The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1889-04-04
AT PISTOLS POINT
A Denver Bank President Robbed of
Twenty-One Thousand TOIIars.


Twenty -One Thousand DOllarS.
DENVER, Colo, March A.-The
btldest and most successful bsBk
robbery ever reported 10 the west
was perpetrated upon the First Ma
tiOnAl hank ut o'clock this after
noon. The robbers succeeded In get
ting away with s2l. 600. The cashier
of the bank, In an Interview with an
Associated Press repOrter,a few min
utes after the robbery, gave the fol-
lowing account Of the affair:
Yesterday morning. Immediately
after the opening Of the bank, q well
dressed man with light Inustarhe
and complexion. and OF medium
height, walked into the bank and
asked Assistant Cashier Ross Levin
where he could see MIR. MOfiatt, pres
ident Of the bank. Mr.. levin in
formed him that he could see Mr..
MOdstt. who II alsO president Of the
Denver and Rio Grand railway, nj
the presidents Office in the Chees-
man building. Nothing more was
seen or heard Of the stranger until
this morning shout ~ o'clock, when
hs entered tle railway Office and
asked To- SEE Mr.. Mnfisti on import
snt business. He MAS admitted to
his private room and briefly stated
that he had discovered n conspiracy
whereby the First National tank
WAS tO he robbed nf large amount
0f money.
mir. MOfiatt told the man he was
very busy II that moment. hut would
lse pleased To meet him 81 his private
Offics iu the hank nj I O'rinrk. With
this the man left the building A
few minutes after the hour appointed
hE rallied 81 the hank aud was Shown
iHi0 the presidents office While
remaining standing he inquired if
the cashier, - y WOOD, was ia. aud
wac told that lie MSS aI lunch. lie
theH asked fer 4 blank cheek for the
yuTpO,r uf showing how the rui,lIrry
Was o. hr pErpetTaIrd The check
vas haudrd him. lie laid h u2nn
the desk in front of Mr.. MnilaII aud
said: Il will have Ia do this myself,
sod pullinR q large revolver from his
eOat, plarrd % nj Mr. Mufiait'- head.
aud In u decidedly Earnest, hut un-
excited, manner said: I want t3l,
tHD and ! am going Ia have a. I have
considered this matter aud the
chances ] am running, aud the con
sequences iG fail sud am arrested
sm prnnile-s and desperate man,
b. aud have been driven during the
past week To that point where { have
considered Suicide ~ the only means
nf escape from the pnvrTty aud mis-
cry la which exist. You have
millions. { am determined to have
what I ask for. lf you make a noise.
call n nau or ring n bell, I will bloR
your brains out and then how up
the building aud myself with this
battle nf glyePFine which lac at that
moment pulled out Of another
packet. Now take your choice
"Muiiatt started 10 argue with the
man, nut was stopped with the in
formation that IL WAS useless, aud
thai he had but two minutes In which
to ell out the cheek before him for
12l 90 IL he desired tu live. Muhatt.
seeing no other alternative, filled
out the cheek, and wSs then ordered
Ia take il To the paying teller aud get
10 rashed. MIR. Mnnat left his Office,
and with the man behind him with
the revolver partially concealed
under his uvPrrOai, and with the
muZElr almost against Mufiatt's back,
marched him up behind the counter
aud up to Paying Teller KrrIpy,
with the request that the check be
immediately rashed. They thea re-
marched into MOfiat's Office withGui
attracting the attention Of the fifteen
or twenty clerks aho WrIe within
two feet Of where they passed. AZ
Ter they had remained in the private
Office three ar four minutes the rob
Der Informed MIR. MOffHtt that they
Eere wasting time, and that he had
better step Ia the door and motion
his teller TO come tn him, which he
did. MOfiatt Instructed him to bring
the mt ney into his office, and ss the
teller turned % 90 away the robbeT
told him he wanted twenty slOOO bills
aud $1,000 In gold. The money was
brought In and handed over to the
gentleman who for q few brief mo
ments had owned the bank, and,
waiting until the teller had reached
his desk, he backed out to the front
door, Masking Mr.. MOffaIt remain
standing In his door until he had
reached the curbstOnP. He then
raised his hat aud walked aT"..Iu
the corner and has not set been
heard OF. Mr.. MOffatt IL completely
Frustrated with the shock. Detec-
lives are out after the man, but no
trace Of him has been found. The
man who committed the robbery in
PRODUCED himself tO President MOf-
fAtt as &. !. Wells. The name, how
ever, II probably assumed. A mo-
ment after the alarm was given BY
Mr.. MOfia't, = man started rapidly
up Sixteenth street from the bank
followed byA crowd and several Of