On This Date in Minnesota History: August 17

August 17, 1905 – With a lead loaded billy club, J. Budd, a Minneapolis street lamp lighter, put two would-be highwaymen to utter rout on Park Avenue, between Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth Streets, at 3:30 this morning.

One of the would-be robbers was badly marked by Budd and both were glad to get away and avoid further punishment.

Budd had just put out a light on Park Avenue, near Twenty-seventh Street when two men, whom he had noticed sneaking along in dark spots, came up to him with revolvers in their hands.

Lamplighter¹

“Hands up,” they ordered, pointing their firearms at Budd.

Budd’s hands went up in a hurry. In one of them he held a billy club. Hardly had the hands gone up than the right one holding the billy club came down again with terrific force.

Sample billy club²

One of the robbers received a terrible blow on the side of his head. He dropped like a log. Budd was just about to land on the second man when the latter stepped back and threatened to shoot.

At this juncture Budd took safety in flight. The robber ordered him to stop, but he kept on running.

The highwayman did not shoot, but contented himself with dragging his partner to a place of safety.

Budd is sure that the man he struck is badly marked and the police are on the lookout.

The Minneapolis Tribune; “’Billy’ In Hands of J. Budd, Plucky Lamplighter, Puts Highwaymen to Rout. Two Men Order Him to ‘Throw Up His Hands,’ Which He Promptly Does, Bringing One of Them Down Again Instantly and Felling His Assailant.”; Aug. 18, 1905; p. 7.
¹http://www.junipercivic.com/historyArticle.asp?nid=13#.W2iP8NVKjFg

²Photo credit: <a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d2/d2/27/d2d227ca4c1f813cf84a56ebe29a939f.jpg">Pinimg.com</a>

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