The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-10-05
bL.00DH0UNDS
after SLAYERS
Whole Family May Die From
C%hlorotorm Administered
by Robbers.
ONE is ALREADY DEAD
Sheriff and Posse With Dogs Arc IN
Pursuit. of Men Who Entered
the Farm House OF II. M.
Collins.
ONE is ALREADY DEAD

VIC stSNA " 49, ol
unconscious as the result of the adj
minjstration of chloroform some time
during the night or early this morning
by robbers, who effected entrance to
their farm home near this city by tear
ing the screen from a window.
B~loodhounds are on the trail of the
! nlurderous thieves and Sheriff Munday
, and posse are in full pursuit.
The Collins home is situated three
! miles south of Parker, where the fam
lily, a prominent one in this (Turner)
county, has resided for a number OF
years and where the head OF the house
hold has acquired considerable prop
erty, being classed as one of tho
wealthiest farmers Of the community.
The family occupied sleeping apart
ments on t : lower floor of the house,
a young brother of Mr.. Collins. Earle.
aged Z or s years. sleeping upstairs.
Makes Startling Discovery. y
About 1870 this morning Earle heard
noises downstairs, but they We're not
sufficient to ~effectually rouse him and
he went back to sleep again, not awuk-
ening again until after daylight this
morning. Dressing and going down
stairs he saw the l0~oticnlass forms of,
his brother and the latter's Wife in
bed and the Two little children in tho
same condition in n nearby cot.
Then came to his mind the commo-
ton of a few hours before and MOTTO
ing a broken window surlnised that
robbers had entered the home and
mustered the family. as all four were
seemingly sleeping the sleep of
death.
The boy rushed out to the table
with the intention of saddling Il horse
and riding to town to give the alarm.
but the saddle horse was gone. He
then thought OF the telephone and re-
turning to the house tried to call up
t1,a aitr hI,f tt,N y,l,nnN ,.af,,ciy,r IN ,.-nrl-
it was then discovered that the wires
had been cut.
Not Vet Dead.
Not knowing what TO do the lad
stumbled to the bedside of his brother
and in bending over the PROSTATE form
discovered that there WAS still life and
he succeeded in rousins lliln to a semi
conscious state. but the man soon
lapsed into unconscious:iess again. be-
ing unable to recount any of the eN-
periences of the night before.
Leaving his brothe'. whom hc
thought to be dying, and his brothers
wife and children, whom he supposed
already dead. the lad Earle h%u,ricdl2
mounted one OF the farm Work horses
and rode on u run the three miles tc
the town, whore he secured = physician
and gave the alarm to the authorities
Returning to the farm home with III,
boy, the physician found that Mrs
Collins did not need his services, foh
she was cold in death. the c!llol 9form
having been administered in such guam
titles as to have caused her death Very
soon after the inhalation Of the drug.
Doesn't Know of WiFe's Death.
Mr.. Collins was still unconscious. but
the physician succeeded in rousinG him
again from his stupor, but he could
tell nothing of the occurrences of the
previous night. and despite ali efforts
socn went to : p again. tac Physician
not telling him OF the death of his wife.
of which he is still in ignorance. The
while they are very i'll. it is thought
that they will recover, though grave
fears are entertained as TO the recovery
of Mr.. Collins.
Sheriff Mundy. who soon arrived,
found that the robbery had evidently
with the house, as the whole house was
ransacked and 5000 which Mr.. Collins
had drawn from a local bank on Sat
urday, and which he had in his trouser,
pocket, was taken. besides his watch
and Mrs. Collins wedding ring, and am
woman's fingers.
Rob Children, Too.
The children's bank was broken open,
and the pennies they had boarded We're
taken and several articles of silverware,
We're also stolen. While searching the
premises for footprints or some clue,
as to the robbers, the saddle horse re-
turned, saddled n bridled, the horscs
coming from a Soutllerly direction.
a posse was soon formed and, with
Sheriff Mundy at the head and with
several b%loodhounds in leash, took up.
the trail of the horse, and men are now
securing the country in pursuit of the,
perpetrators of the most heinous crime
ever committed in the county. II is.
thought that the robbers rode to some
station south of here on the Milwaukee
and st. Paul road and caught a train.
for Sioux City or Chicago, and the po-
lice in those and other cities have been
apprised of the crime and will keep a
lookout for suspicious characters.
Had Sold His Farm.
Harry Collins has made money I'm
Turner county and his property was,
valued at a good figure. A few DAYS
ago he received an offer for his home
which he believed to be a good one and
decided to sell and go to the new coun-
try west of the river and take up
cheaper land. The sale was consum-
mated mo the money was deposited in
one of the local banks Saturday he
visited the bank and drew out 5000.
Saturday is always a busy day at
Parker II it is now remembered that
a number OF men were standing around
the bank at the time of Mr.. Collins
visit to the institution. He was of
course seen to draw III some money
and it was generally known that he
Il sold his property and was about
to move it is believed that some of the
~bystanders thought re had drawn out
all the money he had on deposit there,
which amounted to several thousand
dollars, and that it was then that the
robbery was planned which eliminated
in a tragedy.
harvest hands, who worked for Mr..
Collins and his neighbors during the
busy season and who We're more or less
familiar With the premises, are suspect
ed of the crime.
Excitement runs high in Parker and
the ~neighboring towns of Centerville
and Hurley on the south and Canistota
on the north, and search for the perpe-
traitors of the deed is on in the country,
in all directio' ) from here. mo should
the guilty parties be a~ppreae1Gea it will
, probably go hard with them. rs there is
some talk of lynching. TIC Collins fam
J lily stands high in the community AMI
the spirit of revenge on tx, part OF
his nei.hbors is strong.