonging
to Fred Harlin. lie LIE Sueur Center
liveryman. They were intercepted on
their journey through here tonight by
Chief of Police Haley. Shortly after
ward Sheriff Traxler and his deputies
drove in town, hot upon their trail. Ban
gor and Nickson accompanied the sheriff
back to LIE Sueur Center, where they