Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 November 1896 — MURDER BY BANK ROBBERS. [ARTICLE]

MURDER BY BANK ROBBERS.

Minnesota Bandits Kill Two Men and Make Their Escape. The deliberate murder of two men was committed at Sherburne, "Minn., Wednesday by highwaymen who robbed the Bank of Sherburne of SI,OOO. The affair was a terrible reminder of the great bank robbery at Northfield in 1876, in which the James and Younger boys were participants. About noon two strangers, one of whom looked like mere boy, rode along the main street on bicycles. They were both well dressed but were unshaven and travel-stained. No particular attention was paid to them, as Sherburpe is a town of but 300 persons, most of them workingmen, and at that hour they were hurrying home to dinner. The strangers loitered around the outskirts until nearly 1 o'clock. At that time they sauntered lazily down the street and stopped inxnediately in front of the bank cf Sherburne.' After, a moment's talk they went into the bank, and the elder of the men engaged Assistant Cashier George Thorburn in conversation. One of the desperadoes secured possession of a roll jf bills co«taining 6 about SI,OOO. Thorburn tried to prevent the men from getting away with the money, when they whipped out their revolvers and began firing and at rhe same time retreating. One of the bullets struck Thorburn, pausing almost instant death. The shooting within the bank aroused the town, ana the citizens began running in that direction. The first man to reach the plape was Olaf Oestern, a traveling salesman for the "Wood Harvester Company of St. Paul. The desperadoes, fearing they, would be captured, quickly turned their weapons upon Oestern. He made a dash to grapple with them,* but was not quick enough, as he was struck in the head and fell dead at their feet. They ran down the street firing at random, while persons in the street hurried to places of shelter. They ran about three blocks to some bushes where they had left their wheels. These they mounted and rode rapidly away toward the lowa line, six miles to the south. Mayor C. E. Everett and the town marshal at once did all in their power to capture the bandits. Sheriff Hill, of Marion County, organized a large posse of determined Sherburne men, which moved southward ou horseback late in the afternoon. It is declared that if the men are captured they will be strung up to a limb of the first tree big enough to bear them. The men got away with the roll of money, about SI,OOO, which they snatched from the of the bank. Gov. Clough issued a proclamation offering a reward of SSOO for the capture of the r.ibers.