The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-08-16

| A severe wind prevailed for time
this morning, and tested the strength
of the trees and awnings The avn
ing at the National Bank of Com.
merce was ripped to pieces, Some
rain fell during the night. 1t is
feared that the heavy wind, coming
when the grain was wet, did some
damage by lodging the crops.
The wind picked up the big galvan-
lied iron receiver owned by Bradshaw
Bros, and carried it distance OF
fifty feet.
Dan Cupid was foled early this morn.
| ing. The sheriff bested the little fell
low with bow and arrow, who shoots
his darts into young folks hearts.
A sensational elOpement occurred in
Ceresco, in the northwestern part OF
Blue Earth county, at an early hour
this morning, but the couple got nc
further than Mankato in their flight
for Minneapolis, where the wedding
service was to have been pronounced
this morning after the arrival of the
early train. Cupid was frustrated in
his designs by the use of the tele-
phone.
For two years or more past, Sam
Tillotson of st. Clair, in whose veins
flows some of the blood of the Winnie
bagoes, has been working on differ.
ent farms in Ceresco and vicinity
Part of the time he worked for j. A
Stockdill, a prominent farmer, whose
troubles with one of his neighbors
have been aired in the courts recent
lily. Here he met and learned to love
Edith, the fifteen year old daughter
of the Stockdills. Tillotson's age is
about twenty seven or eight.
Made Love on Sly.
The couple did their love making
on the sly, and even when marriage
was spoken of nothing was said by
either to the parents of the young
lady, for they feared that the pa
rental consent would not be forth
coming. This was why they plan
ned an elopement. Their plans were
well laid, and would have undoubted-
| ly succeeded except for one of those
unaccountable happenings that so
often upset the best laid plans.
Miss StOckdill, who looks more like
eighteen than fifteen, succeeded in
packing her clothing in two dress suit
cases last evening, and after dark
placed the ladder against the side of
the house under her window. All this
was done without attracting suspicion,
and she retired as usual. Her mother
was at Madelia, but her father was
at home, and she slept with her
younger sister, as usual.
Like Young Lochinvar.
| At one o'clock, according to a pre-
arranged plan, Tillotson drove up with
a swift team, and whistled softly. The
signal was instantly heard by the
young lady who was waiting anxious
" to hear it. At the signal she
took her suit cases and glided noise
lesslv down the ladder, where 1Illot-
son met her and assisted her to the
carriage Then they drove rapidly to
Lake Crystal, where they caught the
north bound Omaha train that passes
through there at four o'clock. They
purchased tickets to Minneapolis,
where they intended to be wed after
the train arrived.
In the meantime the younger sister
awoke soon after Edith had left, and
| finding that her sister was gone set
about to investigate where she was.
Failing to find her, she notified her
father, who instituted a search, and
| the conclusion was arrived at that an
elopement had occurred. Air. Stock
dill telephoned to his wife at Ma
della, thinking that the couple might
drive there, as being the nearest sta
ton. Mrs. Stockdill got busy and
found that the couple was not at
Madelia, and concluded that they
would board the train at Lake Crys-
tai Being a woman of energy as
we'll as good sense, she did not hest
1 tdle IOHS, DuC cdlicu up hohciih Doii'
hue in this city, at four o'clock, and
laid the situation before him, inform
ing him of her surmises as to the
couple being on the train.
Sheriff Donahue Called.
Sheriff Donahue hastily dressed and
went to the depot, and on the ar
rival of the train at 4:45 a. m. went
through the cars, and had no Difficult
ty in locating the young couple. He
was acquainted with the young lady
as she was a witness at the recent
term of the district court. He took
the couple into custody, and they will
ingly accompanied him, creating nc
scene and showing no weakness. They
were not deprived of their liberty fur
Their than that they were not per
mitted to leave the sheritf's resi-
ldence.
Sheriff Donahue informed Mrs
Stockdill of the fact that he had in
|tercepted the couple, and she said thai
she and her husband would arrive
on the noon train, when they woult
consult County Attorney Plymat ant
would decide what to do. She asked
that the couple be held.
The charge of abduction could bt