The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-07-23
SYMBOL IS MYSTIC
PUZZLE kAT0 POLICE
From Wednesdays Dally.

From Wednesdays ,,aily.
Mystic symbols were discovered In
little bank book, found in the peck
ct OF one OF two negroes. arrested by
the police late yesterday on the
charge of petty thieving and today
sent to the county jail for ten days.
The negro on whom the book was
found gave the name of Louis Thomp-
son, and claimed to hail from Chi
cago. He had been working as night
porter at the Saulpaugh. The puz-
cling characters were i'm a little bank
book. issued by the Farmers State
bank at Kasson, Mimi, and issued to
somebody whose first nome was Jack
and the last name was Mc-something,
but il was so faint where Il was writ
ten on the outside of the cover that
no one could quite make IL out.
Thompson said he found the bank
book. IL probably had never been
used for that purpose.
The mysterious characters excited
no small amount OF comment among
the members OF the police force. Most
of them looked like the letter and
there were figures and fractions In
between. Thompson was asked what
they meant. He said he sometimes
cooked. and these symbols were cook
ing recipes. He could not read or
write, so he used them. What looked
like the letter p was meant for a
cup with a handle. A small black
circle meant cake. PIP meant
three cups of -four. II was more like
written than a printed r. and real
ly did lood like a cup with a handle
on the side. Pk meant a cup and a
half of butter. There were other
measures by the cup for sugar and
other ingredients. Three little p's
meant three teaspoonfuls OF baking
powder. The little p's did look some
thing like teaspoons.
Call Sent in BY Phone.
The attention OF the police was
first drawn TO the negroes late yes
terday afternoon. when Mrs. Anton
A. Salfer, who lives out near the fair
grounds, called up. Officer Frank
Bienapfi answered the telephone.
Mrs. Salfer said two negroes we're
there trying to sell two ladies' shoes,
and she could see that they were not
mates.
Officer Bienapf Immediately set
out for that part OF town. On the
way he met Traffic Officer Waters
and the two went together. Both went
out to the fair grounds, where they
found O negro I'm the grand stand
They asked this fellow where his
partner was, and the negro replied
that he had gone down town to get
some provisions. The officers asked
IL the negroes had any shoes and the
reply was that they had not. They
saw coat lying nearby and Officer
Bienapf searched that. He found a
baby shoe in one of the pockets. The
officers asked what the negroes did
with the two ladies' shoes they were
trying to sell. and the negro denied
that they had had any such shoes.
The officers then placed the negro
under arrest, and as they were tax
ing him back to the main part of the
city, they met the other negro on the
prairie. Him they also arrested and
both were taken to the station. When
the men were searched II was found
that the taller, simmer and fairer
OF the two had another baby shoe in
his pockets. also a razor and a bot
tie OF whiskey. The other negro
darker, shorter and stouter, had a
bottle Of whisky and another OF al
cohol. This was the negro found In
the grand stand. The baby shoes
were not mates, one being a six and
the other a six and q half
Where Shoes Had Been Stolen.
No further information could be OBJ
tanned by questioning the prisoners,
but Officer Bienapfi learned that aft
ernoon that the shoes had been
stolen from the shop of Ben Ban
gerter. ST.. on North Front street.
The negroes had been there. The
darker one had gotten some shoes
equipped with buttons, and while this
was being done, the lighter one is
said to have helped himself to the
four shoes, without getting a pair
that were mates. Mr.. Bangerter said
the shoes were taken from his show
window. The light negro said he
picked them up outside of the door
done up In package.
II developed further that the razor
had been stolen by the light negro
from Moses Burke. janitor and porter
at the Saulpaugh. Moses had en-
ployed this negro for night porter
/ work for eight days and had taken
him to his own home on Elm street
About week ago another negro,
whom Moses employed. was accused
OF stealing some shoes and a razor
from Moses home, and this fact
threw suspicion of the light negro
latest employed. Investigation proved
the theory to be correct
Both negroes were charged with
petty larceny i'm police court this
morning. They pleaded guilty and
Judge w. A. Plymat imposed SEN
tence OF ten days on each. Both went
to Jail.
The lighter colored negro gave, the
name OF Louis Thompson and said he
came from Chicago. He said he had
mo home or relatives. The other
darker, gave the name of Fred Hoov-
er and said he came from Bonneville
Mo. He said he had a wife, but the
one child they had had died.
SOMEONE PLAY ED A JOKE
| WHEN he SENT A bomb"