The Mankato free press., 1920-12-10
At First Denied That He
Was In Crime T.
FOUND IN DARK ALLEY
Officers Made An Investigation,
Arrest Follows; Youth In
- Jail Also

Mankato, and Stanley Ellis, OF Gsrrins
Neb, were placed upAer arrest early
Sunday morning by the local police,
Chief OF Police Jacob Hilgers was of
the opinion that his police officers
landed Jimmy" the man who has been
2rying open doors and windows for
tAe past month around this city. Cir
cumstantiai evidence. he thinks,
Il being held under suspicion.
Stanley Ellis has already confessed
TO the robbing OF the Kelm & Graf
store on North Front street, and ST.
200 worth OF money orders found in
his possession which leads to the sus
picion that he may have been impl-
Gated In q postofnce robbery. Ellis
told the police that he arrived here
yesterday morning cold and hungry
and gained entrance to the Kelm Il
Graft implement house, thinking that
he could secure money with which to
purchase food.
According to the statement Of the
police, katterjohn was seen by Onicer
Herman Korts and a plain clothes
man coming out of the dark behind
the Frank j. Mettler soft drink par
lors and thence to the rear Of the
Polchow soft drink parlors, where the
officers flashed their lights upon him.
He was asked his name, what he
worked at, and where he roomed, all
of which he willingly gave the officers
and was then permitted to proceed to
his room on South Front street. A
short time later the officers went to
Investigate to the rear Of the Mettler
place, and found that the windows
had been tampered with, and a jimmy
and chisel bearing the mark Of the
Omaha railway found where they had
been apparently dropped by whoever
was trying TO force the windows. The
fact that Katterjohn had told the
officers that he is a boilermaker en-
rloyed in the Omaha roundhouse and
the tools bearing the stamp OF that
company seemed to direct suspicion
toward him and about daylight yester-
morning he was placed under arrest
a number OF house breaking and
petty robberies.
Room Was Searched. =,
When katter1ohn's room was
searched later about 81 worth OF
pennies were found in his trunk, and
quite number Of cigaret packages.
: he preseice of so many pennies in
tne young mans trunk leads the
police 70 believe that they may be the
pennies stolen from the Lindholm
Laundry and the Wallrich pool hall
katterjohn when interviewed by
The Free Press had practically the
following to say:
My name is Edward Katterjohn, L
go TO work at 8 P. M. and quit work
at A. NJ. have been employed as a
boilermaker in the Omaha roundhouse
in this city for the past thirteen
months. Previous to coming to Man
kato / worked in Seattle and then
went to st. Paul where / worked at
my trade for the Omaha road, and
thirteen months ago / was transferred
10 this city. l cannot see why anyone
would suspicion me OF these robberies,
for I get good wages and do not have
TO resort to any stealing to make a
living. get S7.65 day ] don't have
to get into any trouble like this to
make a living.
Invited to Take Drink.
AS has been my custom for
several months past, / ate breakfast
IN the Kato restaurant some time
about four o'clock. There was a man
in there at the time, whose name do
know, but he said that If would step
out in the alley he would give me a
drink or whiskey. / went out behind
the American Beauty candy store and
took drink with him. l then walked
uD the alley to the rear Of the Pol
chow soft drink parloFs, where I
tried to gain admittance. / think that
1t was then about fvs o'elok. Two
piainclothes officers stepped out of
the dark and flashed their lights upon
me. They asked me my name, where
worked, and where l roomed. l gave
them all of the information they
asked, and was then permitted to pro-
ceed to my room on South Front
street, where short ime later / was
placed under arrest. I guess they
searched my room, but have nothing
but my own belongings there"
Statement Made BY Ellis.
Stanley Ellis stated to The Free
Press that he Is seventeen years OF
age, he was born at Pierre, s.. D., but
for some time past had been living
with his widowed mother at Gerring,
Neb. When asked how he came to
have the money orders in his possess
ion, Ellis said tht he found them
Friday near the junction OF the
Omaha and Illinois Central roads in
LIE Mars, La. There were quite a num-
Der of them. Part of what he found
he put in an iron mail box nearby,
and the ones foundlin his possession,
he said, he intended to turn into the
Minneapolis postoffice as soon as he
reached that city. He reached this
city cold and hungry yesterday morn
Ing without any money IN his possess
ion. In his wanderings last night he
passed In0 rear OF helm q OTdu
implement store, 422 North Front
street, where he noticed that one OF
the panes of glass in a rear
window was broken. He managed to
raise the window and gain entrance
to the store in the hopes Of finding
some money with which to purchase
food. When searched Elhs was found
to have in his possession in addition
to the money orders, some tobacco
and two or three blank checks he had
torn from the check book Of Kelm 4
Graft.
It was with tears in his eyes that
young Ellis stated that for some time
East he had been employed in sugar
factory at Mitchell, Neb., and that he
always gave part of his earnings to
his widowed mother. He said that he
tried to get work all along the line
but was unable to do so. They seem
to think that am one Of the Mime
apolis train robbers. / can prove that
the day before yesterday ] wrote a
card back to my mother from Le|
Mars, and that I was mot in Minne-
apolis. The Job / pulled last night Il
suppose will stick me" for eight or
ten years.
Ellis Was Writing Check.
II was learned today that when N-