The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-07-30
Officials Are Agreed HoIdup Artists
We're in Maakato Last
Thursday Night
From Tuesdays Dairy.

and a. NJ. Worthington, first special
agent of the Omaha railroad, were in
the city last evening comforting with
the local police In regard to the rob-
berry and murder that occurred last
Sunday night on an Omaha freight
train, going from Henderson to Belle
Elaine.
The visiting officers told OF the in
quest that was held yesterday morning
at Merriam. where the car on which
the crime occurred. was detained by
the authorities The inquest was con-
Quoted by Coroner Reiter
The principal witness at the in
quest was a little fellow by the name
of Burr. who was among those who
were riding on the freight car. II was
shown by his testimony, as we'll as
by other facts that were obtained, that
the robbers boarded the freight train
at Mankato.
Yesterday the railroad report had it
that the two who committed the crime
were Il man and a woman. But this
seems to have been mistake At the
inquest the authorities satisfied them
selves that the robbers were two men.
The officials were further satisfied
that these we're the very two that
held ur Fred Morton from Duluth and
William Craig from Detroit. Mich. on
Thursday night in box car in Man
kato. not far from the North Star
Concrete works These robbers work
ed with a sun and fash light. and
the same is true of those who did
the deed on Sunday night Ii will be
remembered that Morton WAS robbed
of a five dollar bill Thursday night
On Thursday night the robbers locked
their victims in the car. On Sunday
night the same thing happened.
Burr told at the inquest that he was
already lying down in the car Sun
day evening at Mankato. when the two
robbers entered. He went to sleep He
was awakened by the noise OF a scuf-
fle. One OF those who had been riding
in the car was in struggle with the
smaller OF the two robbers. The robber
was getting the worst of it, The man
who was beating him was a small.
gray haired fellow. apparently about
fifty-ive years old. according to the
OPP Mon of those who viewed the body
afterwards
The testimony OF Burr and others
showed that while this struggle was
going on. the larger Of the two rob
bers held a flash light on it, The 9th
er men in the car looked on, dazed and
stupid. OF sudden the taller man
drew a gun and fired He empticd his
revolver Two OF the shots struck the
old man. the only one Of the victims
who dared to show fight One bullet
went through his brain. The other
pierced both lungs and the wall of the
heart The plucky old man died al
most instantly
The taller rohber re- loaded his gun.
while the other men feared to touch
him Then the robbery went on How
much the robbers get is uncertain. but
il is known that they obtained seventy
cents from one man and eighty cents
from another. Perhaps they got more.
but they missed great deal One OF
those whom they sought TO rob had
$50 sewed in his shirt. another had
$40 in his stocking and Burr had s..
This money he managed to save by
| having two pairs of pants. His other
pants were searched by the robbers.
but his money was in pocket in the
inner pants. He managed to put il
there. while the fight was going on
| II is believed that the robbers took
, IS TO So from the murdered man. but
| they did not get all of his money. for
he had SO in little bag that hung
from his neck. and was concealed I'M
der his clothing.
! The train was in motion while all
this was gcing. As the train reached
Eelle PLANE. the robbers left il locking
the door. so that the victims could not
! get out The latter managed after a
time to get the attention OF one of the
train crew by pounding nj the door.
and he opened the door ard discovered
what had happened about the time the
train reached Lawrence.
On the body OF the dead man was
found an employment bureau trans :
poriation card. which showed his
| name to he James Miller ;nd that he
came from st. Louis. Mo Tho officials
wired To the police at ST. I.ons. and il
SOON. from the answer they obtained.
that the victim had no relatives there
II seems that Miller was Il railroad la :
lorcr.
! The taller of the two men was five
| feet nine 0r ten inches high This is
! the man that carried the fash light
and who fired the fatal shots. His
weight was about leo pounds and he
appeared to be about twenty eight
years old He wore blue suit and a
Black slOuch hat He had a very sharp
nose. He was of an erect build
! The shorter Of the two. who scuffletl
with the victim and called for help
was five feet six inches tall and ap-
pearcd to weigh about 1870 pounds. He
was twenty-four or twenty-five years
old and had a full round face. He had
! a black. SLOUGH hat worn and some
what dented on top and turned down
I in front. This man is pretty well
marked up. as the murdered man gave
him quite a beating Witnesses say
that the clothing of this robber was
! covered with blood from the dead
man.
The verdict Of the cOrOncr'S Jury wac
that the deceased came to his death
from a gun shot wound from gun
held in the hands of parties unknown.
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