The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1935-01-31
THIEF CALLS COP
TO ROBBERY WHEN
HE BUMPS PHONE
Telephone Operator, Suspicious
When No One Answers,
Calls Waterman
NAB YOUTH IN STATION
Obtained Only Few Bad Checks
in Raid Saturday on
Brown CO-Ops

A bit of carelessness on the part
of Lowell Haenze led to his arrest
Saturday evening while he was in
the act of robbing the Brown County
Cooperative oil station at Sleepy
Eye. While prowling about the sta
ton, the young man, who only re-
Gently was released from the county
bastile after serving rs day sent
ence, accidentally knocked the tele-
phone receiver from its hook. When
no one answered when she asked for
the number, Miss Bessie MARITIME, on
night duty at the telephone office,
became suspicious and called Officer
Gene Clark.
Young Haenze had broken win
dow on the south side of the station
and had stood on tin cans outside
the window to gain entrance. Once
inside, he found himself in the ladies'
rest room. Using a chair to hack
at the door which leads to the office
in the southeast corner of the build
ing, he smashed panel and crawled
through. Apparently in search OF
coin, he ransacked the desk in the
office of Ed MCGOWAN, secretary of
the company and strewed papers
about the floor.
"a The only opening between Mr.. Nc
Gowan's office and the station pro-
per, is a small sliding door appro-
ximately ID by inches. 1t was
through this that Haenze made his
way into the front part of the sta
ton. 1t was while crawling through
the small opening that Haenze tipped
the telephone, causing the receiver
to fall from its hook.
When the operator at the, tele-
phone office failed to receive an an
swer, she suspected something was
wrong at the station for she could
hear footsteps. Miss MARITIME imme-
diately summoned Night Waterman
Eugene Clark, who together with
Norman Herrian, whom Clark met
enroute, went to the scene to investi-
gate. In the meantime, Miss Mar
tine summoned Mr.. Hummel who
hurried to the station to find that
the place was surrounded by Clark,
Mr.. Herrian and Ed Kent who lives
directly across the street. Believing
that there might be plenty of action,
Mr.. Kent came armed and was pre-
pared to shoot it out, should the mar
lauder open fire.
Officer Clark and Mr.. Hummel
then approached the front door OF
the building. The latter opened it
and switched on the light. There in
the corner sat Haenze, knowing that
he had been trapped and offering no
resistance. Clark searched him and
found that he was unarmed. APP
parently peaved that he had been
cornered, Haenze answered questions
in a sarcastic tone and told his cap
tors that this time there was going
to be others that would accompany
him to Jail. Questioned later, how
ever. he insisted that he was the
only one involved in the robbery. On
his person were found a number OF
PENNIES and several ''bad checks"
that he had taken from the cash re-
gister.
He was lodged in the city Jail over
night and the following day was TAX
en- to New Ulm by Chief of Police
Joe Schueller and placed in the coun-
ty lookup where he awaits hearing.
He will also be questioned in regard
to the robbery of the Webb Service
station in Sleepy Eye several weeks
ago.