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 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