–The Kossuth County Historical Society will host a book signing and presentation next week with a Minnesota author whose latest book chronicles a local true crime story from the 1890’s. Jeff Sauve worked as a historian at St. Olaf college in Northfield, Minnesota for over two decades before he retired in 2019 and started writing.
“Wheels of Murder” chronicles the bank robbery in Sherburn, Minnesota committed by Lewis and Hans Kellihan on October 7th, 1896 that left 2 people dead, and the chase through northern Iowa that followed.
Sauve spent nearly 2 years researching and writing the book, using different resources along the way.
Following the robbery, the Kellihan brothers split up and fled on bicycles, which Sauve says seems strange if you only think of the High-Wheel bikes popularized in the 1880’s.
Hans Kellihan shot and killed Bancroft Marshal William Gallion after being located at a farmhouse near Elmore, Minnesota two days after the robbery. Lewis Kellihan spent a night in Algona before he was apprehended in the Lake Mills area on October 10th, 1896. Sauve will be at the Kossuth County Historical Museum from 1-4 PM on Tuesday (September 8th) to sign copies of his book. “Wheels of Murder” is available at major book retailers and a QR code is available on the Historical Society’s Facebook page to find an online version.
For more information about the connection between the Kellihan brothers and Kossuth County, check out the link below:
https://kossuthhistorybuff.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-death-of-lawman.html#google_vignette
