Sheriff W. J. Julius Talks

About Difficult Job in

Minneapolis at Sheriffs’ Meeting.

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“APPLE PIE” COMPARED WITH PRESENT GUNMEN

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Old Horse and Buggy Too Fast for Swaines When the Brown County Sheriff Went Courting.

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Sheriff W. J. Julius, oldest sheriff in the state of Minnesota, in point of tenure of office, was in a good humor, as he always is, when he was in attendance at the state convention held the forepart of the week in Minneapolis. A Tribune reporter was out after copy and grabbed a column from the popular Brown county official.

Bad men of the old days were “apple pie” compared to the modern gunmen, who are equipped with fast motor cars, Julius told the Tribune man.

“You hear a lot about the robbers who used to ride into town on horse-back and hold up the place. The only ones I ever knew came in by train, and had to run on foot across country and take another train to make a get-away.

Always Got the Man

“Why, we always got our man then. Lots of times they gave us a long chase. One time I remember we tracked a man clear to St. Louis, but we brought him back. They never got away.

“Lots of lawlessness and crime then? Why say, a sheriff’s job was a soft one compared to what it is now.

“Anybody who robbed a dry goods store or was accused of being a horse thief, was a big criminal. And now, the last two years have been the worst I’ve ever seen. Two big murders in our county and a good many hold-ups, and they get away in automobiles and we have no idea where they have gone.

Sheriff Julius has kind, twinkling eyes, full of sympathy and fun, and there are fine wrinkles around them from smiling a good deal. But when he talks of the spread of crime, his smiles vanish.

Living Too Fast Today

“It used to be that when we had a criminal to deal with we knew he was a criminal through and through. But now-why, maybe, it’s somebody from a good family that’s a friend of mine.

“I talk to them just like a father. I ask them why they did it. Most of the time I find out it’s from keeping bad company.

“They live too speedy a life, that’s what’s the matter with them. They’ve got too much money.

“We used to go joy riding with the old horse and buggy, and even that was too fast for us. But now, riding in speedy autos isn’t exciting enough. They’ve got to have something on the hip, too.”

Brown County Journal,

January 1, 1926

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