New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1916-06-14
KNIFE WIELDER IS
ESCAPED CONVICT
WAS PAROLED FROM AN INDIANA
REFoRMAToRY BUT TIRED
OF RESTRAINT
COMMITTED AND HAD
BAD CRIMINAL RECORD
AS YOUNGSTER

When the local police arrested Frank
Sloan and colored man last week on
account of an encounter the two were
having near the coal chutes in the
Northwestern yards, they little thought
that they were making a catch that
might be profitable in the way of a re-
ward. The sheriff gave the fellow the
"once over" when the prisoner was
brought to the county Jail and decided
from the furtive look in the fellows
eyes that he had somewhere, some
time did turn in prison. When
Sloan had sobered up sufficiently to
be Intercepted, the fact was pumped
out OF him that he had at one time been
committed to reformatory in the South,
but he steadfastly refused to give the
name Of the state he had been committed
from.
The records sent out by several of
the southern reformatories were dug
up and the descriptions of the escaped
prisoners compared with Sloan. When
the latter saw what was going on and
made to realize that he might be ar
raigned on charge of assault with
intent to kill, which would send him to
the state penitentiary for term of
years, he broke down and confessed.
According to his own story he was sent
up from Rockville, Ind, in 1912, when
he was caught in the act of helping
himself to the contents of safe in a..
lumber Office. On account of his youth
and seemingly good behaviour while
an inmate at the Jacksonville re-
formatory he was paroled in April,
1915, and given into the custody of a
rancher who had taken an interest
in him. However, it was only a short
while before Sloan was on the war
path once more and after committing
several depredations in the neighbor-
hood without getting caught, accumu-
lated enough money to buy new suit
of clothes and get away.
He went straight to the home of
friends in Kansas City, Mo-, but soon
found that the reform school officials
we're making quiet search for him.
He dug out for new fields and entered
the employ of the coal contracting COM
pany at first working in several towns
in Kansas and Nebraska and finally
being shipped with the rest of the mixed
gang to Minnesota.
He will now have to 20 back to the
Indiana reformatory, as the officials
were notified of his whereabouts. Sat-
urday the sheriff received telegram
from the warden of the Jacksonville
institution, Hold Frank Sloan; will
send officer" The officer arrived Mon
day evening and verified much of the
story as told by Sloan himself. It
seems that the reformatory officials had
information as to his whereabouts
up to the time of his departure to Mime
sofa and probably would have let him
60 his way had he not messed up things
Iby attacking the negro with knife.
Although Sloan claims that the black
man started the trouble, other members.
OF the coal heaving gang say that the.
white man drew the knife without.
serious provocation and was the att
lacking party. The negro was dis
charged from custody after being given
chance to sleep off his jag at the coun-
ty jail.
There is standing reward of S25
1or the apprehension of an escaped re-
tormatory prisoner and this will no
doubt be paid over to the sheriff and
his deputy.