Two Of Men Who Were Here On September 20 Now Jailed.

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CONFESS SEVERAL

OTHER ROBBERIES

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Same Parties Stole Hats

Consigned To Local Clothiers.

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After weeks of diligent search on the part of the New Ulm police and sheriff and Minneapolis police aided by the detective force of the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway two robberies have been finally cleared up and several of a large gang of robbers put behind bars in New Ulm. The robberies which are cleared up are the last one at the New Ulm Grocery Co., and the theft of a shipment of hats from the Minneapolis freight yards consigned to Tausceck & Green of this city.

Confess Crimes

Two men giving their names as Ben Williams and Elmer Gioves, claiming Minneapolis as their home have confessed to both of these robberies following a severe third degree which lasted for nearly three days. During this examination no sleep was allowed the prisoners, it being a continuous case of cross-examination.

Hat Buyer Gives Clue.

August 23 thieves broke into a box car on the M. & St. L. line in Minneapolis and got away with a shipment of hats consigned to Tauscheck & Green of this city. The hats were disposed of to some merchant in the Twin Cities where they were located by defectives. Upon examination the buyer of the hats implicated the man that sold the hats to him and stated that the latter had dropped a remark that if it hadn’t been for a tip-over he would have been able to deliver him a load of cigarettes.” With this clue the local authorities were called and notified of the remark.

Fingerprints Aid Identity

Sheriff Julius and Chief Harmening immediately went to the cities with the fingerprints which they obtained some time ago at the Grocery Company here and matched them with those of the prisoner who had been taken by the authorities. It was only after severe grilling, however, that a confession was finally wrung from him. Williams was the first to be taken into custody of the two they now have and he implicated Groves who was immediately rounded up and by playing one against the other the authorities were successful in finally getting the entire story.

How They Pulled It.

According to the confession, Williams accompanied by Groves and a third man, came to New Ulm late on the afternoon of Sept. 20, making the trip from Minneapolis in Grove’s Ford. After parking their car under the viaduct on the new road between the hill and the bridge northeast of the city they came up town and reconnoitered. In the evening they went to the Grocery plant. The exact time was not known, but it is presumed that it must have been around eleven o’clock as the confession stated that while they were at work several work-men were seen to pass with dinner pails and others were noticed going up town from the mill. It is taken from this that it was at the time when the night shift changes at the mill. They snipped the bars in front of the window on the loading platform and made their entry. Williams went in first and after locating what they wanted,called to his pal who followed and helped carry it through the window. Groves in the meantime acted as look-out between the tracks of the M. &St. L. and Northwestern railway. After they had taken all the cigarettes they wanted and had piled them out-side Groves went after the car and they were then loaded up and the trio drove off.

Saw Police On Duty

The confession stated that they saw one of the policemen patrol the building while they were working inside. When asked what they would have done if the police had noticed them one of them is said to have remarked:”Well, you know it isn’t pleasant to shoot anybody but you can never tell what will happen when in a pinch.”They were also asked why they did not take the cigarettes through the door and they informed the questioner that they had noticed that the door was wired and did not want to meddle with it.

Car Goes Wrong

After they had secured the goods they were after they left for Minneapolis. While on the Courtland road the Ford in which they were driving developed trouble. The engine began to run on three cylinders the two and finally only one. The stopped and noticing the road running into the Bode place followed it and entering the Bode garage took his Dodge Touring car reloaded the stolen goods and drove on. The Ford was taken to Mankato where it was put in a garage by Groves who then took the bus to Minneapolis the following day. The other two meanwhile had gone or as they wanted to get to Minneapolis before seven in order to miss the new shift of police which comes out on duty about that time.

Tip Over In Bloomington

They had been having trouble with Bode’s car and when they got to Bloomington, in trying to make a curve they tipped over. Leaving everything as it was they took to the nearest street car line and made their escape. It was only then, when the Minneapolis police notified the local sheriff’s office of the finding of a car of cigarettes in Bloomington, that it was discovered that the Grocery Company had been broken into.

Confess Further Robberies

Besides the two crimes mentioned here in the two men have confessed implication in several other burglaries, notably those of the Rochester Grocery Company, mentioned in the Review several weeks ago, and clothing robberies at Taopie, Svea and Rice Lake, Minn. Both of the men in custody are young fellows, Williams being 36 and Groves 33. They appear to be rather jolly and take their fate stoically. When driving down to New Ulm with the sheriff Williams made the remark that “if he had had work the robbery wouldn’t have happened,” where upon Groves remarked, “you certainly work it slick, tho, now you’ve got a job for quite a while.”

No date has as yet been set for their hearing as the county attorney is busy at the Nicollet County term of court. No doubt they will have a hearing in the near future and it is believed that the two men will in all probability plead guilty.

New Ulm Review,

October 15, 1924

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