The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-10-24
POLICE ANALYzE
STORY OF RIDGES
HE REPORTS HoIDUP IN NORTH
SIDE LIBRARY.
Says Thug Bound and Gagged Him
and Left Him to Die Miserably in a
Room Where the Open Gas Jets Were
Belching Forth Death.

Careful investigation, is being made
by the police Of startling story Of
robbery and attempted murder told by
Bergman Ridges, librarian at the North
Side branch library, Emerson and Twen-
tleth avenues n.
Ridges was found by the police last
night, bound and gagged in the main
room Of the library. The room was
filed with gas which Ridges says was
turned on by a bandit who had beaten
and robbed him and ostensibly left him
to be asphyxiated.
Early In the evening, Ridges says, a
young man came into the library and
acted in peculiar manner. At that
later he returned wearing a stiff hat.
Ridges was alone when the man en-
tered the second time. According to
the librarian, the young man snatched
a slung from his pocket and ordered
Ridges to hand over the money. Ridges
refused and the bandit swung at him
but missed. Ridges, in his desperation,
hurled st. Paul directory at his as
sailant. The robber was unframed, and
in a second more Ridges was lying on
the floor. His assailant then pushed the
office chair on MIN and sat in the chair
while tying his hands and feet and
placing gag IN MS mouth.
Says the Till Was Robbed.
His victim once secure, the rcbf or
pried open the till, took $1S and start.
ed out. On the way he stopped over
Ridges and took two rings from his
finger. Then, tanning out the gas
lights with a newspaper, he FASTENED
out, leaving the bound man to die in
the deadly fumes.
With d superhuman effort Ridges says
he rolled to the telephone, stood up
aud, working off the gag, knocked the
receiver. down with, his head and called
for help.
He knew nothing more, he said, unit
the police came and took him to the
Police Superintendent Doyle, Captain
Smith and Detective Gallagher Of the
North station went to the hospital to-
day and had q long talk with Ridges
The man said the bandit beat him with
a slung and kicked him on the body
The physicians at the hospital made a
careful examination, but could find nc
bruises or marks Of any kind on the
man g body. One of the rings taken by
the robber was very tight, but there
was no abrasion on the skin or mark
to show where it had been.
oup DOy2C AcAo INV yO'
come to definite conclusion concerning
the story. Ridges gives detailed de
scription of the bandit and detectives
are looking for a man answering the
description. AS the lapse of time be
| tween the crime and the coming Of thu
police was but few minutes, Ridge!
is not seriously ill from the effects Of
| the gas and says he was conscious al
the time the bandit was in the room
In the Ltmelight Before.
This is not the first time Ridges ha
come before the public eye with an in
teresting story Of adventure. Two win
ters ago he lived in Captain S. P. Sni
der g residence on Mount Curve avenu
while the. family was away, A fir
said he had run from the house in hi
nightclothes, altho the thermomete
was below zero, to find an alarm box
The snow was deep and he wore n
shoes, but he found the alarm box afte
running many blocks. " +