“WHAT'S THE USE?”
was the bitter ejaculation of pretty well every man who had for two long weeks persistently kept on the trail of the gang of desperadoes who perpetrated the Northfield outrage, and by Wednesday evening, the 20th, the pursuers had for the most part returned to their homes with the full conviction that the chase was up, and the bandits had made good their escape. To some it was more than humiliating that after so many times being completely within their grasp, the scoundrels had succeeded in eluding them, and this too, so often through blundering and neglect. It seemed no consolation that the robbers had lost more in the State than they had ever done elsewhere. The two dead carcasses at Northfield, the captured horses, the wounded, fleeing men were impotent to assuage their disappointment and heal their wounded pride.
Many exciting reports came from all quarters, but they were only met with incredulous laughter. The bandits were gone, and that was an end to the matter. People began to look upon the whole hunt as a huge joke, and admiration soon showed itself for the plucky six who could in the face of such fearful odds make good their escape. But there were those who still thought that at least four of the robbers were still in the neighborhood—the man wounded at Northfield, and the three who had not crossed the river, for notwithstanding the fact that J. Devans, of South Bend, said that he saw five men in South Bend, whom he was positive were the robbers, on the morning that the three crossed the bridge, no one gave credence to his tale.
This man asserted that he had occasion to get up about half-past two o'clock to get some water at the pump, his wife being sick, when he passed five men in the lane near South Bend Hotel. They wore long linen dusters with belts, and carried blankets done up in bridles, and he was positive they were the robbers. He saw them leave and go on to the railroad, two walking ahead, and the fifth man who was taller than the others, walking behind and seeming to stoop greatly and walk with difficulty, carrying one arm in a sling. Bob Younger's statement to the writer seemed to confirm Devan's story.
There were not a few people in Mankato who believed that Jack O'Neil had a hand in the escape of the raiders. It will be remembered that this man figured conspicuously as an informant in a case spoken of at an early period of this narrative. Rumor had it that this O'Niel had still in his vicious den the wounded man concealed. To satisfy the public mind, a strong body of men crossed over the ferry and thoroughly searched O'Niel's premises in which were found, [pg 48] besides the unfortunate female denizens, five as low looking vagabonds as were ever seen outside of prison walls. Although the search was fruitless, there are many people in Mankato who still think, now that the hunt is over, that the notorious Jack cleared his house of Ingalls, Peabody and Quane, because he expected the Northfield raiders on their return trip to stay and make use of his house. Many arrests were made of innocent persons in the eagerness to catch the robbers, and it was absolutely dangerous to be a large man of unusual appearance, especially to be alone in the woods or on country roads. There was one instance of a capture on suspicion which placed two horse thieves within the grasp of inexorable justice, that of the capture of the two men at St. Peter, who stayed at the old Wardlow place one night and rode off suspiciously at an early hour of the morning. These men who gave their names as John Chafer and George Ranks, proved to be two horse thieves from Iowa.
But the hunt was at last given up in despair and people had gone back to their homes, when a lad came dashing into Madelia shouting out to every one he met, that the
ROBBERS WERE FOUND.
Exhausted and out of breath from his long and rapid ride, it was some few moments ere he could sufficiently recover himself to tell an intelligent story. To Col. Vought, the landlord of the Flanders Hotel, the boy gave his statement.
The following is condensed from the sworn statement of the captors, and was published in the “Madelia Times:”
Early on Thursday morning, September 21st, a Norwegian boy named Oscar O. Suborn, while out milking, saw two men pass his father's house. This boy lives eight miles from this place in a direction a little west of north, in Linden township, Brown county. In a few moments, he set down his pail and went to the house of Mads Ouren, and told what he had seen. Besides Mr. Ouren, there were there, Anton Anderson, Ole Stone and J. F. Devine. The latter said at once he believed it was the robbers, and that the people should be notified. Those there proceeded at once to do so. A gang were commencing to thresh nearby, so their horses and all others in the vicinity were ran off as fast as possible. The boy returned home and was there told that during his absence, the two other men had come to the house and called for something to eat. Said they were a fishing party, were in a hurry and could not stop for breakfast. The boy then jumped upon his father's horse and came full speed to this place with the news. When within a mile and a half of town, his horse fell down and threw him off into the mud, but he re-mounted and hastened on. Arriving here, the first he saw were Sheriff Glispin and T. L. Vought. The latter grasped his gun, mounted his horse and was off, closely followed by J. Severson. They were soon joined by Sheriff Glispin, after [pg 49] having left orders to others to come, and Will Estes. About three or four miles out they were met by a young man named Flittie, who