The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-02-07
N. c. MOSES DOUBTS
STORY Of A SHOOTING
From Fridays Daily.


w. c. Moses, vino lives Oh the
lSt. Peter road in lie Sueur county,
has penned the following commune
|cation to The Free Press. 1t is in
lteresting and entertaining:
"Anent the Paogel and Reichel
holdup at Caroline station, there was
nothing in it, nothing doing. In the
first place there is no corn shock
standing on this side of Caroline or
the side they mentioned, but on the
other side. Those shocks are ten
or twelve rods from the road
Now wouldn't it look like a long
ranged holdup? The old lime kiln
and the unused chicken house on
the T. r. Coughlan place afford good
breeding and hiding places for the
little cottontail rabbits and the
yourg nimrods are out shooting them
on moonlight nights, as was the case
on this occasion.
"The writer was coming from his
barn, and hearing the clip of the
horses feet on the hard, frozen
ground. looked in that direction
when the shots were fired He was
perhaps twenty-five or thirty rods
laway but was plainly outlined III
the moonlight. Had there been any.
thing in the nature mentioned they
would have had help, as the houses
are not over thirty rods apart and
most of the farmers are pretty well
provided with arms.
Caroline and vicinity in days
gone by has been somewhat noted
fnr ,c,fi oc oil l.
murders to blind pigs. bu. we are
pleased to note that the dead beats
lare pretty well wiped cut and we
feel that we can rely on those who
fare still here.
Reminder of Hold-Up.
This hOld-uD puts the writer in
mind of hold-un circumstance that
happened i'm York state years ago.
IA man had visited one of those wei
, groceries one night and after indulg-
ling in hard cider aud annie Jack
until he cculd not see hole through
/ q forty foot ladder. started for homo
about midnight. Near The home OF
lneighbOr stood two trees. each about
a foot in diameter The jag went
up to the trees and then began
pounding them with his fists. shout
ing: Help. murder!" The neighbor
went out where the trouble was 20
ling on. and in the bright MOONLIGHT
saw who it was and what he was
doing. The neighbor crouched down
behind fence to watch the out
come. After the jag had battered
his fists almost to a pulp and got
IN little reason in his brain, he went
home. He then told q worry interest
ing story Of how he had been held
'np and bow he had beaten the rob.
bers and showed his fists in evil
dence. The next day the peighbor
took some men to the trees and told
Them the story and showed the
blood spots on the trees as evidence.
Now | do not intimate that these
gentlemen were in the condition of
the man in the story. bllt / feel very
sure they were mistaken in the
young fellows hunting cottontails."
Stick BY ORIGINAL Story
Mr.. Paegei aud Mr.. Rcichel were
shown the above letter. They read
lit over carefully and when they had
finished remarked that Mr. Moses
must be laboring under delusjon;
that the SPOT where the men were
standing when they fired on the oc-
cupants of the buggy was close to
the highway and they could plainly
see the men walking stealthily along
with revOlvers in their hands. Mr..
Paegel remarked that men cut hunt.
ing cottontails would not do so with
reyOlvers. Mr.. Paegel said that he
was willirg to spend time showing
Mr.. Moses where the men were
standing behind the corn shocks and
he would convince Mr. Moses that
those shocks were near the high
, wav