Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-10-11
TREASURY ROBBED.
MARION COUNTY us REFORM.
4 DEMOCRATIC CAN Of $4,000.
Bari O. Money Gone SoUth-Eds'
Masked Men Clean out the Marion
County Treasury and Leave the
Treasurer Locked in the Vault.
Loss $12. 900 to $40, 900
ROBBERS SAID THEY WE'RE
THE JAMES BROTHERS.

THE JAMES BROTHERS.
Yhey 6rnrdfshed Revoivers and Knives and
Forced tire Treasurer to Open the Safe.
At s o'clock this Tuesday evening
1t was discovered that the county
treasury had been robbed. The city
was aroused by the ringing of the fire
bell. The Treasurer, r. NJ. Faris, was
in his Office for an evenings work on
his books, when two men in masks
came In. A statement Of their inter-
view with him Is given in his own
language below.
The treasurer's Office is on the
ground floor of the Court House, and
at the time citizens meeting to elect
night policemen, was in progress In
the Court room above. There were
probably SO men at the meeting. The
Treasurer being locked in the vault
by the robbers before they left, he
could not give the alarm until Mr.. r.
j. Wallace, the nIght-watch at the
Court House went into the Office at s
o'clock for duty. Then Mr.. Faris
kicked :upon the door and halloed,
ana Mr.. Wallace turned the key
which the robbers had left in the door,
and released Il. from his prison,
where he had been confined. as he
thinks, about 40 minutes.
Citizens 10 the number of hundreds
Immediately assembled In the Court
room, and organized, with j. n. Davis
In the chair. Larken Wright, b. A.
Mathews and j. r. Greenlee were APP
pointed a committee to send messages
Immediately by telegraph to various
directions.
Gov. w. M. Stone, II. j. Anderson,
@. X. Hart, j. It. French and G. j.
Amos were chosen M chief Commit
tee, and authorized to give directions
In general for the public safety, send
ing messengers, etc.
Messengers were immediately sent
out on horseback on main roads IN
various directions. and TO towns in
the county.
1t was almost 10 o'clock before the
telegraph operator at Abba could be
brought TO his post TO transmit mes
sages.
The robbers bad their horses hitched
at the northeast corner of the Public
Square; and the horses are described
a. one brown and the other dun.
Parties met two horsemen riding
rapidly on road leading southeast, at
about the time that the robbers should
be there in getting away.
The Board OF Supervisors has been
notified, and viii probably meet here
early in the morning and offer a re-
ward for the apprehension OF the rob-
beers.
This treasury was robbed once be-
fore OF So, 600, ON the night of febru-
airy 9th, 1867. The robbers were never
detected.
MIR. FAIRS STATEMENT.
At about 7:30 the men came in st the
door; the man who came in first pre-
senting revolver and demanding
that ] should open the safe. He walk
cd behind the counter and came up TO
me. / grabbed the revolver with my
left hand and pulled ii down. / told
them that would not open the safe.
They said il would open the safe
should not be hurt, but If did not they
would kill me. told them / would
die before ] would open 1T. One of
them proceed TO search my pockets,
and procured the key TO the vault,
and then locked the Office door and
unlocked the door of the vault. Then
he too presented q revolver aud order
cd me TO open the safe, and i positive
ly refused again. On af them them
then pushed me into the vault, and
both again presented their revolvers
and ordered me to open the safe; and
i again refused. One of them put up
his revolver and drew from his breast
pocket large knife, the blade OF
which was about inches long, ~
inches wide, bright and apparently
new. He made feint at me with the |
knife, making slight cut on the left |
lapel of my coat, over my heart, and |
them by similar stroke made SINH
lar cut in the right lapel. AT this
time / consented to open the safe.
They took the money from the safe,
except SIS in gold, $40 in fractional
and a small amount In silver
md nickels, which were in small
box, and not discovered. They took
also my private papers from the wal
let. They then took the money and
returned me the wallet They then
proceeded to lock me in the vault. /
plead with them not to do SO, as my
health Was such that could not long
survive In the close vault. But they
locked the door, and / remained in
the vault until the night-watch, Mr.. |
Wallace, came into the Office and re-
leased me.
Before the vault door was locked |
one of the men told the other to 60 to
the horses. He also ordered me to |
turn my face from the door. / heard |
only one of them leave the Office.
They put the money in large coffee
sack. think the amount taken was
from Sl2, 900 to 1000. Within three
or four days the books can be posted
&C as TO ascertain the exact amount.
The robbers asked me How much
is there in the safe--$20, 000cn L an
swercd, mo, not half OF it. One OF