The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-03-19

about the size Of a mans fist.
That stone was undoubtedly used
to break the glass and the thief
reached in, turned the night lock
and opened the door, He then en- I
tered and made his way to the
cash drawer where there was
about five dollars worth Of
change. This he stole. Nothing
else was missed. At the Ocean
Wave, there was different sort
of a lock and IL seems that the
thief could not open this by reach
ing In through the broken light.
II appears that he did not get into
this saloon at all, for nothing was
missed.
Caught in the act of trying the
doors at the rear of the saloon of
William ]. Hodges. l2i South Front
street. George Schmidt, former por.
ter of that place, was placed under
arrest shortly before one o'clock this
morning. Today he was charged with
attempted burglary.
According TO the story told by the
police. the man had been prowling
about the place for some time, while
he was watched by Chief OF Police
Klugherz and Officers Bell and Al.
brecht who were concealed in a box
car on a track about Forty feet away.
They saw him sneak under the stair.
way that leads down from the resi-
dence over the saloon. Mr.. Hodges
had been warned by the police and
he, too, was watching. Schmidt had
nd -,
ing the back door, which Is ap-
preached from a small porch with a
railing, when the officers considered
this a good chance to get him and
they made their rush with weapons
drawn. Schmidt was taken COM
pletely by surprise. He had just
time to throw up his hands and back
down off the porch. when they took
possession OF him.
Had $40 Bank Deposit.
Schmidt was Immediately taken to
the station and searched. He car
ried no weapon. In one Of his peck
cts was a bank hook of the National
Bank of Commerce. showing that he
deposited $40 there on March !. Two
letters were found in his pockets. one
from his mother In Chicago and the
other from a girl living In Rochester:
Schmidt gave as an excuse for his
being at the doors at that time that
he had worked at the saloon as pOr-
ter and that he wanted 10 see Mr..
Hodges and have a chat. He said
he knew Mr.. Hodges was not accus-
TONED TO fix his furnace for the night
until quite late. 4
The fact that the officers lay In
wait for Schmidt at that place was
due to conversations that were over
heard by the police yesterday TO the
effect that something was going to
be done the following night along
the line of burglary. The police
understood that a meeting was 60
ing to take place at the Milwaukee
depot i'm preparation for the burglary.
The chief quietly went to that place
and climbed on the top of box car,
where he could see and hear what
went on around the car, without be-
ing observed. lie was not dissapoint.
ed.
Meeting in the Yard.
About eleven O'Clock two men had
a meeting in the yard there. and he
could hear part OF what they said.
He heard one of them say that VII.
liam Hodges saloon would be good
place to rob, as there was ten dollars
in the till and 800 in other places
in the saloon. The man who said
this seemed to be very familiar with
the place. This man the chief took
to be George Schmidt, the former
porter of the saloon. AS nearly as
the officer could make out In such
light as there was; the man wore
stiff hat and a brown ducking coat.
When arrested. Schmidt wore a
leather cap and a black coat. The
theory of the chief Is that Schmidt
changed his clothes before he went
10 the rear door of the saloon In
order to render detection less easy.
What became of the other man,
who had the talk with Schmidt. the
nolice we're at a loss to tell this morn
ing. There was no evidence OF his
having accompanied Schmidt to the
Hodges saloon.
Schmidt has been boarding at the
home of Frank Dolson on Poplar
street. The, prisoner Is about twenty.
FIVE years old.
Schmidt was arranged before Judge
w. +. Hughes late this afternoon on
the charge of attempted burglary In
the third degree An examination fol-
lowed. Schmidt acted as his own at
torney.
The hearing was continued To to-
morrow afternoon at FIVE o'clock.
Erorn TUESDAYS Daily.
Geneva, Via Paris, March ia
dispatch to The Tribune from its
Rome correspondent says a. large
part of the Italian navy Is being con-
centrated at Haranto at the southeast.
ern extremity of the country. az a
point nearest the Dardanelles. The
same paper prints dispatch frim vi
emma which states that Emperor
Francis Joseph on Saturday received
Archduke Frederick. who insisted on
behalf of the general staff in the
, Carpathians that Archduke Eugene
should be ordered to abandon the
campaign against Servia; also to
withdraw the useless forces on the
Rumanian frontier in order TO rein
force the exhausted troops in, the
mountains. The archduke Is reported
10 have cited as an example the con-
ditions In the ,Carpathians OF the
troops from the Dukla and Lupkow
10. M -.r 4.