The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1931-04-02

snow had begun to fall, and any
trail that their car might have left
was soon covered up.
It is understood that the Swen-
sons were in the habit Of keeping
sums of money about the house and
members of the bandit gang evil
IDENTIFY had information to that eff
feet.
So far as is known there are no
clues as to the identity of the
strangers. They were unmasked
and the faces were not familiar to
any of the members of the Swenson
family. There was little or no OPP
portunity for Swenson to secure
the license number Of the car, once
he realized the criminal intentions
of his assailants, and before that he
had no reason to pay any atten-
ton to the number. Thus one pos
sible means of tracing the band
was lost Some are of the opinion
that the two ladies in the robber
group were men masquerading as
wimen, although that suspicion can
not be verified.
While all three members of the
Swenson family showed the effects
of their terrifying experience, Mr..
Swenson was the most seriously in
jured. His head and face was
bruised and swollen and is still
badly discolored from the severe
and brutal blows received. He is
about so years old.
In an effort to get some action
towards the apprehension of the das-
tardly persons who committed the
crime. the township of Crow Lake,
in which the Swenson farm. is locat-
ed, and the Village of Brooten, are
Jointly offering a reward of ST.
10000 for the capture of these
robbers. This is liberal reward
and it is hoped that it will be an
incentive for intensive and agrees
sive investigation of the crime with
the ultimate result that the perpe-
traitors may be brought to justice.
Clues Scarce in BroOten Robbery
Brooten, March 30.-Few clues
have been unearthed in the attempt
to locate the robbers who NAL
treated three people on farm six
miles south of here on the night of
March 20 and robbed them Of 5000,
according to Mayor S. e. Shipstead
of this community.
Mrs Morxy On or1 had
ridden, who suffered broken rib
in the encounter with the four men
who held up the family for more
than three hours, has not improved
but her son, Sven, and her daugh-
ter, Alice, have about recovered
from their bruises and shock.
Mayor Shipstead reported today
that the quartet of men had
called at one farm house in the
neighborhood and asked for Sven
Kuutson some weeks before the
robbery. Knutson was the husband
of Mrs. Ewenson, but he died about
IS years ago. After his death the
children followed the old Scandi-
navian tradition and took the name
of "Sven's Son." or Swenson. The
mother, accordingly, was known as
Mrs. Swenson.
The quartet was seen several
times in the neighborhood of Crow
Lake township prior to the rob-
berry, according to Mayor Ship
stead. The Brooten official stated
that the robbery had reused the
countryside and in addition to the
reward had stimulated interest to
such an extent that most of the
residents of the neighborhood are
armed with shotgups.
Sheriff Ben Schooner, and
County Attorney James J. Quigley,
Stearns county, spent Thursday at
the Swenson farm questioning the
victims of the robbery in an at
tempt to secure possible clues.
The village of Brooten and the
township of Crow Lake have offer
ed $1,000 for information leading to
the arrest of the robbers.