New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1915-12-22
j, s. MAIL SACK IS
LOOTED " / AT DEPOT.
ST. PETER YOUTH MAKES A BAD
MISTAKE. DOESN'T GET
FAR ON JOURNEY.
POLICE OVERHAUL HIM FEW
MILES FROM HOME. is
NOW IN JAIL.

QUICK, WHICH WOU1Q make WalllH&1OrO
pale into insignifcance, w. H. Peterson,
night operator at the Omaha depot at
St. Peter, Sunday morning essayed to
60 the famous Wallingford one better,
and become moneyed man at one
swoop. He accordingly reported Omaha
passenger train No. 10 cleared at St.
Peter at 4:30 q. m. Following out what
would appear to be a carefully pre-
arranged scheme, Peterson, it is alleged,
then grounded all the telegraph wires
east.
Then it was that Peterson turned his
attention directly to finances. The
first object of his attention was the
depot safe, which he robbed of $24 in
currency, and then he helped himself
to the contents of the cash drawer con-
tanning $25. Realizing, no doubt, that
he would have to do some travelling after
these depredations in order to escape
arrest, Peterson, it is alleged, went to the
ticket rack and took four long coupon
tickets.
Not satisfied with stealing all of the
valuables in the Omaha depot, Peterson
glanced with avaricious eyes toward the
U. S. mail pouch, which had just been
thrown off Omaha train No. 10 and which
was lying on the depot floor. Without
the least conjunction he ripped open the
same and stole about Sc 900 in checks and
drafts from letters which he pocketed.'
Wishing to have as much time as
possible to make good his escape before
the robbery was discovered, Peterson
barricaded the office door on the inside
so that it could not be opened from the
outside, and then left, walking to Ottawa,
the next station, where he endeavored to
purchase ticket from Night Operator
George J. Lang to- Hudson, Wis, but
Lang felt suspicious and would not sell
the ticket.
Then Peterson walked to LIE Sueur,
where he was about to purchase ticket.
for Minneapolis, when the news of the
robbery reached there, and the informa-
ton that the night operator was suspected
of the same. -
Questioned as to whether he was the
night operator at St. Peter, Peterson put
up strong denial. When he was identi--
fed by laborer who had seen him at St.
Peter, Peterson admitted that at one
! time he was operator at St. Peter, but
that Just then he had come in OFF farm
where he had been husking corn for a
farmer.
This story did not 60 with the city
marshal of lie Sueur, who took Peterson
into custody and sent word to- Sheriff
August Olson and Omaha Agent A. E.
Stempel at St. Peter that he was holding
his man. Sheriff Olson and Agent
Stenpel drove over to LIE Sueur in an
auto and identified Peterson. When
searched the goods were found on his
person and he was taken back to ST. Peter
and lodged in the Nicollet county jail.
Day Operator c. M. Frank was at
some loss to understand why the depot
was locked when he came Oh duty.
Failing to open the door, Mr. Frank
pried the strong wicker screen from the
window and entered the Office.
It was then that he discovered that
all east telegraph wires were grounded,
;; and that the office had been robbed. He
at once called up Agent Stempel and
notified all stations to be on. the lookout
for the thief. who he at once suspected
was his co-Worker.
Peterson was relief operator on the
Omaha road, and little is known of him.
He is 81 years old and it is said that all
of his leisure time at St. Peter was spent
in smoking cigarettes and reading dime
novels. His mother and two sisters iv'
in Minneapolis.