The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-11-03
FRANKS OF THE BOYS
kept POLICEMEN BUSY

Mankato Observation-Disclosures were large.
ly in evidence last night beginning
their deviltry early in the evening.
This morning as one passed up the
streets he saw evidences of their do
ing last night. Along the streets
were strewn waste from some gar
bage cans, and buggies of the ram
shackle type were to be found here
and there in the streets, Most Of
the plate glass fronts of stores were
grotesquely decorated with chalk.
Those who were wise to these pranks
oiled their windows last night and
this morning had no difficulty in
getting the chalk removed from their
windows.
Some Damage Was Done.
Damage was done to property. A
large portion of the fence that kept
people from walking on the lawn of
Attorney B. d. Smith, Parsons
street, was torn away and laid across
the street car tracks. This was a
wanton destruction of property and
the culprits deserve punishment.
A number of wagons were pulled
off to some distant street corner and
placed in the street, sometimes OBJ
structing the street car tracks, few
windows broken, and other mischief
was done. In the central part of
the city very little was done, as the
streets were we'll watched. But in
the outskirts of the city the larger
boys carried off a number of things
A few outhouses were also tipped.
Trouble for Motormen.
The motormen on the street cars
going up the hill past the normal
school seemed to have the most trou-
BILE. On the hill at Main street the
tracks were well creased and then
to add to the chagrin of the motor
men, a large wagon without wheels
was placed across the tracks. Here,
however, real meaness was shown,
as 1t would have been very easy for
an accident to happen to the cars.
The brakes were ineffective on the
creased tracks and should the car go
down the hill it might have crashed
into the wagon. One little urchin hid
behind the car and when it was well
in motion would jerk the rope hold
ing the trolley and thus pull it from
the wire.
North Mankato Tricks.
In North Mankato a few boys Sc
cured permission from the owner 10
pull his wagon around the streets.
When the policeman chased them,
they replied sarcastically that they
had hired the wagon. They finally
kept up this prank so long that the
policeman gave up hope of getting
them to desist and jumped into the
wagon and rode with them. No ar
rests were made.
Drove Away With Horse.
1t is said that one lady left her
horse and buggy standing on South
Broad street while she went to call
on friend. During her absence sew
eral young men detached the buggy
and left the horse standing alone.
The buggy was run off some dis
lance.
Pieces Of furniture were carted
about and left on the street and this
morning the owners were kept busy
gathering together their property.
There was damage done to prop
erty in other parts of the city, and
those who are the sufferers from
this display of disregard of other
peoples property wonder where
those extra policemen were station
ed. There are parents, too, who
should give their children some
wholesome advice as to the respect
they should have for others prop
erty and rights in the premises. If
the parents do not act the authori-
ties should do so.
If the authorities are unable to
cope with the destroyers of prop
erty the people will be forced to
take matters in hand.
Mark L. Wildes writes The Free
Press from his farm near Lake
Washington:
"Since the session of the legisla-
ture abolishing capital punishment
in Minnesota, crime of all kinds
has ncreased-murder has been
committed where never before.
Many persons object to punishment
of the criminally inclined young, as
seen in the Whittier investigation.
Some think crime good thing, as
it furnishes business for lawyers,
Justices. courts, police, sheriffs,
constables and other officers. 1t
gives employment in building jails,
prisons and many other kinds of
structures. The papers are filled
daily with accounts of robbery,
theft, burglary, forgery, in fact,
crimes of all kinds and characters.
Last night some persons tore
down the fence of my pasture and
nailed up gates to prevent the ami
mails that got out from being return
ed, an example of the beginning of
greater crime"
AS result of eating some lob
ster at his home at 206 Willard last
Saturday night w. R. Hammett has
been taken sick with ptomaine poi