The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-05-12

pected.
Yesterday the officers obtained
: from County Attorney Schmitt war
rant to search the dwelling at 1725
! Sixth avenue, the Besser home. Chief
Klugherz and the two railroad agents
| went to the place in an automobile.
| They met Besser en- Fifth avenue.
The chief this morning related the
conversation that took place. He told
| how he had informed Besser that the
officers We're going to search his
house. us that SOP" said Besser.
The chief went on to tell Besser that
his house was going to be searched
for goods that had been stolen from
box cars. Besser went with them,
but told them there was nothing
there. They did not believe him.
Search of the House.
When they came to the house, the
fchief proceeded to search the base
ment, one of the special agents went
over the first floor and another over
the second floor. The chief soon
came across the large beer glasses
that had come from Rochester, Mimi.
Then he found a stone jug OF whis-
ky The other two officers found
The chief went on to relate this
morning how they kept telling 8es-
ser about their discoveries and he
kept answering that was all there
was. And yet they found more and
more. Afterwards the chief went out
into the barn, where he found large
dry goods box, about three feet
square and three feet high. There
were screen doors on the top of it
and it was filed with straw, as it
appeared. He lifted the screen doors
off, pushed away part of the straw
and saw the top OF wash boiler.
He soon found that there were two
wash boilers, two wash tubs, three
gallons of varnish, five gallons OF
disinfectant, and quite a quantity of
stove polish.
The chief told how he then went
into the house and asked Besser if
there was anything in the barn or
any other place. Il will now show
you ALL" Besser replied. Besser then
led the way to the barn, where he
told of the things that the chief had
already found.
Jugs Contained Whisky.
were found in several different plac
es Some were under straw piles out
by the barn 1t appears that the
whisky was taken from the car in
a key, and that the keg was emptied
into the jugs and jars. The chief
understood from one of the boys that
the key was afterwards used by the
family for pickles, but Besser at the
police station declared that the keg
in which the whisky had been OBJ
tanned was burned.
In the house the officers found a
searchlight and thirty two calibre
revolver Mrs. Besser said one OF
the boys brought this home with him
when he came back from working on
a farm in Danville.
Chief KlugherZ this morning re-
marked that more or less box car
stealing had been going on for the
past year, but never so much as after
the trains began stopping west of
Sixth street, not far from the Besser
home.
When Besser was at the station,
he told the chief that great many
of the things that were found in his
house and were taken to the sta
ton were brought to his house when
he was away and he did not know
about them. But he afterwards. on
being closely examined by Chief
Klugherz, admitted to having helped
the boys carry some of the things
home.
Mrs. Besser remarked that she
could not do thing with Arthur. He
had even told her to go to III and
used other rough language to her.
All Have Confessed.
Later in the day it appeared
neither the man nor any one CT the
four boys would fight the case
against them, since all confessed. AL
bert Besser admitted that when the
boilers were brought to his house, he
knew that they were stolen property.
All Of the four boys had made up their
minds to confess their guilt and ask
for mercy of the court.
All five were arraigned this morn
ing before Judge Plymat of the mu-
nicipal court on the charge of grand
larceny in the second degree. Albert
Besser; his son, Arthur Besser, an0
his step-son, Edward Rooney, We're
required to furnish bail in the sum OF
$500 each. The two other boys, Cliff
ford Manning and August Besser were
required to furnish bail to the amount
of 500. All five waived examination
and were bound over to await the ac-
tion of the district court.
Father of Boys Wept.
AS Albert Besser and his two sons
and step-son We're being taken to the
county Jail this morning. the father
|wept and declared that he had never
been behind the bars before.
E. N Thyse, superintendent of the
street railway, declared that he was
thunderstruck when he heard of Con-
,ductor Besser's arrest and confession.
Mr.. Thyse said that in all the seven
years that Besser had been with the
street railway, he had been absolutely
honest in his relations with the COM
pany, as far as the superintendent
knew.
None Of the defendants had an at
torney this morning.
From Saturdays Daily.
The Minneapolis General Electric
cOmDanY and the Northern States