Fear Haunted O'Kasick Brothers

By BARBARA FLANAGAN

Minneapolis Tribune

Staff Writer

Since Aug. 17, when the l three O'Kasick brothers murdered- a policeman and injured another, they had been stags at bay.

They ran for cover and found it in the woodlands north of the Twin Cities.

Saturday night James O'Kasick told police how the trio had lived during the four weeks they were being hunted.

Evidence of their life while hiding was to be found in the automobile they were forced to abandon on the Constance road late yesterday afternoon when police began closing in.

THE AUTOMOBILE - a 1950, four - door Oldsmobile sedan -- had been a dark blue. It was hastily repainted, giving it a blotchy light blue-gray color.

W h e r e was it repainted? "Looks like they did this job themselves," said one male bystander.

They also had patched two bullet holes.

The car carried a Minnesota license plate, 5M-9865. In the front seat was a revolver wrapped in a copy of the Minneapolis Tribune.

Dance music was coming over the radio. Evidently, they had it on and left it when they scrambled away from sheriff's deputies.

AN AIR mattress and several blankets were in the back seat. In the trunk was a jumble of camping equipment.

Placed against the backseat, but inside the trunk, was the metal automobile sun visor. It was planned to stop bullets.

An almost empty jug of wine, a canteen of water, and some smoke-blackened pots and pans pointed to their camping experience.

Among them was a half-empty bottle of pills to be taken for a nervous stomach.