Oct. 31, 1967: Accosted by robber, Minneapolis woman says: 'Get lost'

Fifty years ago today, the Minneapolis Tribune provided potential evildoers with a trove of information about an innocent young woman: her name, age, date of birth, weight, place of work and home address. The practice was common back then. Except for weight and birthdate, such details were frequently disclosed in newspaper stories of the 1950s and 1960s. The young woman, Sheila Keating, married Odell Hegna later that year. She went on to make a name for herself as an advocate for fair housing, economic development and battered women. She died in March 2017.

October 31, 2017 at 10:24PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Woman Defies 200-Pound Man, Saves 50 Cents

A 115-pound woman with 50 cents in her purse told a 200-pound robber to "get lost," Monday – and succeeded.

Sheila Keating, 2638 3rd Av. S., 21 years old today, said she was returning from downtown when a man followed her after she got off a bus at 24th St. and 3rd Av. S. about 2:30 p.m.

Sheila Hegna in about 1969
Sheila Hegna in about 1969 (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

She said the man, about 35 to 40 years old, with a thin moustache and pockmarked faced, tried to edge her off the sidewalk, then demanded her money.

"I couldn't believe it – good grief – right in the middle of the day," she said. When he again demanded her money, she said, "Are you crazy? When don't you get lost?"

She said the man then put his hand into his pocket as if to touch a gun and said, "Look, I mean business."

Miss Keating said she saw a line of cars driving up 24th St., so she ran into the street and began screaming. The man fled.

Miss Keating, a clerk at Minnesota Blue Shield, 2344 Nicollet Av., stood to lose only 50 cents, but she said she was afraid the small take might cause him to harm her.

about the writer

about the writer

Ben Welter

More from Minnesota Star Tribune

See More
card image
Provided/Sahan Journal

Family members and a lawyer say they have been blocked from access to the bedside of Bonfilia Sanchez Dominguez, while her husband was detained and shipped to Texas within 24 hours.

card image