The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-05-26
years in the United States army.
Denied the Letter Writing.

1SnISO tOC ICttCT WTtttU0.
Mason denied the charge that the
letter and check sent to Miss Cole
were written by Andrew C. Peterson
at his dictation. When the letter
and check were shown me by Miss
Cole" said Mason, II thought that
someone was trying to play trick
on her and at the same time make
me jealous, as all my friends knew
that j thought lot of the girl and
could not bear the thought of her
going with other fellows" During
the winter someone had notice in
serted in one of the ST. Peter pa
pers that were going to be married
Whoever did this tried to create
trouble for u.s."
There are some discrepancies in
vestigation made by Sheriff Osten in
Minneapolis, Mason did not leave
that city until Wednesday, as that
is the day on which he left word at
the postOffice to have his mail for
warded to Hammond, and the order
left at the postoffice is in Mason's
own handwriting. Also, Mason claimed
to the sheriff that he did not wire
Miss Cole for money. To The Free
Press Mason admitted having wired
whether she would accede to his
request, and he concluded to go to
Chicago and there try to OBJ
tain some cash. He tried to
negotiate the gold bonds, but
could not do so. When he first told
his story, Mason said he was irt
Hammond two days, but when his
attention was called to the discrep-
ancies in time, he corrected him
self and rearranged his timetable
Denied Assumed Name.
Mason denied ever having gone un-
der an assumed name. He said that
he had written several letters to
Minneapolis supply houses for Fong
Moon, the Chinaman who conducts
laundry at Jackson and Broad
streets, but he denied ever having
attempted to defraud the Chinaman
or anyone else. Mason said that he
had not attempted to cover up his
tracks after leaving Mankato. How
ever, in his letter to Peterson he
cautioned that gentleman not to tell
anyone where he was or was going
to be. He wrote Peterson that
he was IAN insurance agent"
Mason appeared very anxious to
shield Miss Cole against any charge
of wrong doing. He said: They can
say all they want to about me, but
do not want anyone to say anything
against the girl" Miss Cole is under
stood to have said that she will
against him have been proven.
Mason came here from Green Lake,
Wis, where he was for some time in
the employ of Victor F. Lawson, pro-
prietor of The Chicago Daily News.
In closing his interview with The
Free Press, Mason remarked: well,
it does look bad for me. My going
away was a bad. thing" Mason de-
MED that he and the girl had put up
job together for the purpose of
obtaining money fraudulently.
Peterson's Story to Officers.
Notwithstanding Mason's protesta-
| tons of innocence, the authorities
claim to have the goods on him. -
They assert that Peterson has cough
ed up the information that he wrote
| ho Lott oh ;oh
ceived by Miss Cole at the dictation
of Mason. The letter was framed-up
| by Mason, so Peterson is alleged to
have informed the officers, and Peter
son copied the letter and wrote out
the check at Mason's suggestion. What
benefit Peterson was to have gained
out of the transaction is not appar-
ent. The authorities are of the be-
| lief that Mason planned the whole
thing in order to obtain the money,
using Peterson and Miss Cole as his
mediums
The FaWnec Watch.
Last winter Mason pawned his gold
watch with Louis Huettl, the barber,
! to secure a loan Of 81. Several
weeks later Mr.. Huettl's barber shop
was broken into and the watch and
twenty-five raZors were stolen. Three
weeks later, while Mr.. Kruse was
looking around in the basement of
the building, back of the barber
shop, he discovered the razors lying
on the ground in a dark and unused
room.
At the time of the burglary, Mason
was suspected of the theft, as he was
about the last man in the shop that
evening, and search warrant was
gotten out and his room was search
ed, but neither the watch nor the
razors were found.
Identified BY HuettI.
When Mason was arrested, Sheriff
Osten took his valuables from him,
including a gold watch. When Deputy
Sheriff Ed. Ario saw this watch yes
terday afternoon he suspected at once
/ that it was the one that Mason had
paWned with Mr.. Huettl. The watch
is peculiar make, such as are sell
dom seen. To be sure, Mr.. Huettl
was invited to the Jail this morning,
and he examined the watch and iden-