The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-08-16
RANK ROBBERY.

-
station on the c., B. & Q. some forty
miles from this city, was robbed last Mon
day of $4,000. The robbery was a most
audacious affair, as ii was effected by two
men, without any other assistants. Dur
ing Monday afternoon two strangers made
their appearance at the bank and request
ed permission to leave small satchel with
the cashier, as it was claimed that it con-
tanned some valuables, and its owner de-
sired its safe keeping. At 6 o'clock that
evening, the assistant cashier, J. j. Pratt,
and bookkeeper, Miss Charity Palmer, were
engaged in cashing up the days business,
when the two men returned, and knocked
at the door. They stated that they desired
the satchel as they had concluded to leave
the town that night. The door was open
ed by Miss Palmer. and in an instant one
of the robbers caught her by the throat
and choked her. He inflicted some blows
on her head with blunt instrument sup
posed to be revolvor, and dragged her
along the floor to the vault. Mr.. Pratt was
and he attempted to close the door before
ascertaining the cause of the disturbance
He was prevented from doing so,
however, by one of the robbers,
who struck him on the head with
q revolver knocking him down and rem
dering MIN insensible. The two bank
officers were then gagged. the robbers hav
ing supplied themselves with the bandages
used by surgeons, which they utilized in
tying up their victims. The two helpless
beings after being tied up with ropes and
gagged by means of the bandages, were
carried into the vault and left on the floor
The robbers then commenced search of
the vault, having first secured the keys of
the cashier for that purpose. They then
took $40 in gold, some 81, 000in silver
and $1,000 in bank bills. This money
they put in their valse or satchel, locked
the vault door, and quietly walked out of
the bank and up the street without excit-
ing the least alarm. While the robbery
was being committed, the opposite side of
the street contained q number of Kewanee
citizens who saw the men enter and also
witnessed their departure, but so quietly
was the whole affair managed that n OF the
least suspicion was excited. The assistant
cashier and the bookkeeper soon regained
consciousness, but found themselves lock-
ed within the vault.
The farmer recognized the fact that
suffocation would soon ensue if the door
was not opened. He had no hopes that
rescue would come from the outside, so he
determined to become his own deliver. He
found piece of silver money on the floor
of the vault and with this he succeeded in
removing the three screws that held the
combination lock, and with paper weight
he pounded the lock and drew the bolts.
The doors were then opened and the two
prisoners were released. The alarm was
given and help was soon at hand. The
young lady was conveyed to her home. she
having received some very painful wounds
about the head and shoulders but none of
them are supposed to be of fatal charac-
ter. The robbers are described as follows:
one of them was about six feet tall, rather
thin, square cut jaw, and prominent nose.
He wore no beard, not even mustache.
He wore long linen buster with dark
clothes. The second one was five feet five
inches tall, red and sunburnt face. with a
slight mustache. His clothes were of dark
blue and when last seen he had SLOUGH
hat and carried a worn leather satchel.
Search was instituted, and the country was
secured by different parties on Monday
night and all day Tuesday, but no far