The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-03-05
Yeggs Damage MaG-
son Lake Postoffice
Especial to The Free press.1


cracksmen entered the local post
Office, blew the safe and made
away without being detected. En-.
trance was made through a window
in the rear of the place. a compare.
lively new brick structure, where
the upper pane of glass was broken,
the window catch turned and the
lower part raised with a pick.
An extremely heavy charge was
evidently placed in the safe as the
door was blown into thousand
pieces. Luckily there was no money
in the safe, but stamps, the value
OF which has not yet been ascer-
tanned. were taken, while many more
were scattered about the floor. and
some SIS i'm change in a box nearby
was overlooked. II would appear
that the robbers then made a hurried
escape through a rear door. A
hand-axe a pick head, and one small
sized foot print in the snow are
the only clues available.
Interior Badly Damaged.
The building and fixtures were
badly damaged by the explosion.
six of eight plate glass windows
in the front were shattered and
practically every window in the rear
was broken. 4 piece of iron was
blown through the oak partition be-
meath one business window. and
number of large dents appear in
the steel ceiling. where pieces OF
the. safe were sent skyward. Soap
from the charge is spattered about
the walls and the whole building
presents a belated appearance.
The explosion was heard by
number OF people most Of whom
thought little of il. thinking that
no would perform the dan
gerous feat OF safe blowing on a
bright moonlight night. A team was
afterward heard passing through the
street. but the damage was not
discovered until this morning at six
o'clock. when Postmaster p. VI. Lyons
came TO the office.
II is reported by the postoffice
Inspector that a number of safes
in government buildings have been
cracked this winter by band OF
experts and ii seems likely that
members of this band are guilty of
this mornings depreciation here.
Stamps in Local Bank.
Yesterday Mr.. Lyons received a
consignment of $500 worth Of stamps
but fortunately placed them in the
local bank. II would seem probable
that these stamps were the object
of this mornings raid.
Some three years ago Mr.. Lyons
safe in the postoffice was tapped
and about $3.50 in stamps and money
taken.
The postoffice inspector arrived
this noon and is making an exhaus-
tive inquiry into the case, while
sheriff Anton Osten is also on the
trail of the yeggs.
Sheriff Was Notified.
Sheriff Anton Osten was called up
about $50 this morning by Pat
Lyons. postmaster at Madison Lake.
and informed that the safe in the
postoffice had been dynamited. This
was thought to have happened
about 2:3O this morning So heavy
a charge was placed in the safe
that windows OF the building were
broken. The sheriff was called up
from Madison Lake also by Glenn
Allyn, who is in the hardware bust.
ness there with his father, and some
information was received about the
affair i'm that conversation. There
seemed to be no clue to the iden-
tity of the perpetrators of the act.
Called up Officials.
The sheriff at once proceeded TO
call up officials at various towns i'm
that vicinity, asking whether there
had been any strangers around
there. He called up SUCCESSFULLY
Kasota. St Peter. Eagle Lake.
Waterville, and Morristown. On call
ing Waterville he learned that two
strangers had been there that morn
ing and had bought tickets for
Morristown. The Dan Patch train
leaves Wateryille at GAS and gets
TO Morristown at 1902. At Morris.
town the sheriff communicated with
the marshal and told him to arrest
the two men IL they could be found.
The marshal acted promptly but
succeeded in getting hold OF but one
OF the two men and that information
was Immediately given to the sheriff
over the telephone. The sheriff told
the marshal to hold the man and
search Inn thoroughly.
Postoffice inspectors Informed.
The sheriff also called up the
postoffice inspection Offices at st.
Paul and Minneapolis and notified
them both OF what had happened
at Madison Lake. He was told that
an inspector would proceed at once
TO Madison Lake to make an in.
vestigation. The sheriff left shortly
before ten o'clock for Madison Lake
to look further into the case. max.
ing the trip by a freight train.
II Is Just thirteen miles from
Madison Lake to Waterville and the
sheriff thinks II would have been
quite easy for the two men to make
their way over that distance on foot,
after dynamiting the safe. In time
to catch the Gas train at Water.