The Redwood gazette., 1934-10-04
Knute Hustad Robbed of New
Chevrolet While Bringing
Fakers to Redwood
WAS LEFT BY ROADSIDE
Men Claimed to be Searching
for Criminal; Damaged
Own Car at Echo

Two self-styled federal agents
turned out to be bandits and
held up Knute Hustad, Echo
garageman, at the point of a
gun Tuesday night on highway
10, on the Redwood Yellow Me-
dicine county line, a robbery
which also indirectly involved
Otto Melges Of Redwood Falls.
The loot consisted Of a new 1884
Chevrolet sedan and so cents in
cash.
The affair all started when an
automobile driven by two young men
bearing Wisconsin license, collid-
ed with a truck driven by Mr.. Mel
ges, who was visiting Echo on busi-
ness, near the Echo Milling Conn
pany elevator at 6 p. m, slightly
damaging the Melges machine while
inflicting more serious damages on
their car.
According to Mr.. Melges the two
men told him that they were Mil
waukee police officers at the same
time flashing a police badge and
asked him to haul their damaged car
to the garage operated by Hustad.
"When we got to the garage" Mr..
Melges asserted, "they told me that
they were short of cash and asked if
I could loan them two dollars to
help pay for the damages. I told
them nothing doing and left.
Once in the garage the men lock-
ed the car and refused mechanic
entrance to it, saying that it con-
tanned valuables which they did not
want seen or disturbed.
"When I told them that it would
be some time before their car could
be repaired" Hustad said, "they said
they were Federal agents on the
trail of some criminal and that they
were in a hurry to get to Redwood
Falls to see an attorney. They did
MT say who the attorney was.
"Then they asked me if I would
drive them to Redwood Falls" Hus-
tad continued, "and I agreed. They
hurriedly took some things out OF
their wrecked car, and wrapped it in
a blue blazer, without my getting
chance to see what it was. Later I
thought it might be machine gun
as it was shaped like one.
"About 8 p. m. when we were
about halfway between the two
towns" the garageman related, zone
of the fellows asked me to stop the
car so he could get out for a mo-
ment. One fellow was sitting in
front and the other in back, the one
in front asking me to stop the car"
Hustad said that then the one in
front drew a revolver, pointing it at
him and the one in back, an auto
matte, which he pressed against
Hustad's face. Hustad was then
ordered out Of his machine and the
bandit with the revolver went
through his pockets finding the so
cents.
The gunman searching him looked
disgustedly at his companion in the
car when he found only half dol
lar, Hustad said, and said as in re-
ply, "Naw, let him go"
The victim said that then he was
told to wax. few PAGES down the
road without looking back and IN
few seconds the gunmen went whlz-
zing by in his car towards Redwood
Falls.
Hustad made his way to the Otto
Warner farm nearby and telephoned
Sheriff L. ]. Kise informing him
that the men were on their way to
the city. Sheriff Kise Immediately
got into his automobile and cruised
along the highway few miles be-
yond the city until $3.50 but unable to
come across any machine answering
the description of the Hustad car,
he returned to Redwood Falls max
ing fruitless search of the streets
here.
The bandits were described as be-
tween 25 and 80 years old, one be-
ing about six feet in height, OF med
ium complexion and weighing about
100 pounds. The other was about
five feet eight inches tall, dark COM
plexioned and of about the same
weight as his companion. Both wore
dark suits, gray hats and no over
coats.
Sheriffs Kise and Martin Fitzner
of Yellow Medicine county are M
yestigating the case. They searched
the bandits damaged car at the
garage but found nothing Of import