The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-08-18
To Prevent BY Force His
Arrest BY Detectives.
Deferred From Their Purpose
BY His Own Wish.
People of the Isle Liked His
COngeniaI Manner.

From Mondays Daily.
Possibly the greatest sensation that
the Isle of Pines has been treated dur
ing its American history, says The Isle
of Pines Appeal, was caused by the ar
rest at Nueva Corona on Monday of
Alfred A. Buck, known on the island
as d. w. McGregor is charged with hav-
ing embezzled from the State bank of
Mapleton, Mimi, the sum of ST. 600
The arrest was made on information
received from the United States through
Minister Squiers. Detective Sergeant
Rivas and Goicuria, of the Havana de-
tective force, made the arrest Mr.. Buck
was taken to Havana, there to await
action upon the eXtradition papers,
which were telegraphed for as soon as
it was reported that the arrest had
been effected. The commotion raised on
the Isle of Pines as a consequence of
the arrest is without parallel; people
from all parts of the island, friends of
the arrested man. hurried to Nueva
Corona to offer assistance. Nueva
Corona was a seething mass of indigna-
ton. Speeches were made and violence
to the detectives was only averted by
Mr." Bucks GOODNESS and the insistance
that he desired to go to Havana
The temper of the people of the Isle
of Pines was at such a pitch that he
was offered forcible release by his fell
low Americans if he so desired. On
Tuesday the steamer having the prison
er and the detectives was met at the
wharf at Columbia by every able bodied
man there, who cheered him until be-
yond cheering distance.
History of the Embezzlement.
1t was about four years ago, when
Mr. Buck was cashier of the Mapleton
bank, that the defalcation occurred
There are always two sides to a story
and such is the case in the present
matter, one half of the story can never
be told, while the other half which is
told, appears black. After leaving Ma
pleton, Mr.. Buck went to Australia,
hoping to make back in the gold mines
of that country sum sufficient to pay
back with interest the money which he
had taken. He had been promised BY a
wealthy friend there every advantage
but after year spent in Australia
without any practical results he came
to the Hawaiian islands, and later to
Cuba.
He spent several months in Havana,
and then came to the Isle of Pines and
took the management of the American
hotel at Nueva Corona
In February last his wife and infant,
who had been faithful to him through
everything, died. A little later his faith
er, Judge Buck, of Minnesota, at one
time Judge of the supreme court of that
state, and one of the greatest jurists
and legal writer's of his day, also died.
few weeks ago in a wrestling match
with a friend at Nueva Corona he broke
his leg, and was compelled to go to Mer-
cedes hospital at Havana for medical
attention. Thus he had series of mis-
fortunes. and if the other half of his
story was told, charity would greatly
palliate his sins.
His Personality.
McGregor, as he was known to the
people here, had ingratiated himself in
to the hearts of the people of the Isle of
Pines as few others have done. He was
genial, charitable, generous, even to the
giving away of his last cent. The her
itage of blood, while it forsook him for
a time, was generally always in evi-
dence; thus it was that even though he
was in the clutches of the law and ad-
mitted that he was guilty of what was
charged in the indictment, the Ameri-
cans of the island rallied to him and of
fered release and safe transportation to
country beyond the reach OF Uncle
Sam. He, however, did not want any
of his friends to suffer the consequences
of rashness on his account, and laugh
ingly babe his friends good bye prom.
ising to come back when justice had
had its course.
A peculiar feature of the case is the
fact that he made no secret of the defal-
cation to number of his friends. Six
or seven months ago, he told the story,
and only wanted a chance to make back
the money to pay back, and fortune
was just about to smile upon him; the
hotel business had come from nothing
to be lucrative, and he figured that
within two years he would be able to
place the money in the hands of those
to whom he owed it and say, 81 owe
not any man.
Before coming to Cuba. or possibly
shortly after leaving Mapleton, he turn
ed over to those who had lost by the de-
ialcation, all of his property, consisting
of gas plant, several houses, stock
farm and stock His father, who was