The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-08-13
IS IN CUSTODY
Suspects Connected With Depot
Robbery At Eagle Lake Are
Captured
Each One Relates His Story to
Free Press Of How 1t
Happened
Fourth One Was Taken Last
Evening While Walking In
Pasture

Had moving picture man been at
Eagle Lake yesterday afternoon he
would hav secured a string of films
that would have proved screen thrill
Ter. A real sure-enough posse Of de-
termined farmers and merchants were
out with blood in their eyes for rob-
bers who had entered the Northwest
ern depot of that village and got away
with all the cash in the till. And this
all happened in broad day light
Peace loving village folks, who had
just sat down to enjoy hearty dinners
were reused to action by the ringing
Of the telephones, which summoned
them to arms. Shot guns, rifles, re-
VolverS, which had lain unused for
months were speedily loaded, when
the word was passed that robbers had
entered the village and were making
away with some of the cash, which
had been in the strong box of the
Northwestern depot. Captain Fred
E. Day, who by the way is one of
Sheriff Anton Osten's deputies, was at
When notified over the telephone by
a frightened woman in his home town
that bold bad men were getting away
with the loot, Captain Day drove
with all speed to Eagle Lake and soon
organized the posse. He started
through a corn field owned by John
Magley, just east of town.
Chase After Suspects.
Merle Braden and Edward Stems,
two of the posse soon saw two of the
alleged robbers running through the
cornfield, and gave chase. The two
suspects leaped over a fence and into
n or cd of
when an automobile which was aiding
in the chase hove in sight at the other
end Of the lane. This caused the two
pace breakers to turn and run in the
opposite direction. Then they came
directly up to Captain Day who placed
them under arrest. One of these men
proved to be Ivan Flora, a son Of w.
C. Flora, living on the John Casper
farm, known as the Bitner place.
The other young man gives his name
as Bruce Peake Of Spokane. Wash.
berry when placed under arrest by
Captain Day and claimed to be one OF
the posse, but Captain Day would not
heed his story and later locked him up
in the ,calaboose together with Porto
Rican, who gave his name as Harry
Collins, and who was captured by
Dennis Donahue and o. Patnode OF
this city few minutes before. These
three men were later given over to the
custody Of Sheriff Osten and were
brought to the city jail at Mankato.
Ivan Flora ip statement given to
a representative of The Free Press
stated that he had been down to
GAINESVILLE, Mimi, and yesterday morn
ing beat" his way back to Eagle Lake
on the blind baggage OF Northwest
ern passenger train which reached that
town a short time before noon yester-
day. Young Flora stated that a Porto
Rican, who later gave his name as
Harry Collins, suggested that they rob
the depot. A short time later, while
agent for the Northwestern road at
Eagle Lake, J. J.Schlekau, was talking
to John Cummins in the freight room
up, Flora says that Henry Stone, who
claimed that his home Is IN Douglas,
S. D., entered the depot office and
robbed the till Of adj the silver and
change, and told Flora that there were
some bills in the It'll. Flora says
that he went to the ''till' and secured
the currency. When they again came
out on the platform where tho Porto
R1can was standing, flora alleges that
the darby made them diyvy up the
spoilS. He then told them to beat
It" They ran down the tracks and
then Nto a cornfield, where Flora
Stone managed to hide and eiude the
posse.
Statement OF Bruce Peaks.
Bruce Pe2ke In his interview given
representative of The Free Press
stated that he had served during the
World war with the Third Canadian
Engineers division, Company c., Sec
ond Battalion and was overseas for
over a year. Following the war he
had been employed IN the saw mills
at the Long Lake Lumber company
camps thirteen miles from Spokane.
Wash He had come east intending
worked one day Tor a farmer named
Burns near Waseca, but not being
suited with the job decided to come to
Mankato and take train for the d.
kota wheat fields He reached James
vile yesterday and met Flora, Collins
and Stone. He stated that Stone had
made his brags that he could bust
any safe with the exception Of the
largo ones, and suggested that Pea1e
stay oyer at Eagle Lake until last
night no that the postoffice and some
says that he had no part in the rob-
berry, and was standing on the opposite
side of the depot In company with the
depot agent and a farmer watching
them set ND q machine. When Peake
wept to the opposite side OF the depot
after the agent had announced that
the depot had been robbed, he said
that Collins was standing on the
platform. He asked him where Stone
and Flora were and the Porto Rican
replied that they had peat JT" through
a cornf1eld. Peake stated that he
aided the posse 10 the chase, but was
mistaken Tor one Of the principals IN
the robbery. He claimed that while
he was atdang tho posse he was him.
self "Ddnched"
Harry Collins, the PORTO Rican,
statsd that he ID twenty~Seyea years
OF age, and n native OF Porto Rico. He
IL q cook by trade. and said that he
was Tins employed ON the steamship
East Suffolk plying between Norfolk,
Va, and Brazil UP to this spring when
he was paid OFF. He quit the sea at
Galveston. Tex. Since that time he
has been beating" 1t north, and the
last place he worked was at Tracy
unloading GOAL cars. 1t was with con-
siderable disgust that the fellow
stated that be was only getting sixty
cents per hour for the work and could
nos make q living at those wages.
Cofitns Denied Charge.
Collins denied the charge made by