Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-07-26
WHAT ARE We COMING TO 2
An Express Driver Gagged and Robbed IA
Open Daylight In the Center aa'
Of ST. LOuis.

ST. LOUIS, July 25.-A very bold
street robbery was committed here
Just before noon, to-day, under the
following circumstances: One of the
delivery wagons of the United States
Express Company started out to de-
liver packages as usual. The safe was
in charge of ID. w. Sanders. The
messenger wagon was driven by w.
w. Kendall. One Of the first pack
ages the messenger undertook to de-
liver, was one purporting to contain
seventy dollars, and addressed to
Mrs. Larkin, living In an alley be-
tween Fourth and Fifth streets, and
between Franklin avenue and Nor
gan street.
Arriving at the mouth of the alley
the messenger halted, and, taking the
package, started up the alley. But q
few moments elapsed before he dis
covered that no such person lived In
the alley, and finding his wagon and
safe gone, he then rushed to the Office
of the company and gave information
of what occurred. Not long after this
policeman named Biehl saw a wagon
passing down Spruce street, near
Fourth, some fourteen squares
from the place where Sanders left
it, the driver Of which was
gagged. The officer arrested
the driver, who stated that as soon as
the messenger, Sanders, went into the
alley, two men jumped into the wagon.
They first placed wooden gag IN
his mouth, and threw a quantity of
pepper into his eyes. They then drove
of with him, and, after taking several
packages from the safe, they threw
him backward in the wagon and
leaped out On Spruce street, between
Twelfth and Thirteenth. Subsequent
ly a man named John Hartsack, and
a boy named Charley HALEY, came to
the police station, stating that while
standing near an alley on Spruce
street, between Thirteenth and Four
teenth, they saw two men jump out
of the express wagon, and run up the
alley, one carrying several packages,
the other having nothing. The driver
was Just assuming a sitting posture,
when they looked into the wagon.
He said he had been robbed. One OF
them wanted 90 cut the string which
bound him, and relieve him from the
gag, but the driver would not let him.
They then ran to inform the police of
what they had seen, and Kendall
drove on until arrested by officer
Biehl, as above narrated.
The total amount taken was 1880
in money, and $50, 900 worth Of rail-
road bonds directed to the Kansas
Pacific Railroad Company.
The robbers left behind a number of
small packages containing nearly a
thousand dollars in gold. ~
From the information given by
Hartsack and Hal1y, it Is believed the
robbers will be speedily arrested.
The bogus package was put In the
express Office at st. Charles, Mo-, and
was cOuntersigned, John Larkin.
ST. LOUIS, July 25, 2:45 p.m.-Fur-
ther developments of the Express
robbery to.day, lead to the suspicion
that it was put-up job, and that
Kendall, the driver, and perhaps
the messenger, were con-
cerned in it. Kendallis story is re-
garded as being very weak. When
he was taken to the police station his
eyes showed no signs OF having mad
pepper or snuff thrown into them.
The gag in his mouth was 80 loosely
adjusted that he could have
pushed it cut with his
tongue, had he desired to do so. Be
sides this, his hands were at no time
bound, and there was pistol on the
wagon seat beside him, which he did
not attempt to use, nor did he
make any demonstration calcu-
lated to attract attention on
the street, while the safe was
being robbed. In regard to Sanders,
1t was stated that when he inquired
for Mr.. Larkin at a house in the alley,
be was directed to a room occupied by
a Mrs. Larkin, but instead OF going
in, he passed through the yard to a
point the farthest from the front of
the house, apparently to be out
Of the way, while the robbers were
taking care of Kendall in the wagon,
which had been driven in the alley in
stead Of standing on the street, as
previously reported. Kendall is in
the calabOOse, and Sanders is in the
of the express agent, and the
case will be thoroughly investigated.