November
26, 1904 – Orlin Kalderwit, alias Calderwood; John Kolb and
Charles Hammond are held at the Minneapolis central police station on suspicion
of being implicated in the murder of little Freddie King, who was killed at the
time of the holdup at Mingo’s Saloon in Anoka County Tues. night.
Kolb, Kalderwit and Hammond1
The men were arrested at the Grand Central Hotel in Minneapolis shortly after 3
this morning by Detectives Crummy, Brown and Johnson, who, dressed as hobos, had
been following them for several days ever since seven holdups in different
parts of the city had taken place. The detectives watched the hotel from a
building down the street all night. They had made arrangements with the night
clerk to give a signal as soon as the men appeared, and about 3 a.m. they came
to the hotel.
Four persons who were present at the time of the robbery saw the men this
evening, and are positive in their identification, and three others at the
central station tonight were almost convinced that the right men have been taken
into custody.
At the station they were assigned separate cells and no person except Chief
Conroy and the detectives were permitted to see them.
Kolb seemed to be on the point of breaking down, and it was the belief of the
police it would not be a long time before he gave in and told the whole story.
A full-dress lineup was held tonight in the central police station cell room.
The three men were attired in the clothing that had been found near the scene
of the robbery and murder, and the men were forced to walk and talk and give
the commands that the robbers used at the time of the holdup. The witnesses
were brought in two or three at a time and given every opportunity to view the
prisoners.
The identification of Kalderwit was most positive. He was dressed in the duck
coat and sweater found near the scene and this clothing has been positively
identified as belonging to him.
In the case of Hammond, the tallest of the three and the man who is said to
have shot the little boy, the identification of a number of witnesses was
equally positive. He wore the new blue overalls, a slouch hat and had a red
handkerchief about his face.
Kolb wore a cap pulled down over his eyes and had a blue handkerchief over the
lower part of his face. He was the most nervous of the trio, and is expected to
be the one who will tell the story, if any of the men confess.
A revolver found on the Great Northern tracks Friday morning has been
identified by William Welsman as one he sold to Kalderwit the Saturday night
before the homicide.
When questioned as to their whereabouts on the night of
the saloon murder, the men told the same story to police: they had “knocked
about town” on the night of the murder and had returned to their rooms at the
Grand Hotel about 1 a.m.
They asserted they had not been in the vicinity of the holdup at any time.
Orlin Kalderwit, the oldest of the trio, has a prison
record. He was sentenced to the penitentiary from Minneapolis by Judge Simpson
on the charge of robbing gas meters and served time. A year ago he was arrested
in St. Paul in connection with the murder of a man at Brainerd, but was
dismissed because of lack of evidence.
He has been under surveillance by the police on several occasions since his
release from the penitentiary, but has not been convicted of any charge.
John Kolb and Charles Hammond claim to have come from La Crosse. Neither has
done time, but they have been arrested on several occasions and at one time
suspected of a saloon holdup. No serious charge has ever been made against them.
The trio seemed to have money shortly after some of the recent holdups, but
never any large amount for a long period. It was this fact that directed the
attention of the police to the men.
Kalderwit and Hammond are suspected of holding up a saloon in New Brighton two
weeks ago and securing $110; the little revolver and masks found in their rooms
today at their hotel correspond with the paraphernalia that played an important
part in the new Brighton holdup.
2
The revolver found on the Great Northern tracks was identified by J. H. King as
the one that was placed in his face just after his son was killed. Although
excited, he was able to describe a peculiarity in the make of the barrel before
the weapon was shown him by the chief of police.
G. E. Cummings, who was one of the victims of the holdup, is positive in his
identification of the men. He happened to be in the central station when the
men were being taken to the office to be questioned.
Kalderwit, he was positive, was the man who wore a blue
handkerchief over his face, and he is said to have been the man who shot E. J.
Mingo, the bartender.
Hammond, he says, wore a red handkerchief over the lower part of his face and
did most of the shooting. It is Conner’s claim that Hammond was the man who
killed little Freddie King.
Freddie King and his siblings3
Kolb had a sweater muffler pulled up over his face for a mask and stood near
the door with revolver in hand. He did little shooting and appeared to be
somewhat frightened. He helped search some of the men who were lined up.
Late tonight Detectives Crummy and Brown secured a new 38-calibur bulldog
revolver from James Holden, a boarder at the Grand Central Hotel, who purchased
it from Kolb Friday night for $2. He also secured a box of cartridges.
Three revolvers were used at the Columbia Heights robbery and the little boy
was killed by a 38-caliber weapon; E. J. Mingo, the bartender, was shot by a
bullet of similar caliber. The weapon Kalderwit purchased was of 32-caliber and
there is a bullet hole made by this gun in the screen at the saloon.
Today Kalderwit told police that Kolb had a revolver and late this evening the
police found the man who had purchased it from him after he had peddled it
about the hotel.
The Anoka County grand jury does not meet until March and unless a special term
of court is called, the men will have to wait until then for trial.
Saint Paul Globe; “Minneapolis Police
Arrest Trio for Columbia Heights Murder. Detectives Run Down Ex-Convict and Two
Companions and Prisoners Are identified as the Hold-up men by Several of their
Victims—Stories Told by the Men Under Arrest Conflict.”; Nov. 27, 1904; pp. 13
& 24.
1Saint Paul Globe; Nov.
27, 1904; p. 13.
2Photo taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released
into the public domain Nov. 26, 2017, as long as acknowledgement included.
3The Minneapolis Tribune;
Nov. 24, 1904; p. 1.
Nine-year-old
Freddie King was killed and bartender Edward J. Mingo shot in the head by
masked men who held up a saloon in Columbia Heights; see Nov. 22, 2017 blog.
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