The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1912-09-06
HUSTLER IS HELD.
MooRhEAD OFFICIALS HAVE MAN
WITH BAD REcoRp-sAY HE
STOLE SEVEN HORSES.
IDENTITY ESTABLISHED
Carl Nelson and Rudolph Sheer Are
One and the Same Man, Il 10 Die.
eovered-elacksmith ldenti.
fies Him.

Fargo.-By establishing the identity
of Carl Nelson, charged with the theft
Of three horses from the Alfred Olson
barn near Moorhead, and Rudolph
Sheer as one and the same man, the
state declares 1t has secured q chain
Of evidence against the mans past
record which will materially help the
prosecution when the case comes to
trial in the district court.
Nelson was arrested near Argusville
by Sheriff Whaley of Clay county, hav.
ing in his possession the three horses
which had been stolen from the Olson
barn several nights before He
claimed to have purchased the ami.
mails, but upon appearing for prelimi.
nary hearing was bound over to the
district court under $500 bail. De.
velopments since then have been of
an interesting nature.
Several days ago Mr.. Nelson, the
Moorhead blacksmith. had occasion to
visit the county Jail, where he en-
countered Nelson" and identified him
as Sheer.
On July 10. 1906, according to court
records, Rudolph Sheer appeared in
Judge Miller's court in Fargo charged
with grand larceny. According to the
charge he had taken horse from the
Marsh & Loomis barn and disposed of
the animal near Buffalo, N. d. He
was arrested and brought back to
Fargo.
On that occasion Sheer appeared to
be mentally unbalanced, and upon his
first appearance in Judge Miller's
court he became very violent. The
testimony of one of the witnesses not
being to his liking, Sheer picked up
an ink bottle and hurled 1t at him
with great force.
Sheer pleaded not guilty, and upon
recommendation his case was referred
to an insanity board. The board,
however, failed to declare him in.
sane, and when he appeared in dis
trict court he was found not gailty.
This was on Dec. 81, 1906.
Not long afterward three horses
were stolen from Grafton by one Sam
Winters" whom it afterwards devel-
oped was known also as Rudolph
Sheer. Winters" was bound for
Brandon, Man., with the stolen ami.
mails, and was overtaken and arrested
just this side of the Canadian border.
He was brought back to Grafton,
where he was sentenced to serve five
years in the state penitentiary. On
this occasion the testimony of Officer
Max Richards of the Fargo police
force had more or less weight in es.
tablishing the mans guilt in the minds
Of the jury. At Grafton, too, he is
said to have repeated the crazy"
stunt which had been more effective
in Fargo. ..
winters" broke parole at Bismarck
and shortly afterward was arrested at
Ada, Mimi, and was returned to the
state penitentiary to serve the unex.
pired term. On that occasion he was
held over night in the Fargo Jail
While in Fargo he again became in.
sane apparently, and great care had
to be exercised in taking care of him.
According to the officers, Winters
term of Imprisonment at the state
penitentiary expired but few months
ago.
The other night Nelson" appeared
to be violently i'll and toward morn
ing he exhibited signs of insanity. DR..
D. c. Darrow was called in to see the
man and appeared to be more or less
amused. While the prisoner appar-
emily was so i'll that he could not turn
on his cot and exhibited many out
ward signs of mortal pain and suffer
ing, the doctor declared after exam
ination that the mans pulse was per-
fectly normal, and he could not dag
nose the case as anything serious.