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FIRST NATIONAL BANK ROBBED |
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Three Desperadoes Loot It and Secure
Thousands of Dollars |
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Cashier and Assistants Forced top
Hand Over the Money to the Robbers, who Afterward
Escape with their Booty |
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Three desperadoes entered the First
National Bank at noon today, held up those who were
in the building and perpetrated on of the most
daring bank robbers on record. |
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There were in the building at the
time Cashier Nixon, Assistant cashier McBride,
Bookkeeper Hill, Stenographer Calhoun and W. S.
Johnson, a horse buyer. Messrs Nixon and Johnson
were in the cashier’s office in the rear of the
bank, the door between the rooms being closed. |
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The robbers came in at the Bridge
Street entrance while the employees were busily at
work and none of them at the time facing the door.
The first intimation they received that anything was
wrong was the quiet command of one of the robbers:
“Gentlemen, throw up your hands, be quick about it
and don’t make any noise.” The surprised clerks
turned their heads and looked into the muzzles of
two revolvers and the order was quickly obeyed. The
third robber burst into the cashier’s office where
Messrs Nixon and Johnson were engaged in
conversation. He had a Winchester rifle drawn on
them before they could make a move and ordered them
to throw up their hands under penalty of instant
death. It is hardly necessary to state that this
order was also obeyed. They were taken into the
front room of the bank and, with a revolver held at
his breast, Cashier Nixon was forced to open the
safe in the vault, the others being kept observed by
the two remaining desperadoes. The leader of the
gang threw three sacks of gold coin which were in
the safe into an ore sack which he carried and then
emptied into the sack the gold coin which was in the
money drawer in the office, ignoring the silver and
bank notes entirely. While this was going on a
number of people passed along the sidewalk in front
of the bank, but those inside could not give the
alarm, and none of the passers-by took notice of the
daring robbery which was being perpetrated. |
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Having accomplished the object of
their visit the robbers marched the men through the
back door of the bank building , lined them up
against the wall with hands up and climbed over the
fence into the alley. They ran down the alley to the
rear of C Robins and Co’s store, where their horses
were tied top a post, mounted the animals and
escaped. |
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The first intimation people on the
streets had of the robbery, Cashier Nixon rushed
from the front door of the bank and fired several
shots in the air to give the alarm. By this time the
robbers had turned into Second Street. A few men on
the street who happened to be armed took snap shots
at them as they passed Bridge Street but without
effect. The bandits returned the shots but
fortunately no one was hit. At the Cross Creek
bridge on Second Street the robber who was carrying
the coin sack dropped it and part of the contents
rolled out. The man dismounted like a flash , picked
up the money sack and handed it to a pal, remounted
and were off like the wind, leaving far behind the
few men who had pursued them on foot. |
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The robbers took a straight course up
the river towards Golconda. They were followed by a
few scattering men on horseback, their idea being to
keep the robbers in sight if possible until an armed
posse could be organized for the pursuit. |
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As soon as the course of the robbers
was ascertained Deputy Sheriff Rose ran to the depot
and started up the road on the switch engine. Near
the Bliss ranch, fourteen miles from town, the
robbers were overtaken riding along the road. The
Deputy took several shots at them and is said to
have wounded one of the horses. The robbers had
horses waiting for them in the field on the Bliss
ranch. They changed horses here and struck out again
in a northwesterly direction. Deputy Sheriff Rose
secured horses and. Accompanied by several men,
started again in pursuit. |
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News of the robbery was telegraphed
to Golconda and Constable Colwell started out from
that place with a posse on a chase after the
bandits. |
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Sheriff McDeid soon organized a posse
here and started out accompanied by an Indian
tracker. It seems almost an impossibility for the
desperadoes to escape with their booty, but they are
desperate and there is little likelihood of their
being taken alive. |
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The amount of money taken by the
robbers cannot be ascertained with a certainty at
this writing. It is somewhere in the neighbourhood
of $15,000. The bank offers a reward of $500 for any
one of the robbers, dead or alive, and a like reward
will be given by Sheriff McDeid. |
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The robbers wore no masks and their
identification will be an easy matter in the event
of their capture. The men have been noticed about
town for a couple of days. They were dressed as
vaqueros and there was nothing in their appearance
to arouse suspicion. |
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The leader of the gang was a small
man, not over 5 feet 7 inches in height. He has a
light brown beard. The other men are about 5 feet 9
inches in height. One is smooth shaven while the
other has a dark brown moustache. They are all
strangers hereabouts. The robbers are obviously old
hands at the business from the manner in which they
carried out (such a) daring bank robbery. |
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At 3 pm this afternoon word was
received from Golconda that a posse was but a mile
behind the robbers and was pressing them hard. They
were then going through Soldier’s pass, a few miles
south-east of Golconda. It seems that they had left
a change of horses at Silve’s ranch and are heading
for that place, but another posse has cut across the
country and will prevent them from getting the
horses. |
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Their pursuers being so close upon
them, the robbers have not a shadow of a chance to
escape, but when they are brought to bay there will
be a fight which may result in the death or wounding
of some of the pursuers. It is thought, though, that
the desperadoes have only one rifle, and if this is
the case their capture should not be such a
difficult or dangerous matter. |
