A Waukesha, Wis., couple and their niece, a student at Dr. Martin Luther College, were held up at gunpoint and robbed of about $170Saturday night in New Ulm.

The victims were Mr. and Mrs. Charles Giese and Sally Giese.

New Ulm Police gave the following account:

THE GIESES were at the Holiday Motel, 1316 N. Broadway, playing cards in the couple’s room about 10 p.m. when their unlocked door swung open and two young men came in, one holding a Western-style gun.

The robbers had nylon stockings over their heads.

The one with the gun said,”This is a holdup. Give us your money,all of it.”

Giese immediately took his billfold out and gave all his money, about $150, to the young men. His wife took all her money, about $20,from her purse and handed it over. Their niece had no money.

Both robbers acted very scared-one knocked over a lamp on the dresser during the holdup.

After they got the money the holdup men left the room and headed south on foot across the parking lot.

Giese crawled on the floor to the phone and told the two women to get on the floor. He called the office and Mrs. Sally Gruber,manager, in turn called police at 10:10 p.m.

Mrs. Gruber said her office and the living room and kitchen behind it,were lighted and the shade on the kitchen door was up at the time. If she had looked out the door she could have seen the robbers leaving the motel room.

She had just been out and walked around the square of rooms closest to the office, including the room held up, about that time. Her paper girl delivered the Sunday newspaper and Mrs. Gruber had just sat down to read it when the phone rang to report the holdup, she said.

The Gieses had the drapes open in their motel room while they were playing cards.

Police said the robbers were described as both in their early 20’s, medium-size build, wearing winter-type beige jackets, dark pants, height about 5-8 or 5-9.

THIS IS the second holdup in two months in New Ulm. The co-owner of the Wig Boutique was robbed of about $18 the afternoon of Aug. 9 as she worked alone. There was no gun involved in that robbery and the co-owner was injured by those robbers.

Police said they do not suspect a connection between the two holdups.

New Ulm Daily Journal

Sept. 29, 1975