The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-09-10
SUMS TAKEN SMALL
BURGLARS RANSACK NUMBER OF
HOMES; POOR RESULT.
They Cavorted About Town at Their
Own Free Will, Entering Houses,
Ransacking Them and Getting
Away Without Leaving a Clew;
All Told $3.50 Was Secured BY
Providers; Clothing Was Searched.


were visited, but the net proceeds
were small and hardly rewarded the
parties for their time. trouble and
risk. The residence of James Spellman,
4l6 South Fifth street, was one OF
those visited. Mr.. Spellman arose early
so as to catch the early morning train
to the twin cities, and was surprised
when he went downstairs to find the
rear door standing wide open. He
closed and locked it, and signed a blank
check and left it on the dining room
table, and called upstairs to his wife,
telling her where it was, and saying
that she could fill it in for the amount
that she would need during his absence.
He then went out. This was at 4:30
o'clock and the members of the family
did not come down stairs until seven
o'clock. When they did come down,
they found the check gone and the
house ransacked. Every room on the
first floor had been visited and cup
boards. closets and drawers searched
and the contents spread around. Burn
ed matches were found on the floor in
the various rooms.
Found Purse on Porch.
Miss Catherine Spellman's purse had
been taken, but was found on the
back porch. A dollar and pair of
gold cuff buttons that it contained
were gone. The coats of the members
of the family were scattered about,
but nothing else was missed The con-
tents of the refrigerator on the back
porch were scattered about the porch
floor and a pie was missing.
Entrance was gained through the
outside cellar door, that was not lock-
ed, and the burglar, once inside of the
house, had no difficulty in getting up
stairs. He then opened the back door
to have place of retreat. When Mr..
Spellman came down, he evidently ran
ont, or possibly hid in the house, and
after Mr.. Spellman had gone he evil
IDENTIFY returned and took the check
and ransacked the house. The family
heard some noise, but paid no attention
TO it. The check was drawn on the
National Citizens bank, and Mrs Spell
man notified the banks early this
morning not to cash it. She thought
that possibly the burglar might fill it
out and undertake to negotiate it.
Were Frightened Away
An effort was made to enter the
residence of County Treasurer r. w.
Hart, few doors south, at the corner
of Fifth and Cherry streets, but for
some reason the burglar gave up the
job, possibly frightened by someone APP
preaching on the walk. This morning
Mr.. Hart found a dining room chair
from some other house and home
made ladder ten feet long on the south
side of his house. The chair was under
one of the dining room windows, and
the legs were sunk an inch into the
lawn. showing that the burglar was a
full grown man. The burglar had evil
IDENTIFY attempted to get the window
screen off. but was unable to reach the
screw or button at the top, so he
went a half block away to the new
house of George Draper and took a
ladder that was being used there. and
set it beside the window Then he
climbed up and got the screen half off,
when he was frightened away or gave
the job up. The fact that the screen
stuck caused him a good deal of delay.
The window inside the screen was
open, and had he succeeded in getting
the screen off he would have gotten
right in. Mr.. Hart had very little
money in the house, and the burglar
would not have been well rewarded.
Visited w. E. Young's Home.
w. f. Young's residence, l2l Clark
street, was entered through the outside
basement door. The door from the
Kitchen to the basement had been left
unlocked, and the thief found no trou-
BILE in getting in. He visited Mrs.
1oung's bedroom and took her handbag
ana distracted $l.50 from a purse that
1T contained, leaving both bag and
purse in the hall. Nothing else was
taken or disturbed. Mrs. Young was
awakened by noise during the night.
but paid no particular attention to it.
At five O'Clock her little girl called 10
her that her kittie was in her room.
Mrs. Young got up and took the KIT
ten down stairs, and then discovered
that the back door was wide open. and
found few burned matches. Investi
CATION showed that her handbag had
been taken.
At the Kennedy Residence.
M. p. Kennedy's residence, lis Full
ton street, was entered i'm the same
way that the others We're The out
side cellar door had been left unlocked,
and the burglar entered. The door
from the kitchen to the cellar was
locked, but the burglar unscrewed the
catch and thus opened the door with
out turning the key He then opened
the rear door from the kitchen, to have
an avenue of escape, and proceeded
to search the first floor. but nothing
was missed. Mrs. Kennedy was enter
tanning three lady friends from abroad.
who were on their way to the state
fair, and who undoubtedly had some
money, but all were sleeping on the
second floor, and their property was
Continued on Waue SYx