The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-10-24
Traced Lake Crystal
Theft to Dead Crook
From MONDAYS Daily.


From Mondays Daily.
In the anatomy building of the
University of Minnesota there lies
the body of a man who. in life, was
an inveterate preacher of morality
and right conduct, the while he was
Crook" of wide experience and
recognized accomplishments.
There are two. bullet holes
in his head. In his. clothing,
when found, was "a card bear.
ing the name ANTHONY Com
stock" in pencil, as if the man In
meeting his end had kept up the
mocking antithesis of his life for
the name on the card is that of the
famous New York purity advocate
and reformer.
Was Suspected Of Robbery.
The body is that of the man found
murdered near Bemidji on October G.
The mystery of his death remains
unsolved Bemidji folk believe he
was one of the gang that held UP
the station agent of the 500 Line in
Thief River Falls, Mimi, 1.-The morn
ing of September 80, and got away
with $500 from the station safe.
They suspect that the gang fled to-
ward Bemidji, and that the man was
shot by his companions when dis
pute arose as to the sharing Of the
spoils.
But they found no proof. The uni
versity medical school is the destin-
alton of the unclaimed dead. The
story would seem to end here, but
instead it begins to unfold, says The
Minneapolis Tribune, with promise of
leading to Information as to why the
man was killed and who killed him.
Was Known as Crook.
Quigley was his name. Charles ID.
Brown, chief of the protective serY.
ice OF the Minnesota Bankers asso-
citation viewed the bod yand Is sure
of the identity. He had known Quig-
ley by sight for decade and knew
that he was a confidence man and
a petty criminal. but never had
thought him capable of pulling off,
q big robbery of the type that would
likely lead gang In committing
one Hence, he doubts whether the
man had anything to do with the
Thief River Falls case, though con-
ceding It's possibility.
The man went under the alias of
Burns said Mr.. Brown, and was
known as Johnny Burns or Charley
Burns in the underworld of the
twin cities and Northern Minnesota
His people are in good standing in
neighboring state. The real name
is Quigley. Ny first recollection of
him goes back to the time Of the
Ames administration when he was a
confidence man and known to the
police as person that needed
Watching.
"He was an intelligent fellow,
dressed neatly-a white collar man.
end a talker of the kind we call
'prodisious.' He had the gift Of CAB
and he knew how to use it. He was
horn with the art of persuasion, and
Re lived by it no doubt. When the
body was received at the university,
DR. c. 4. Erdmann. who permitted
me to see it, remarked that the
man had the face of an orator, a
mouth and nose that called to
mind those OF William Jennings Bry-
m. The doctor YVES right; the man
was a natural orator.
Preacher Of Morality.
THE odd thing about it was that,
while he used his gift of speech to
make his nefarious way. he also was
a practiced preacher of morality and
proper living. / have heard him
talk earnestly along this line to as
sociates and have understood from
others that they knew it to be his
practice. Whether this was STALL
on his part, as the crooks say, or
whether he really meant it and was
unable to. live up to his excellent
precepts no one, perhaps, knows.
u have strong reasons for think,
ing that Quigley was one of the
gang Of tramps that broke camp near
Lake Crystal, Mimi, in July Of 1911.
leaving one Of their number dead.
The Lake Crystal postofrice had bee.l
broken into about that time. There
may have been some connection
You see in late years Quigley had
been on the down grade. lie wouldn't
have associated with tramps in the
early day, would say that he was
between. forty-five and fifty years old
and probably he found It harder, as
the. years went on to live by the old
:. Northern State Man..
lit is part-of my business to know
what crooks are at large in the
state. and had met Quigley off and
on. i think in recent years he had
stayed in the northern part of the
state and am pretty sure he was
known in the saloons of Moorhead,
East Grand Forks and Cass Lake.
met him In Moorhead year ago.
1T was in the Jail He was
brought in while | was talking with
an attendant and he was in an
angry mood, talking and threatening
unnamed persons for some grievance
which he didn't state. / don't know
OF any charge against him at the