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VUT(3HEffi!i. SOUTH DAKOTA. MONDAY.*5 hasTOWN IS HELDD.AND BANK ROBBEDa t i n sleft at daybreak following the Omaha tracks toward Sioux Falls Sheriff Huston and deputies arrived about * o’clock and headed another posstwhich went to the north.The gang la supposed to be the one operating In this vicinity the past weey. Wednesday night the safe ofearlv lat iflargeit her has vari -i the The cent iding f the isy in oughy as is in k Inna ri-fhe postoffice at Tea was blown openRegular Jesse James Crime Is; and $25 and a lot of stamps tak“n. Theexplosion aroused the citizens but thePerpetrated at ValleySprings, S. D.GOT AWAY WITH THE CASHrobbers escaped without being seen.Thursday night the Kook Island depot ;»t Sioux Falls was entered. The rubber* opened the safe without the useof explosives. They overlooked a bag of money in the pigeon hole of a desk near by.1cMinnehaha County Bank Loses About$1,000—Sensational and Dramatic-TheBIG IRRIGATION FUND.Capture of a Town-Robbers Escape.T.r In-Has $16,000,000 in It Now, but Is Growing Rapidly.Washington, Sept. 12.—The question of western land irrigation, which for years has been a great issue with the arid states and, at the same time, the shuttlecock of congress, at last has assumed such dimensions that it willpar-rear-con-$3,500I carsISioux Falls, S. D., Sept. 14.—Five men who there Is reason to believewere implicated In the sensational rob-bery .»r the Minnehaha «ounty bank at j have a respectable hearing by ai!Valley Springs have been a|yrehenlt;ielt;l ; lies.and are nof in custody of the author!- J For the cause of irrigation no I-ss ties of this county. i than $16,000,000 now is available forTwo were captured at Garret son and ! the states where surveys have been ap-the other three at l.esler. the next sta- ! proved by the government. Two yearstion on the line. The two captured at harivtsun have been identified as menwho were in Brandon and vicinity, between there and Valley Springs, for several days before the rubbery.tiI*Awtig«g;OIliter,Isa- j the Jose her ital. *hI a IValley Springs, S. D., Sept. 12.—Under a hot fire poured into them by thecitizens of the town, a band of desperate robbers between 2 and 3 o’clock! ago, when congress provided $2,000,000 ‘ for an irrigation darn in the river and harbor bill, that slight concession was j a* hailed by the advocates of irrigation as an “entering wedge.’ a decided fac tor in the long-mooted question as to whether congress should appropriate money for irrigation In the state and territories.in this short time note the result.tiiis morning blew the safe of the Min- 1 From the sale of these lands under tinI*sthie\inyitiielneiiaha County bank, wrecking the interior of the building, secured between $*00 and $1,000, and escaped on a handcar, which they took from tlie toolirrigation act there is a fund of $1*.-000,000 available for the purpose of rec- jehad lead !dad 'landd toioio-e ofwell and ered loliuide.( * house of the Omaha Hallway company.They departed in the direction of SiouxFalls, thirteen miles distant. jAt daybreak a posse of citizens head- j i ed by Editor Charles Hill left here, and .two hours later Sheriff Huston, Deputy ! Charles Voelsch and Policeman Tim i »oney of Sioux Falls, who were sum- j I nioned, headed another posse which| went to the north. Up to noon today no trace of the gang had been found, not even the hand-car on which the ; j robbers escaped has been discovered.The affair was conducted in regular J»»s*e James style. Shortly after 2 o’clock the town was aroused by heavy I explosions, nine in number. Druggist | F. L. Sklllman, who resides across the; street from the bank, was the first man on the scene. As lie hurried Into the street he saw six or eight men In and i around the bank, w hich was filled withsmoke. He had barely stepped out of doors when a masked man shoved a gun in his face.Ordered Hands Up.“Up with your hands!” he commanded. “You can’t butt in here.”Sklllman obeyed. The robber whistled and was soon joined by one of the men from the bank.rhatat-de-ackim-whoalesresthersdialI cededI• irniamation of desert lands. jThose who know the general practice of congress predict that the amount will grow from $16,000,hOO to ten times that amount.No issue before the American people | is of greater interest. The reclamation of the arid lands means the addition to the resources of the United States of a territory as valuable as that «*f tie* great Louisiana purchase, which is to be commemorated in t. Louis in 1904.Fund Is Growing Rapidly.As ihe government has reached thepoint where it will donate $16,000,009 for the purpose of irrigation, then it ! is probably only a question of time i when the amount expended for this j purpose will equal that of the river ! and harbor bill.\\\ A. Richards, commissioner of the general land ofll to. has prepared a statement showing the amounts covered Into the treasury to the credit ofthe reclamation fund from the sales of public' lands in the several states and territories during the years 1901, 1002 | and 1003. under the provision of the act of congress approved June IT. 1902. At present there is to the credit of thereclamation fund In in- United States treasury $16,191,836. «f which $8,461,493 resulted, ftoin sales of public lands elut ing the present year.bis!prti)yi\Yi n\K 1 uII here II be hell to pay pretty soon. , ... ,, . , , , , , , . .1 * 1 * , ' lo this date sixteen states and ter-bet -! thmedi! Imgr; 51.an ! tinfnc a n thdPe:»st;ofAtagsaid Skillman s captor, “and we’d• •ieepavy!on-‘OV-t 8 i ill IThe !re- jyor►red1 HOfrIrstth?the. E. 22(TerE.0Iter iix this man“Don’t do it; I’ve got a better plan,” the other robber said, seizing the druggist’s arm.The robbers with Sklllman between a hem started on a run toward the railroad track. They hurried to a box car and pushing open the door, picked the druggist up bodily and hurled him through the opening. Then they closed and locked the door and returned tothe bank near which place they encountered lt;ashler M. S. Hetland and his two sons, who were hurrying to thescene. The robbers Immediately flourished their guns and ordered the men to fall back The Hetlands were unarmed and obeyed.By this time citizens, hurriedly dressing. wore running here and there in the streets. Whenever they came within ablock of the bank they were met by heavily armed men who ordered then*hack on the pain of death. The town had evidently been picketed. One citizen. failing to understand the situa- t tion, attempted to break through tin-line and was fired on. 11“ retreated hastily.Town Was Excited. jIn the meantime the news had spread I that the town was in the hands of des- jperadc. s and the wildest excitement prevailed. Women and children, half j dressed, ran screaming and crying through their homes and the men son i hastily got out such armament as they I had and prepared for battle. Doors wereted bolted and barricaded and from the11 ;4 upper windows of the residences, a beay y fire was pour* d in the direction of the bank.In the dim light of lamps which the robbers used in the wrecked building. | the citizens could see a half dozen men hurrying about in the ruins, busily working on the safe, which had been blown almost to pieces. The robbers tackled the vault, but were finally compelled to retreat owing to the approach of a party of the nervier citizens whocame as close as they dared to the bank.From behind buildings and trees citizens fired volley after volley in direction of the bank and finally gang tied. In the oonfusion they raped toward the railroad track.From his place in the boxcar, where be bad been locked a half hour before. Druggist Sklllman heard the band as ido ! ii ran past In the direction of the tool jhouse. There was a crash of wood as the robbers beat down the door with a sledge and in a moment the handcar went up the main track, propelled at a high rat* of speed by the robbers. The car went westward toward Sioux Falls.Safe Blown to Pieces.It was perhaps a half hour before the citizens dared to enter the bank. When('ashler Hetland made his way into the building, he found the safe blown topieces and the cash drawer containing nearly $1,000 rifled. Papers and hooks were strewn about in the wreckage.rltotiea have lt;ontirputed to this sum.which is set apart flr the reclamationof arid lands. The amounts received j for the government holdings in the va-! rioixs states are as follows: j Arizona, $125,605; California. $1,287,-i 11!*: Colorado. $1,139,067; Idaho, $1.-1149.667; Kansas, $67,553; .Montana, $1,-i 324.546; Nebraska, $354,063; Nevada. i $35,879; New Mexico, -$297,365; North Dakota, $2,456,240; Oklahoma, $1,824.-881; Oregon, $2,795,690; South Dakota, $546,982; Utah. $234,344: Washington.$1,894,069, Wyoming. $658,686.ill!lo\• %FIVE ARE DROWNEDIN GSGEGLA COUNTYw wKm' Ml J Tc1 lie, Ge i Te K“ lt;h t Alt Soi ArMi: I VI if SotSoi«kI ViUnA Cloudburst Results in That :Number of Death* and Muchi1.V •Property Loss.RAILROADS WASHED OUTarlt;folse\CO!thrag« to jme. I1 of, •es:. K.0 I 2»m-Buildings Moved From Foundations, Bridges Gone and Town of Worthington Under Water—Trafficis Suspended.SKaM i i NoSoiXelt; a!I Ml!irn! OhYiliPeiOk. E. 01tallTeiiovMbUniokingI aIty.i*:.Ithe ;the jthees-Sibley, la., Sept. 12.—A cloudburst occurred at Little Hock last night. Mrs. August We in pen and two children, 11 v- j y[*. ing a half mile west of that place, were drowned. -V girl from Germany, name unknown, visiting mere, was also drowned. Mr. Weinpen climbed atree and saved his Hie, u child in his arms was drowned.Half of the steel bridge west of Little Hoik was washed out and all traffic on the Rock'Island is suspended.The foundations were washed from I 19° under houses in Little Hock. The town ! ThI'I on on1904ii!t-of Worthington, Minn., is inundated ♦ tin*!itiothiwitK.55nesand the Rock Island railway Is undertwo feet of water there.The people in the south part of the town were driven from their homes.1 An engine and twenty freight cars are |: ditched on the Omaha railway, but none were injured. All traffic is sus- \y ■| pended. \u,Eighty rods of the Illinois CentralSunIovNKr.«lXf I*E10E.•»•»0the17.32K05* track were washed out near Georgeduring an electrical storm last night at 8 o’clock. The new* school house and j qS! the mill were struck by lightning; the J Mb damage is slight.Rain Does Much Damage.Ida Grove. Ia., Sept. 12.—The heaviest j rainfall of the season fell today.The explosions had smashed the bank | Twenty-five feet of the south wall of furniture and fixtures and some of it j the lecture room in the basement ofhad been hurled through the windows. - the Grand opera house caveil in. Dam-E.4•»oftarIn-— •le.The robbers had attempted to break Into the vault, but had failed. Therewas between $3,000 and $4,000 in thevault.(ashler Hetland had placed the $1,000 in the safe on orders of the National Bank association which had advised it that a gang of desperate cracksmen were working toward Sioux Falls.After the excitement had abated somewhat, Skillman s cries for helpwere heard and he was released from the box car In which he had been a prisoner for more than an hour. Skill-man was able to give but a meager description of the two men who capture*! him. Only one was masked—the man who held him up.As quickly as possible a posse ofcitizens under the leadership of Charles Hill, editor of the Valley Springs Vi-..otte, was organized and heavily armedage about $500. The chances for IdaUnTSeiAu190190Ttenmocounty's corn crop maturing were*®*greatly diminished by the soaking rains J a and cold weather.1Great Storm in Minnesota.St. Paul. Minn., Sept. 12.—One of the heaviest rainstorms in recent years raged in St. Paul and generally throughout the state last night. The official rainfall In the city being 5 inches in twelve hours, ending at 7 a. m.Many basements were flooded and street car service was much impededby sand washing on the track.1*Sends Delegates to America.Leicester, Eng., Sept. 12.—The trades union congress closed its session today with the election of two delegates toattend the oongress of the Axceri. Federation of Labor.Tonmo90.1amTtenmoT:noamTSe|mo0pro
Newspaper Details
Mitchell Daily Republican
Mitchell, South Dakota, US
Mon, Sep 14, 1903
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 10 May 2019
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