The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-07-05
YOUTH SENT TO PRISON
FOR JOB LOT OF THEFTS
William Mcdowell Must Serve
His Term at Saltwater.
HAD BROKEN PAROLE IN EAST
Nothing to Recommend Him: Short
Story of Sensational Robbery
and Capture.

New Ulm, June 29.-William Nc
Dowell, the young man who plumber
ed the rooms of Ferd. Bleck, Rud.
Pfaender, Thor. Snilsberg, Louis Som
mers and G. Ryffel at the A. A. AL
win boarding and rooming house on
North Washington street during the
afternoon of May %, appropriating
about $500 worth of personal prop
erty, and then liked to Klossner,
where he waited for northbound
M. & st. L. train, but was arrested
by Sheriff W. j. julius and Night
Policeman John F. Herzog early the
next morning, plead guilty to the
charge of grand larceny in the Sec
ond degree before Judge |. M. Olsen
at a special term of court in the
court house Tuesday morning and
was sentenced to serve an indetermi-
nate term in the state penitentiary
at Saltwater. The penalty for the
offense to which Mcdowell plead
guilty is all the way from one to five
years, but the length of his incar-
ceration will depend entirely upon
his behavior.
Review of the Case.
1t will be remembered that Nc
Dowell arrived here from st. Peter
on the 1:39 westbound Northwestern
passenger on the day of his depre-
dations and shortly thereafter engag-
ed a room at the Alvin rooming
house. Mrs. Alvin was just about to
leave home when he made his ap-
pearance, and after showing him a
room which met with his approval,
she departed Later in the afternoon
the domestic employed at the Alvin
home went down town to do some
shopping, and Mcdowell took advan-
tage of the fact that he was in the
house alone, to commit the thefts.
He was observed sitting in the Kloss-
ner depot by "Mose" Siebenbrunner,
of this city, who upon his arrival
here informed Sheriff julius and the
latter Immediately took steps to cap
ture the fugitive, who had also COM
mitted thefts at Mankato and St.
Peter.
Is Only Twenty Years Old.
Before receiving his sentence, Nc
Dowell was placed on the witness
tions by his counsel, Attorney Joseph
A. Eckstein of this city, who had
been appointed by the court to de-
fend him. These questions and those
asked by Judge Olsen and County
Attorney August G. Erickson, ELECTED
the information that he was only
| twenty years old, having been born
| in County Caven, Ireland, May IL,
| 1892. His fathers name is Andrew
Mcdowell, and his parents still re-
side in Ireland, at Mountenugent. He
said he had attended school in his
native land until coming to America
at the age of fourteen and settling at
Jersey City, N. j., where he has
relatives living.
Serves Time in Reformatory.
Two years ago, he said, he was
sentenced to serve an indeterminate
term in the New Jersey reformatory,
the charge preferred against him be-
ing forgery This, he explained, by
saying that he had kept company
with young lady who had given
him a check to cash for her. He
claimed to be innocent of the charge
upon which he was convicted and
sentenced. After serving four months
in the eastern reformatory he was re-
leased on parole and worked in the
harvest fields in New Jersey.
| This work was evidently too siren
uous for him and he broke his parole
by leaving the state without permits
sion and going to Chicago, from
where he came to Mankato, st. Pc
ter and New Ulm. At Chicago he
claims to have worked as painter.
Sentenced to Saltwater.
The court proceedings commenced
at nine o'clock Thursday morning
and after hearing the prisoners testi-
mony Judge Olsen postponed pro-
nouncing sentence until two o'clock
in the afternoon. Owing to the fact
that Mcdowell broke his parole from
the New Jersey reformatory, he
had to be sentenced to the state
penitentiary, otherwise he would I'M
doubtedly have received reforma-
tory sentence in this state.
County Attorney Erickson inform
ed The New Ulm Journal that he is
in receipt of a warrant from DIR.
F. Moore, superintendent of the New
Jersey reformatory, for the arrest OF
Mcdowell as soon as he completes
his term in the state penitentiary at
saltwater. The young man told the
court that he was willing to return
east and receive punishment for
breaking his parole. He will be TAX,
en- to Saltwater by Sheriff w. j.
julius next Monday.