The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-09-15

warrant for the Arrest of Mr. Young.
The county attorney will make an
investigation of the shooting before
any action is taken. He has heard
one side of the story and will inter-
view Mr.. Young for the purpose OF
learning from him his story of the
unfortunate affair. The county at
torney wants to find out if Mr..
Young used more than ordinary
force to protect his property.
Son of a Police Officer.
The injured young man is a son
of Officer George Simmonds of the
police force. He and those who
were with him are all young men
of good standing here. 1t is said
they had been in the habit of get
ting melons from Mr.. Young's
patch and their intention was to
pay the owner for the melon on
their return from the hunting trip.
DR.. j. w. Andrews, who dressed
Simmonds' wounds, says that there
were about one hundred shot, No.
bird shot, in the boys body.
Some of them which entered his
arm were so deeply imbeded in the
muscles of the arm that they were
not removed, and will probably cause
trouble. DR.. Andrews considers the
boys condition as serious.
w. K. Young, who fired the shot.
runs a garden and small farm at
South Bend, at the fork of the road
where the road leads to Jones
Ferry. A number of years ago he
was a member of the Mankato po-
lice force for twenty-one years.
Says Shooting Was Accidental.
THE shooting was purely acct
dental and regret it," was the re-
mark made by Mr.. Young this after
noon, when questioned about the af-
fair. Mr.. Young was exceedingly cor
dial to The Free Press representa-
tive, and conversed freely about the
accident. He showed the footprints
where the young men came through
the fence and where they went out.
He also pointed out the place where
he was sitting at the time the boys
drove UP the road.
Makes a Statement.
In substance Mr.. Young said: 81
was sitting in a chair back of this
small tree e(pointing to the tree)
which is near the center of the wa
termelon patch, at about twelve
o'clock Saturday night when l
heard some boys coming up the
Mathews hill in buggy. They were
singing. When near the west side
of the melon patch they stopped
their horse and two of the young
men got out of the buggy while the
other held the horse. The. men
crawled through the fence and at
this moment l left my chair and
with gun in hand stepped to one
side short distance from the young
men. / pulled the trigger of the
gun, which they heard and they ran
through the fence, dropping a green
melon which they had picked. They
hurried to the buggy and drove on
to the school house and then they
came back. They were talking very
low when they passed my house on
their return home. N
Sits With Gun BY His Side.
81 am in the habit of sitting in
the orchard and melon patch every
night sleeping in my chair, with my
gun at my side. | regret the ac-
cident. | have worked like a dog
all summer to raise this stuff and,
of course, | don't want it stolen. I
am going to protect my property
| don't want to hurt anyone, but
l don't want my stuff destroyed and
stolen. l own this property and it
has to make living for me. | have
been here on this place eight years
and bought the place of d. C.
Evans"
Mr.. Young is seventy years old
and came to this county forty-six
years ago.