The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-11-13
From MONDAYS Daily.

Edward Evans and his wife were ar
| rested Saturday evening by Sheriff
Donahue and Deputy Sheriff Eli Klug-
hertz on a warrant charging grand
larceny in the first degree. The COM
planning witness is Mary Mclaughlin,
a washerwoman who lives on Fulton
street, near the slough, and who char
ges that Evans and his wife stole
$4,000 ip cash from her home on Oct.
| 3, last. The prisoners, after having
been taken into custody at their house
| at about eight o'clock, were lodged in
the county jail
Was Not Known to Have Money.
Mrs. Mclaughlin was not supposed
to have any funds until last summer,
when her little girl on two occasions
passed out S. and $40, bills to her
little friends and bought them presents
and gave them street car rides. Part
of the money was recovered. The
little girl told of getting the money
| from a tin pail in trunk. Among
the children favored by her is said to
have been Mr.. Evans little girl.
Mrs. Mclaughlin does not known the
exact amount of money that she had,
but thinks that it was about $4,000
1t was the savings of years of hard
toll, slowed away in a place which
she thought was safer than banks or
safety deposit vaults. 1t was kept in
an old fashioned wooden trunk that
came from Ireland, and which was
carefully locked.
Mrs. Mclaughlin is away from home
a good deal of the time, and some
times for more than day at a time.
She was out working as usual on
Oct. 5, and when she returned to her
home she found that her trunk had
been broken open and the money
stolen. Nothing else was taken. She
consulted attorneys and the case was
placed in the hands of Sheriff Donahue,
who has been working upon it ever since
From the first, Mrs. Mclaughlin sus-
pected Evans and his wife. Evans
was formerly hackdriver, and then
drove one of the government mail wa
CONS between the postoffice and depots.
He got into trouble last summer about
a bicycle, and was arrested on the
charge of theft, but the matter was
fixed up in some way and he was dis
charged without the case going to
trial. The family were thought to be
in poor circumstances, and Mrs. Nc
Laughlin states that Mrs. Evans APP
piled to her several times for work.
and that they worked together some
Mrs. Evans occasionally called at the
Mclaughlin home.
1t appears that on the day of the
theft, Evans left the city and, it is
said, went to Rochester, where he was
joined two days later by his wife. 1t
is said that they journeyed together
to Virginia, where they visited Mr..
Evans mother. They returned to
Mankato Friday last, and their ar
rest followed the next day evening.
Bought Diamond and Swell Hat.
Evans, it is said, bought a diamond
ring and fur lined overcoat for HIM
self, $50 hat for his wife, and a
full outfit of good clothing for his
entire family. 1t is claimed that he
spent about 5000 while away. No
money has been found in his posses
sion since his return, but it is ru-
mored that the state knows where
! some So 400 or less is located.
While Mrs. Mclaughlin has retained
counsel, the prosecution of Evans and his
wife is in the hands of County Attorney
Plymat, who will conduct the case
for the state at the preliminary ex-
] animation tomorrow afternoon.
Evans and his wife deny that they
stole Mrs. McLaughlin's money, and
claim their entire innocense of any
hing connected with it. They claim
to have gotten legitimately the money
that they have spent during the last
month. They have retained S. B..
Wilson as their attorney and will
fight the charge.
The complaint alleges that the money
! taken was in gold, silver and paper
money.
Evans is a small, spare man, stoop
shouldered, and has lost one eye, hav-
Ing grass eye Ill It's pldCc.
The case will come before the grand
Jury that meets Wednesday,, and little
delay need be occasioned. 1t will be
| by far the most important and in
teresting case at the coming term of
the district court.
Story Told BY Evans.
About the time that Evans took
his departure for. Virginia he told
parties in this city that he expected
to be placed in possession of from
$4,000 to $4,000 when he reached his
destination, and that he was going to
purchase and operate a fruit farm in
, that state. He had ordered suit
of clothes from local tailor and re-
quested that they be shipped to Roches-
ter Later Evans wrote a letter
to the tailor asking him to ship the
garments to Virginia.
Has Had Quite Career.
Evans has had a remarkable career.
He served in the United States navy