The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-12-18

an indeterminate sentence and see
about paroling them afterwards.
"Then when we go TO prison we
may not know whether we are TO
stay one year or tent" asked Peter
son.
He was told that that seemed TO
be the situation.
Good night" he exclaimed, but
he still smiled, and kept on In the
conversation with undiminished good
humor.
Story Told BY Erickson.
Ernie Erickson said he left his
home In Norway about six years ago.
This hardly seemed probable, for
his English was very good. His ac-
cent was sufficiently Americanized
for one who had been born and
raised I'm this country. The other
three also spoke good English with
n very clear American accent. VIII
liam Murphy said he left his home
at Tipperary, Ireland, six years ago.
He had relatives there. James r.
Mccarthy said six years ago he had
a home at Menomlnee, Mich. He
left IL at that time He now has
no home or relatives. James Peter
son said he left his home at Spo-
kane twelve years ago. He now had
neither home nor relatives. All were
asked when they left school All
seemed TO have staid In school I'm.
Ill they were In their teens. All said
they could read and write English.
This was probably a fact.
Erickson, Murphy and Peterson all
gave their age as twenty-five. Nc
Carthy said he was twenty years
old.
Story Of Attempted HoId-up.
o. p. Buell., the cashier, yesterday
told a very circumstantial account
of the attempted hold-up. He showed
The Free Press man the counter,
and the window, behind which he
stood when the four men entered the
place. Miss Esther Apell. his assist
ant. sat behind the counter a few
yards from where he stood, doing
some figuring. When the door OPP
ened and the four came In, they
thought nothing of IL for q moment,
as workingmen frequently enter the
bank In groups TO get their checks
cashed.
One of the men stepped up TO his
window. pointed gun ut him and
said, Throw up your hands" An
other of the four pointed his gun
through the grating at Miss Apell.
"Oh, 60 on" cried Buell. "If you
do not, will shoot you," said the
stranger. Buell. dropped down be-
hind the counter His revolver lay
on the counter, just out of his reach.
He dared not raise himself to grab
for IL. He crept along the counter
on the floor and got behind a par
tition at the rear end of the corridor.
Let's get out of here" cried one
of the four in alarm. The next
moment all four hurried ont of the
door. All this time the girl had
not spoken a word.
Mr.. Buell. called up c. w. Babcock,
president of the bank, the we'll
known stone quarry man OF that
place, and told him what had hap
pened. II was not long before the
news spread in all directions, Fred
Babccck, the presidents son, soon
had a party gathered together in
his automobile, and was securing the
village.
Made Their Getaway.
The fugitives were seen To run
out of the door and down the street
past the public school house, and to
make their way TO the river. They
were noticed even before the tele.
phone spread the alarm Of the at.
tempted robbery. They were noticed
by some little children who had just
been dismissed from the public
school at half past eleven. They
fed across the open country to
the river. Many people saw them
They made their way to the
street. where they found Will
liam IIalvorsen's boat. In this they
crossed II was not long after this
that Charles r. Swenson, acting po-
lice officer of Kasota, Harry Ream,
Dean Preston and Henry Martin also
crossed the river in another boat,
and tracked the fugitives on the
other side.
In the meantime the alarm had
been sent to st. Peter. Chief of Po-
lice Dempsey and Deputy Sheriff Nor
man hurried over. These two met
Fred Bahcock with his automobile.
Both got in, as did also Harry Stock
ton and Lee Mason, both of Kasota,
and the automobile was hurried to
st. Peter and then took the Bluff road
towards Mankato. 1t was not long
before the automobile overlook Po-
lice Officer Swenson's party, with
the exception of Mr.. Preston, hur-
rying along the same road towards
the fugitives, who had gained quite
a start. ..-#
Took to the Woods. ....
II was about 1880 in the afternoon
that the automobile overlook three
of the fleeing quartet on the road.
These were Murphy. Mccarthy and
Peterson. The fugitixes saw the au-
tomobile approaching and fled from
the road into the. woods. This was
about four miles north Of Mankato.
One tried TO conceal himself behind
a tree. The other two made for a
culvert. All were quickly tracked
by the armed ,pursuers and ordered
at the point of the revolver to sur
render. They made no attempt to
resist
While all this was going on, Erick.
son, who had stopped nearby to get
something to eat, came sauntering
along the road. eating a doughnut.
He did not realize, until II was too
late, that he was walking right into
che ot,,schac NJ tho law