New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1908-01-15
BANK ROBBERS ARE NABBED
Two Men Caught Who Attempted
to Rifle Bank in La Sale.
Had Already Blown Outer Door Of
Safe When Arrested in
their Work.
Lone Farmer, with a Winchester,
Causes them to Flee from
their Booty.
J :
Reaching Lake Crystal in Stolen
Rig they are Picked up by
Officers of the Law.


Bank of La Sale, a little station on
the Minneapolis & St. Louis road
few miles north of ST. James.
That the attempt was unsuccessful is
due solely to the wakefulness of Mrs.
Ed. Sanderson, the La Sale butter
makers wife, and the courage of Mr.. |
2 SandersOn himself
r The buttermaker lives only a short
distance from the bank and according |
to his story it was about two O'Clock |
in the morning when his wife, who was
kept awake with neuralgia, saw through |
the window sudden flash and heard |
Immediately thereafter distant ex-
plosion. Surmising that something
was wrong III the village, she aroused |
her husband, who dressed hurriedly |
and then, arming himself with Win
chester rifle started in the direction of
the bank.
There he saw lights and men work
ing near the safe and Immediately
opened fire.
ss, At the first shot the robbers, two in
Ys1lumber, left their work and started
for the open air, Sanderson firing at
them again and again as they emerged
through the door and started down the
road leading to the stockyards near
the creamery. The desperadoes an
swered his fire with several revolver
shots, but in the melee, owing to dark
IL in,
jured.
At the creamery the robbers had
horse and buggy hitched which they
had previously stolen from the barn
of Mr.. Sundt, proprietor Of the local
store. Into this they jumped and has
8Ib lilly decamped in the direction of St.
James firing as they went.
Sanderson, left behind, at once pro-
ceeded to telephone to Sheriff Forsyth
at St. James and to Emil Hage at
Hanska, leading stakeholder in the
bank, and these two in turn notified
the police in all of the neighboring
towns and villages.
Sheriff Forsyth himself started in
oSAA 'AAO
trail. followed it easily until he preached
Lake Crystal. Three miles west OF
this village, the robbers had aban-
doned their rig, after unhitching the
gtshorse from the buggy, and walked
u into town.
Two strangers took breakfast at the
railway eating house at about eight
and a little later they were seen to o CLOCK
start down the Omaha track towards
Mankato Concluding that these were
the men wanted by Sheri If Forsyth
Marshal Davis and the section crew got
out hand-car and started in pursuit
T Overtaking them about three miles Out
\, of town, they experienced no difficulty
in placing then under arrest, and the
two suspects are now in Sheriff For
syth's custody at St. James.
When caught they made no attemp
at escape or resistance and stoutly
Raprofessed their innocence of any of
tense.
They had no firearms and no tools
and when questioned as to where the,
came from insisted that they had spen
the night in walking along the tract
from St. j ames to Lake Crystal.
At Hanska early in the week tive
suspicious characters were seen tt
board a south bound freight and ge
off at La Sale. They stayed Their
only while the crew was doing 1t
switching, but during that time the
visited the bank and took the pains t.
look it over carefully. The cashie
sealled Sheriff Forsyth's attention t
this fact at the time and warned him t.
be on the lookout for the stranger
when the train reached St. James
Forsyth followed the instructions an
! now says he can positively ldentlf
one OF the men under arrest as one G
the men who was in La Sale a wee
ago.
Their work at La Sale Sunda
morning was not exactly that Of pro
fessionals. The tools used We're tool
stolen from neighboring blacksmith
shop, and the explosion, if managed b
experienced crooks, would certalnl
not have attracted the attention that
aid.
They succeeded, nevertheless,
/ blowing the outer door of the big sal
and were fairly at work on the inne
Il door when disturbed.