The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-12-20

Later he mounted MS morse which
he lala in the stable and Goda TO
lc6znsd over night Tie did not sleep
on the farm where ~ ; EMPLOYED
8B says tRa5 dr &seyer invited
hza to 20 on ht 5.,w'thE lin end
Eeln5 Ats u.ace fore the night
but as it was two miles away
Schram says he declined the invita-
ton. He denies all knowledge OF
Meyers whereabouts.
Yesterday posse of twenty-five
or thirty farmers in Pleasant Mound
spent the entire day searching for
the missing man, but not a trace
of him nor clue to his where
abouts was discovered. Mr.. Meyer
has a wife and one child, a boy.
They reside on farm three miles
from Lewisville, but across the line
in Blue Earth county.
No Action Has Been Taken.
At this writing no prosecution has
been commenced against Schram
No formal charge has been lodged
against him. County Attorney Ed.
Farmer of Watonwan county, where
the suspected man is held and lives,
has not yet taken up the case: 1t is
have jurisdiction. Lewisville is in
Watonwan county, as is also the
farm where Schram says he left
Meyer on Saturday night But it is
hard to say whether Fred Meyer
met with some mishap in Watonwan
county or in Blue Earth county.
Protests His Innocence.
Schram protests stoutly that he is
INN of ~ hox,
happened to Meyer, and he tells
such a good story that Marshal H.
l.. Weldon of Lewisville says that
he believes him. Mr.. Meyer is not
a drinking man and was perfectly
able to take care of himself when
he left town. Schram does not
know what time it was when he
reached his place of abode.
Held on Suspicion.
Schram was taken into custody
when he arrived at Lewisville about
ten o'clock today. The warrant got
ten out does not charge him with
any crime, but holds him on sus-
picion. The warrant was sworn out
by the justice of the peace at Lew
isville.
Mrs Meyer is at loss to explain
the sudden and mysterious disap-
pearance of her husband. She stated
today that he could not have had
much money on his person Saturday
evening. The only article he took
to Lewisville Saturday to sell was
a can of cream and the proceeds
from this would not amount to a
great deal. So far as known Mr.
and Mrs. Meyer have always lived
happily, and certain it is he had no
cause to run away so far as his do
nestle relations were concerned.
No Trace of Meyer.
Herman Meyer, who conducts a
restaurant at Lewisville, is the father
of the missing man. Alfred Bright
enfelt, also of Lewisville, is a
brother-in-law. These men spent con-
siderable time this morning search
ing for Fred Meyer, but they were
unable to secure any trace of him.
The marshal at Lewisville must
have considerable faith in Schram.
He permitted him to sit in the vii
lage restaurant and eat his dinner
without placing a guard over him.
HE wouldn't run away" said the
marshal over the phone to The Free
Press.
Schram Made An Early Call.
1t appears that Schram, according
to report received from Lewisville,
went to the home of Meyer, in
Pleasant Mound at two o'clock Sun
day morning, several hours after he
had left Meyer at the farm where
he was digging the well, and in
quired of Mrs. Meyer as to whether
her husband had returned home.
This is looked upon as rather a
significant circumstance by the au-
thoirties.
County Attorney j. w. Schmitt
was notified of the case and he has
instructed Sheriff Osten to proceed
to Lewisville tonight and make an
investigation of the disappearance
of Meyer. 1t is likely that the sher-
if of Watonwan county will make
an investigation also.
Another story told is that Schram
did not stop at the place where he
was employed, but drove on to
Meyers home, arriving there at
a. m. They knocked on the door, but
could get no response. He started
away and that was the last he saw
of Meyer, so Schram says.
Another case of mysterious disap-
pearance was solved through the in
dustry of detectives for the Modern
Woodmen of America when Edwin
II. Stalnaker appeared in court at
independence, Kan, and confronted
his wife, maintaining suit against
the society to recover on a beneficial
certificate for $4,000 on her husbands
life.
Stalnaker on February %, 1904
Joined Camp No. GAL, NJ. w. A., at
Caney, Kan. He was then at the age
of thirty-nine years. The following
June he disappeared and suit was
entered on the certificate seven years
after his disappearance. The society's
detectives pursued the man, who
was carpenter, through Mexico
Texas, Utah, Arizona and New Mex
leo and finally located him at Pueb
10, Col, where he was known as E
S. Hart. His wife declined to accept