n the robbers, who
fled, with the loss of one killed. In their flight they killed a Swede
before they got out of the town. The people of the counties through
which their flight led them, turned out, and before any of them passed
the border of the state, two more of them were killed and three
captured. Two escaped. The captured were three brothers named Younger,
and those who escaped were supposed to be the notorious James Brothers
of Missouri. The three Younger Brothers pleaded guilty to a charge of
murder, and on account of a peculiarity in the law, that only allowed
the death sentence to be imposed by a jury, they were all sentenced to
imprisonment for life. One of them has since died, and the other two
remain in prison.

The manner in which this raid was handled by our citizens was of immense
value to the state, as it proved a warning to all such desperadoes that
Minnesota was a bad field for their operations, and we have had no more
trouble from that class of offenders.

In 1877 the constitution was amended by providing for biennial, instead
of annual, sessions of the legislature.

On May 2, 1878, a very singular and disastrous event took place at
Minneapolis. Three large flouring mills were blown up by a dust
explosion, and eighteen men killed. It was inexplicable for a time, but
it was afterwards discovered that such explosions had occurred before,
and prompt measures were taken to prevent a repetition of the trouble.

On the 15th day of November, 1880, a portion of the large insane asylum
at St. Peter was destroyed by fire, and eighteen of the inmates were
burned, others dying of injuries received. The pecuniary loss amounted
to $150,000.

On the first day of March, 1881, the old capitol burned, while the
legislature was in session. That body moved their sittings to the St.
Paul market house, which had just been finished, where they remained
until the present capitol building was erected upon the site of the one
destroyed.

On the twenty-fifth day of January, 1884, the state prison at Stillwater
was partially burned.

On the fourteenth day of September, 1886, St. Cloud and Sauk Rapids were
struck by a cyclone. Scores of buildings were destroyed, and about
seventy of the inhabitants killed.

In the year 1889 the Australian system of voting at elections was
introduced in cities of ten thousand inhabitants and over, and in 1892
the system was made general throughout the state.

On the seventh day of Apri