The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-12-24
W. n. Peterson, An Operator, Is
Charged With Crimes
From Mondays oar'v.

W. II. Jefferson. VINO mas been en-
ployed as an extra telegrapher at the
Omaha depot at St Peter. was placed
under arrest at lie Sueur Sunday
morning. charged with a theft from a
(<Hail bag. the safe, the cash drawer
and the ticket case, at the st. Peter
station.
II f. alleged that after reporting
trains that had come TO that depot
between four and five o'clock Sunday
morning. ne opened the combination
Cf the safe and took ont s24 i'm cur
rency. and about $50 in silver money
was stolen by him from the cash
money drawer. He Is also charged
with taking several coupon tickets
from the ticket case, including one
local ticket II is stated that he also
cut the mail sack. which had been left
~ the ST. Peter depot by train No. 10,
opened IL and rifed the contents.
occurring about $4,000 in checks and
TRAITS Why he did this is something
of 4 puzzle 10 those who charge il. as
h" could not cash the drafts. but II IS
thought that he may have supposed
that he could get the money on them.
Broke the Door Catch.
Il i further reported that he then
y. h catch on the Office door,
wi u. when closed. could net be
'''"'i from the outside except by
hrcakirg the lock. The door was
found IL this condition. after he was
gone. and it was at first supposed
that thieves broke through in this
manner and made of with money,
tickets, drafts and operator. But
nh ,"qucn, developments seemed to
'oI a different story.
TIL" report goes on TO state that he
.ared revolver in his pocket AMI
/a'kcd 10 Ottawa. There he attempted
30 huy ticket TO Hudson. Wis. from
The night tcl"grapher. G. J. Lang. Mr..
Lang refused TO sell him ticket. II
.,n!ls that The agent had been notified
and was suspicious.
Hprcupon Peterson set out walking
aga n. ard came to the station at lie
Suour NJ this point he attempted to
luy ticket 70 Minneapolis. The
reloErGphor on duty began 10 question
him The stranger admitted that his
name was p, ;ersOn. but said that he
had been husking corn on a farm near
L. Su'u~. the railroad report goes on
% say. The tolegrapher called Mr. !
Peters ms attention to his hards. and |
remarked that they did rot show any |
signs OF heavy work. The tClegrapher |
|ask,i Peterson where he got his |
brCakFaet. and Peterson is said to |
have replied that ne got il i'm q res
tauraut uptown.
AUthoriti7s Were Notified
about that time. il is further re-
ported. one OF the section men came |
in. This man. /; is said. had previous
~ seen Peterson at ST. Peter. and
recognized him. II iS reported that |
Peterson th"n admitted that he vas
the tclcEraphCr at 81. Peter. The |
authorities at lie Sueur were then !
notified and placed Peterson under
arrest. They found on his person the
booty that he had secured, the report
goes on u say.
The sheriff from St Peter. accom-
panied by \. f. Stcmplc. agent at the
s.. Peter deTOt, then drove In an auto
to l.e Sucur. and identified Peterson,
the report says. and returned with him
to 81. Peter He was held n the
sheriT's custody.
II Is sail that Peterson lad been
spending much of his time reading the
Diamond Dick tPn-cPnt novels and
that Il" frequently smoked cigarettes
TO IN" rumber of forty to fifty in one
night. Some Of the railroad officials
have an ilcG that Peterson was trying
TO b" a second Diamond Dick.
When tn" robbery was discovered
nj the St retcr deTot. before Peter
sou was arrested. Il was found that
all Of the telegraph wires had been
iyrd with grounds, so that railroad
- graph messages could not 90 east
OF st Peter by that route. This sit
nation, however. was promptly rera-
edi"d by the dav teleg-apher.
Federal officials will take Peterson
20 St Paul where he will be arraigned
before the United States court COM
m ssiOner on the charge of tampering
with the mails and robbery
Admitted The Thefts.
Peterson admitted his crimes TO
Sheriff Olson of Nicollet county He
said he did not know why he COM
mitted the thefts. He slashed the
strap which held the mail sack taut
and rifed all the letters. He did
NOT return the communications to
THE envelopes. but punched them all
gether and returned the mass OF
uf TO the sacks. The postal clerks
IN the st. Peter office experienced
considerable difficulty in straighten-
ing out the disOrdered mail
Peterson's home is in Minneapolis,
where his widowed mother and two
sisters reside