The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-01-31
In Fight PatroIman Receives
Four Bullet Wounds.
Desperate Encounter Occurs at
Early Morning Hour.
One of the Bold Offenders Cap
iured, Is Identified.

ST. Cloud, Jan. 23.-While attempt
ing to arrest burglar who was rob
bling the money drawer of the Hell
menz & Reider grocery store, Police
Officer Becker was shot and fatally
wounded early yesterday morning
The officer now lies at the st. Raph-
ael's hospital with three bullet
lung, one entering his back and
lodging in his kidney and the other
through the arm.
No trace has been found of the
probable murderers. In the tussle
with the policeman, one man lost his
hat, which is the only clue the local
authorities have. 1t was reported lat
er that bare headed man was seen
running through the village Of
Cable. Three officers Immediately set
ont in that direction and hope to
locate the guilty parties. All the
towns and villages in every direction
have been notified and have been Civ
en- a fairly good description.
Officer Gave Details.
Officer Becker was conscious for
two hours after the shooting, and was
able to give some Of the details. He
stated that as he was walking down
Fifth avenue he noticed the front
door of the grocery store open, he
walked in and saw tall man be-
hind the counter, going through the
till. He was placed under arrest and,
after short tussle. the officer got
him out on the street.
At this point the conTederates of
the burglar came around the corner,
one raised his gun, and, placing it
within six inches of the officers
breast, shot. The bullet entered his
lung He fired two other shots. one of
which entered the policeman's right
arm. and the other lodging in his
back. The three men then made
their escape. Officer Becker then
walked a block and entered the Grand
Central hotel, where he dropped to
the floor. Henry Becker is one OF
the oldest policemen in the city. He
has served for twenty-five years. The
town was aroused over the affair, and
the mayor offered reward of $500
for the capture of the guilty parties.
dead or alive.
Besides the Heimenz store, the rob-
bers entered several other places in
the city and secured 5000 in cash..
Tn each case entrance was effected
through the front door. The men
seemed to have keys which would
open any lock. At the Pappenfuss
butcher shop they got onto the COM
binatiou of the safe and secured $50
i'm cash.
One Man Captured
Early in the morning farmer tele-
phoned to the police here that he had
seen two suspicious characters going
in the direction of Cable, a town six
miles from st. Cloud, one man being
bareheaded Immediately Deputy Sher-
if JOY and Alderman Stevens secured
a rig and drove to Cable. In a
short time they found the bareheaded
man asleep in the depot waiting
room and Immediately placed him I'M
der arrest and brought him back to
st. Clond. When searched revolver
was found upon him with four empty
shells in the cylinder, which CORE
spOnds to the number of bullets fired
into the body of Officer Becker. The
man was taken at once to the hospi
tai where the wounded policeman
identified him as the man who did
the shooting, and it was with great
difficulty that the officers in charge
of the burglar could get him to
Jail after it became known that he
was the probable murderer. A mob
formed, but was unorganized, and the
hatless man was safely landed in "a
CELL
Another man, believed to be pal
of the hatless man, was arrested at
Foley and brought here. He had in
his possession a horse and buggy stol
en- from New Ulm. When searched
lot of jewelry was found on this
man, much of which had been stolen
from jewelry store here. Both men
had money in their pockets.