The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-07-12
BULLETfR0M OFF,
Gers GUN is FATAL
From Fridays Daily. SIS ~
STATEMENT MADE BY OFFICER
CHARLES POllEi.

Quently expressed his remorse over
the accident, he declaring that he
had no thought of injuring Hack
when he fired. When visited by a
Free Press representative he said:
The two women stopped me near
the Thomas drug store, and said
they had been insultcd asked them
10 point out the man, and they
walked with me to the Main street
corner. Hack saw us and ran down
an alley, and ] followed. .,.,
81 suspected he would go into the
Inn saloon, but thought he might
run out the front door, SO I went
around the corner and entered from
the front. Hack stood at the bar
drinking glass of bear, and the
bartender told me he had just enter
ed. i told him he was under arrest,
and when We reached Kron's corner
the women identified him. cd. -
I'VE started across the street for
the Saulpaugh, but when we were
about fifteen feet from the curb
Hack said, No police station for
me: Pm up against it anyway and
ran toward the bridge. / called to
him three times to stop, and then
pulled my revolver from it's holster
Il intended 70 shoot into the air
and brighten him, but when | fired
he fell. / was running, and it must
have deranged my aim and made the
bullet go low. / had no reason to
kill the man, and the shooting was
wholly accidental"
The fact that Pollei had been
brought TO st. Peter was kept secret,
and none but the authorities knew Of
his whereabouts. He was placed in
cell on the second floor of the jail
and remained there until this af-
ternOon, when he was taken to
Mankato to testify at the inquest. D..
William Bohrer of North Mankato,
well known in ST. Peter, was but a
few feet behind the policeman when
the shooting occurred. He said the
distance between Hack and the Of
ficer was about fifty feet, while
Hack ran thirty or forty feet be-
fore he fell. He ran after the officer
to the place where Hack lay, and
helped raise him up. After the shot
was fired Hack did not utter word
He groaned as he was turned over
and then fell forward, as though
dead Mr.. Bohrer did not think
Hack was drunk, as had been claim
ed, because he would not have been
able to run as fast as he did,
Hubert Hack, twenty-four years
old, of North Mankato, was shot and
killed by Officer Charles Pollei We'd
nesday night shortly before ten
o'clock, at the foot of Main street,
after a short but exciting chase, when
Hack tried to escape from the Off
Ger after the latter had arrested him.
Hack had been placed unde arrest
in the Inn saloon, 125 North Front
street, on a charge of insulting some
women at the corner of Front and
Main streets. ..
Officer Pollei led Hack toward the
police station, going diagonally across
Front and Main streets to the Saul
paugh hotel corner. When but few
feet away from the corner, Hack
ducked out of reach of the policeman
saying: mo police station for me;
I'm up against it, anyway" according
to Officer Pollei, and then ran toward
the bridge spanning the Minnesota
river, evidently with the intention of
The policeman gave chase and
when he came opposite to the Saul
paugh cafe entrance. he was seen to
put his hand down in his holster and
pull out a revolver and fire one shot
at Hack, after the latter had refused
to obey what the officer claims were
his calls to stop. Hack was about
fifty feet away from the policeman,
so say several who were nearby at
the time, and after the shot, he ran
for perhaps thirty or forty feet and
fell, directly under the second gate
from the bridge on the Omaha rail.
road track. Officer Pollei hurried to
HACKS side, and seeing that he had
shot his man, at once ran back to
the police station, where an attempt
was made to secure hack. in which
to convey Hack to the hospital, but
this was found impossible, and the
police hailed Ralph Macbeth, who
was driving an automobile past the
station at the time. ...
Hack Taken to Hospital. .
Hack was picked up and placed
in the machine and driven hurriedly
to the Emmanuel hospital, but he pass
ed away before reaching the hospital.
The news of the shooting spread rapid
ly ard soon large crowd of Gu
rious and angry spectators gathered
about the police station. Many
threats of lynching were heard, while
others showed their anger at the af-
fair by sullen remarks about the po-
lice. The crowd hung around the po-
lice station for some time, and when
it was noticed how sullen the mob
was toward Officer Pollei he was
spirited out of the station via a
rear door by Sheriff Osten and Chief
of Police Donahue. He was taken
into the country where he remained
over the Fourth.
There were many different stories
current Wednesday night about the
shooting affair, a large number claim
ing that the policeman had frequent
ed several saloons during the even
ing and had drank liquor, while
others defended the police, saying
that Hack insulted three women
that evening, but only two made
complaint.
Henry Murtaugh and Frank Left
erman were near the corner of Front
and Main streets when the trouble
started. Mr.. Murtaugh told the fol-
lowing story to the Free Press re-
porter:
Story Told BY Bystanders.
eve were standing near the cor