The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-10-11
BREWER ADMITS THE
ROBBERY OF GINSENG
From Thursdays Daily.

gait" this morning. The chicken
and ginseng thief who has caused
such excitement in Lake Crystal,
Garden City and Rapidan became
confidential with Deputy Sheriff Ed
Ario when a Free Press reporter
was within hearing distance and
made a few statements concerning
the thefts, which he previously de.
part of the recent robberies. -
He stated that he was implicated
in both the Rapidan and Garden
City ginseng robberies and told
about how the ginseng was taken.
In his statement made Tuesday to
County Attorney Schmitt, Brewer
said that Harris had taken his
white horse and gone to Rapidan,
but that he did not know about the
theft until Harris told him about it
on his, Harris, return. $50.
Reached Garden City Early.
Brewer said that they arrived at
Garden City about one o'clock the
night they robbed the Peterson gar
dens and told where they tied their
horses and about gaining entrance
to the gardens He said that he
cut five wires of the fence around
the garden and told of how the dog
barked and the fence creaked when
they were going in. He said that
when Harris climbed the fence he
stepped on some loose boards and
made a loud noise, which startled
them a little. Brewer said that the
ginseng at Garden City was hard
to dig. He had a six-tined fork
and he could hardly get the gin
seng out, even with that. ut went
fine and dandy at Rapidan," he re-
marked, "The soil there was not
so hard and tough"
One Sack Is Missing.
When asked if he had any more
ginseng buried either near Rapidan
or near Lake Crystal he said mo, )"
very positively. One bag which he
carried away from his barn, in a
northerly direction, on the night
when Deputy Sheriff Ed Ario
caught him, is still unaccounted
for. Brewer said that he carried a
white sack up in that direction and
then changed the ginseng from that
sack into gunny sack. which was
later found by the sheriff. He does
not say however, what became OF
d. the white sack. .-.. .
When asked if there was no more
ginseng buried around there he re.
marked: Cali the spades in Gods
kingdom won't be able to dig up
any more ginseng around there,
meaning the locality of the Lake
Crystal cemetery. He further re-
marked that he wished he had never
dug any ginseng, and that there
was where he made his mistake. He
also said that if Ario had not caught
him just when he did, he probably
would never have caught him, but
did not explain how he expected to
be able to avoid capture.
Statement to County Attorney.
Brewers statement to County At.
torney Schmitt, part of which
was published in The Free Press
last evening, continues as follows:
While Brewer was talking to the
horse trader, a Jew who was a
peddler came along and asked Har.
ris if he could get place to stay
in Garden City. Harris told him
that he had just come from there
and could not find any place to
stay. The Jew then decided to stay
there.
Brewer asked Harris if they had
not better go on and Harris decided
that it would be better After they
had gone short distance Harris
proposed to Brewer that he, Brew
er, go back and rob the Jew be.
cause Harris was sure that the
Jew had money. Brewer refused to
do it and they went on until they
came to school house west OF
Garden City, where they camped
that night. r
There was house not more
than 100 yards from where we
camped. In the morning an old
man, who must have come from
the house, came out and looked
around, but he did not see any
chickens or anything, so he went
back. In the morning we struck
the Willow Creek road and went
When asked when he took r.
Owens chickens, Brewer denied
having taken them at all, and said
that while Harris was with him
he did not take anything excep,
the chickens he told of taking on
the road to st. Peter.
SOfnc Onc Else LOOK mem.
County Attorney Schmitt said
There were lots of chickens stolen
around Lake Crystal Did you take
them?" Brewer replied that some
one else at Lake Crystal took them
While Brewer was in MankatC
on the first charge of larceny wher
he was bound over to the grand
jury and released on 500 bail, Har
ris told him that he, Harris. would
stay i'm Lake Crystal and look after
the horse and things until he found
out whether Brewer would be re
leased from Jail in Mankato. Brewer
thought that Harris must have be
come frightened during that time
because he sold off all of the chick
ems and ducks, and then came tt
Mankato and got SIS from Brewer
At that time Harris told Brewer
that he had some clothes in a no
tel in Minneapolis and that hi
would like to get those clothes
that they would be good to have
when the two men left Lake Cry
stal. During the time Harris wa!
with Brewer he wore Brewer.
clothes and when he got to Min
neapolis he sent them back tt
Brewer by express
Admits Chicken Theft.
prowar then admitted that ho haf