Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-04-04
KANDIY0nI BANK ROBBED
Burglars Blow Open Safe Of State Bank
and Secure Large Amount
Of Cash


visited early Monday morning by
bank robbers, who blew open the safe
of the State Bank of Kandiyohi and
obtained 81, ,707.79 in cash. Up to the
present time the perpetrators are still
at large. There is no clue to the rob-
berS, who seem to have been profess
sionals. and have we'll covered their
tracks.
The discovery of the robbery was
first made by Cashier Oredson, who
arrived at the bank about eight o'clock
and discovered the wreckage of the
SAFE The other bank officials were at
once notified and in response to a mes
sage received here Sheriff Lundquist
and County Attorney Bitterness left i'm
mediately for Kandiyohi and began
tho work of investigation. President
Stene was called from Atwater ard
every effort was made to trace up the
robbers. Sheriff Lundquist at once
wired the police in the twin cities and
telegrams we're sent to different parts
of the state to be- on the lookout for
suspicious characters.
A couple of suspicious characters
who had been seen at Kandiyohi be-
fore. the robbery are described as fol-
lows:
One man aged about Is, appeared
rather short and slim, seemed about
5! feet tall, weight perhaps 165 pounds,
shaven smooth, perhaps very short
moustache, we'll worn tan colored
brown cap wiser cap), brown checked
suit, black hair.
One man between 20 and % years of
age, seemed goodsized, perhaps feet,
s inches tall, weight about 180 pounds,
smooth shaved, wore long black rough
overcoat, heavy black winter cap, dark
complexion, black hair.
Both men appeared clean, looked
alike and claimed to be brothers.
The above is the description as given
out by the authorities. Police Super
intendent Doyle of Minneapolis was
asked to station detectives at the pas
senger stations to look for the safe
blowers, who it was thought might at
tempt to hide in the city, and the same
precautiOn was taken in St. Paul.
The following account is taken from
a statement regarding the robbery as
given out by President Stene:
The suspected men were first seen
Saturday afternoon about 2 o'clock
walking into Kandiyohi station, each
carrying an ordinary sized grip. A
farmer named Anderson came along
on horseback and was talking with
them as they came walking into Kan
diyohi from the north. They claimed
to be looking for work and that they
we're Bohemians and had come from
Hutchinson. They talked somewhat
broken English and said that if they
did not get work they would go to
Olivia. Coming to Kandiyohi, Peter
Burns, thinking they we're looking for
work, remarked to them that it was
bad walking and that they looked
tired. They said Eyes, very tired"
Then they asked for the meat market
and went there. Burns tried to find
them and see them again about work.
He was told that they had been in the
meat market and had gone. Shortly
afterward they were seen walking
across the track going south. They
made their stay in Kandiyohi as short
as possible, perhaps not over Is or 20
minutes. They were seen the same
Saturday afternoon walking south
from G. A. Berg's place, about four
miles south of Kandiyohi. The trace
was lost until the burglary was COM
mitted early Monday morning, the
robbers perhaps hiding day to re-
move suspicion
John Peterson and wife, who live
not far from the bank, heard two re-
ports between l and 2 O'Clock Monday
morning and P. E. Lundquist perhaps
about II, but thinks he might be mis-
taken about the time. Cashier Oredson
arrived about o'clock and discov.
cred the wreckage of the safe. The
tools had been taken from the Grea
Northern hand car house. The south
window of the bank was pried oper
with a hatchet and crowbar. The out
side vault door lock was knocked of
with heavy sledge, as were also the
fre-proof and burglar-proof doors
Nitro-glycerine was used to blow ope1
the outside steel chest safe and another
charge to blow the inside chest i,
which was all the money and notes O
the bank. The work indicated that O.
professionals. The safe contained
$1,270 in currency, $50 in gold, S26|
in silver, $3.50 in half dollars, S35 il
quarters, SIS in dimes, 1925 in nickles
S27.04 in pennies, Canada money ano
mutilated coin, etc., making total O
$l7O7.79 that was stolen. .--
The men left town on a hand ca
taken from the hand car house. Thi
hand car was left beside the track YER,
near the Willmar yards. Itwas prob
ably planned to catch the east-boun,
four o'clock morning train for Will
mar.
Sheriff Lundquist and Co. Attorne,
Bitterness were on the ground about Il
O'Clock and got all the facts obtain