The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1919-09-05
Develops Murder Case
The Men Who Recently Fled from
Roberts County In Automobile
Believed to be MurdererS.
BassetS Companion, Captured at
Glendiye COnfeSScS

capture Of one Of the men who re-
Gently escaped arrest in Roberts
county by firing on the officers IS
taken from last Mondays Mime
apolis Journal. and indicates that
the men are not only auto thieves,
hut murderers Of the man from
whom they took the AUTOMOBILES:
Discovery Of the body of muir
dered man in cornfield near Glen
coe, MINI, and the arrest of one of
the alleged slayers by the Minneap-
oils police today partly cleared up
the mysterious disappearance OF
John Gust Larson, wealthy retired
farmer of Slayton, Mimi, early
July %.
For nearly a month no trace was
fouad of Larson, although the pol
ice of the twin cities and every
sheriff throughout the state made
every effort to find the missing
man. Then an abandoned automo-
bile. identified as having belonged
to Larson, was found near Wilmot.
S. D. ;,
Detectives Michael Duffy and
James J. Mcclure took up the trail
from this point. They obtained
descriptions Of the men who had
been driving the machine and
finally traced them to Glendive.
Mont A letter said to have been
written by one of the men to his
wife in Minneapolis also helped to
locate them.
When the Minneapolis detectives
reached Glendive, one OF the men
had made his escape. but the other.
who gave the name of j. Rogers,
was captured. He was brought
back to Minneapolis and is being
held by the police. He is said to
have confessed his participation in
the crime and told the officers
where they could find the body.
The story Rogers is alleged to
have told is that he and compan-
ion, whose name the police refuse
to divuIge, both in military uni
form. hailed Larson near Excelsior
early July % and asked him for
ride. They said they lived near
Glencoe and Larson Immediately
offered to take them home. as he
was driving to Slayton.
Soon after passing Glencoe the
two men drew revolvers and forced
Larson to drive up an unused lane
close to a cornield. They robbed
Larson of $50 and later hit their
victim on the head with the butt of
the gun, knocking him unconscious.
The blow was struck by the other
man, according to Rogers state
ment to the police.
To make sure that Larson should
not give the alarm until his assail-
ants had made their escape they
tied his hands securely and dragged
him into the cornfeld. where they
covered him with an old raincoat.
Larson was not dead at the time,
Rogers told the police.
Search was commenced for the
body as soon as the detectives could
notify the Glencoe authorities but
it was not until Duffy and Mcclure
arrived with their prisoner that the
search was successful.
Late Saturday the body was
found. The hands were still tied
and there were no indications that
Larson had attempted to free him
self, which proves the police say.
that the wound in the head caused
death and not the exposure that fol-
lowed.
The body was badly decomposed.
Part of one arm and one leg were
missing, evidently torn away by
coyotes or dogs. the police believe.
B. r. Weld. a former state legisla-
tor, identified the body positively
as that of Larson and accompanied
it to Slayton. Larson had been
prominent in public affairs in Muir
ray county and had a large circle OF
friends in his home city according
to Weld, who had known the MUIR
dered man for many years.
Rogers is 80 years old. He has
given information that the police
believe will lead to the capture Of
his alleged accomplice.
Complete power washing and
ironina outfit-at Haacke's sale,
Saturday, Septemb Der 18th.