The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-04-08
RIPE FOR THE ROPE
DIRTY TRAMP WHO MADE AN AT
TACK ON LADY TEACHER.
Size Escaped From His Clutches and
Ran to Farmers House; Crowd
Quickly Gathered and the Fiend
Was Captured; He Is Now in Jail
at FairmOnt; Hearing Set For
Next Saturday.

Fairmont, April 4.One Of the most
Gastardly crimes in the history of
Martin county was attempted by :,
tramp at the school house in district
No. 80, Il mile and Il half west of
Welcome. Friday afternoon The school
is taught by Mrs Earl Welcome. the
wife of a young farmer living near.
She had dismissed school, the pupils
HAD gone home, while the teacher re-
manned to sweep out and put the room
i'll order.
{ While she wars thus busted man
suddenly opened the door and came in.
He pulled a revolver and warned the
young woman that if she made an
cutlery he would shoot her. She dis
regarded the threat ard screamed for
thloat and q desperate struggle en-
sued Although he was Il LARGE and
powerful man he had an athletic
young woman TO deal with and before
he could accomplish his purpose she
broke away from him, sprang through
an open window and ran for the
house OF w. Stello. not far ristant
Crowd Pursued the Fellow.
Men in The iieLls and in the neigh
borhood had heard her screams and
soon after she had reached the Stcllo
place. several men, ircludin. Mr.. Wei
come. her husband, were III pursuit of
the criminal.
He ran for Fox lake. with the in
tent, no doubt, of hiding in the sur
roundn" timber. His pursucrs hal
Linn almost surrounded and headed Off
from the timber aud he turned south.
Young MIR. Bagley and companion
in road cart here joined in the
chase with their horse and for the
first time the desperate fred his re-
yOlvcr at them. He then ran through
fenced fields where the horse could not
follow.
Tie pursucrs collected few shot
guns at near by houses out could OBJ
tain only shells loaded with fine shot.
They followed and opened fire ut long
range with these. the fleeing man re
turning the liIc with his revolver as
he ran. many of his shots tipping by
very close to his pursucrs.
The man ran into W. Wohlhutcrs
house and demanded Il gun. but none
Was there. Then he ran to the barn.
no doubt to get Il horse. but finding
none. continued his flight through the
fields with eight OF ten farmers be-
hind him.
Thrown From Stolen Horse.
He next ran into Nell Smiths barn
and securing horse. mounted and
was rapidly getting away when til"
horse stumbled and fell. throwing the
rider very hard. III the fall he lost
his revolver and was considerably
stunned His pursuers were quickly
upon him and he was Il prisoner after
. chase of six miles. many of his
captors suggesting hanging him at
oEcc. but the cooler heads prevailed.
and the prisoner was taken to Wei
come and locked up for the night
He had fred about twenty-five shots
from his revolver at his purslcrs
withou. effect and they had shot ut
him many times with their shot guns
He was pretty well pcppercd with
fine shot at long range. Twenty -four
shot were found to have taken effect
about his person, but he was not seri
ously hurt. If the enraged farmers
,ttcn hold of rifle OF few shells
loadc,, with buckshot it would soon
lave been all over with the brutal
human wart and there would have
been 10 mourncrs either.
LynChing Party Quickly Organized.
During the night a crowd of men
from the west part of the county
came to Welcome with Il rope and
demanded the prisoner. The marshal
refused to give up the man and some
of the crowd threatened to dynamite