The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-08-04
LINKS IN THE CHAIN OF EVIDENCE i.
DRAW CLOSE ON HANLON AND C|MES

Thomas Hanlon and Andy Cimes,
the two men accused of attempting
to rob the postoffice at Nicollet last
Saturday night, were brought to
Mankato last night from st. Peter
by Deputy United States Marshal
George W. Wells of st. Paul, to an
swer to the charge in the federal
court. Mr.. Wells took the prisoners
into custody at st. Peter, thus re-
lieving the county authorities there
OF the duty of prosecuting them. on,
arriving in Mankato, Mr.. Wells lodged
the men in the county Jail.
At shortly before eleven o'clock
this forenoon, Mr.. Wells took his two
prisoners to the office of Benjamin
Taylor, the new United States COM
missioner in this city, and they were
formally arraigned on the charge of
breaking into and entering a post
office with intent to commit larceny.
They had no attorney and said that
they had no money to employ one
and did not desire one.
Not Guilty Plea Entered.
Each entered plea of not guilty
and waived an examination and was
held to the next term of the United
States court in this city, which
opens on the fourth Tuesday in Oc-
tober. The bail of each was fixed
at $1,000, and as they were unable
to furnish it they were committed to
the Blue Earth county Jail, where
they will remain until the federal
grand jury meets, when in all prob
ability they will be indicted, and it
is understood that they will plead
guilty.
Assistant United States District At
torney j. M. Dickey of st. Paul was
present, as was also George H. Drake
of Minneapolis, the postOffice in
spector. in whose territory the al
legged attempt at larceny was made.
The latter brought with him three
witnesses for the government, to put
on the stand in case the defendants
had not waived an examination.
These witnesses were Anton Burg,
marshal of Nicollet, who captured
the two men in the basement of
Schweiler e Dallmanns store, in
which building the postoffice is To-
Gated; Ed. H. Olson, the postmaster;
and Mabel Burton, who was pre-
pared to give valuable testimony re-
garding the intent of the men in
entering the building.
Inquired Where Postmaster Lived.
Miss Burton is a fifteen year old
girl residing at Nicollet, and with
younger girl was at the depot on
Saturday afternoon. She states that
Hanlon, Cimes and another man
with a dark mustache were there
and that they questioned her closely,
as to where the pOstOffice was To-
Gated, where the postmaster lived,
whether the postmaster or anyone
else lived overhead, whether anyone
slept in the building, and as to the
habits of the postmaster about clos
ing the office, etc.
1t was not known until a day or
two ago that Miss Burton had been
questioned by the men, and she did
not see them again after their arrest
until today, when she faced them in
Commissioner Taylor's office. She
at once recognized them as two of
the three who had questioned her.
She was positive in her Identified
ton, and no doubt the sight of her
made the prisoners more willing toI
waive an examination.
The young girl who was with Miss
Burton at the time that the CONVEX
satiOn was held was also looked up
by Postmaster Inspector Drake, but
she could not collect her thoughts
sufficiently to make an acceptable
witness, so she was not subpoenaed.
SeIf-InfIicted Burn.
Mr.. Drake states that Cimes is
known as a sneak thief and profess
sional beggar. He has a burn on
self inflicted with acid, although he
claims that he was burned while |
cooking in a hobo camp recently.
Cimes claims that his home is in
New Mexico. He was arrested last
week in this city for begging, and
at that time claimed that his arm
was scalded recently while acting as
a waiter The burn bore no resem- /
blance to hot water scald, as he |
and he had not bandaged
it, but left it open to the. air, so
all he had to do was to pull up his
coat sleeve to show the CHASTITY in
jury to people and thus try to play
upon their sympathy. He also has
scar that he claims was made in an
operation for appendicitis, but which
is said to have been made by an
other kind of an operation.
Has Tattoo Mark on Arm.
Hanlon claims that his home is at
Racine, Wis.,, and little is known
about him. He bears tattoo marks
on one arm, of a sailor, and it is
thought from this that he may have
been a sailor at one time. He is the
one who did most of the questioning
Of Miss Burton.
Postoffice Inspector Drake states
that in the basement of the store
building where Marshal Burg found
The men hiding under some duck
coats, there is an immense eistern.
with eighteen feet of water in it.
nolding 1000 barrels, and the only
opening is an eighteen inch man
hole He thinks that Hanlon and
Jimes dropped their burglar tools
md explosive material, otherwise
Known as soup" down into this wa
er, when cornered. 1t has not been
possible to investigate, but before
court meets it is proposed to pump
he water from this cistern in an
effort to find the implements of the
men, as thew had none when ar .