St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-03
A Bank Robber Shot Down
Shortly After Stealing a
Large Sum.
He Is Identified by a Tele-
graph Operator Through
a Message
Calling Him From His Room
In a Meriden Hotel at
Midnight,
A Couple Of officers Fill Him
Full Of Lead From VIM
cheSterS.

MERIDEN, KAN, March 2.-"Im a
slick 'un." Telegraph Operator Taylor
heard those words addressed to him by
stranger last night while he was re-
ceiving messages at the railway station.
He paid no attention to the remark un-
til he had completed the message on
which he was engaged, which read as
follows:
To the Sheriff. Meriden. Kan: Hicks q
Gepharts bank robbed this evening Of
$4,000. Robber unknown. Description as
follows; Blonde; light hair and mustache;
blue eyes: five feet eleven inches tall; me-
dunn weight. SHERIFF.
The operator looked up and nearly
lost his breath when he saw standing
before him the very mau described in
the dispatch. He did not reveal the
fact of the recognition, but merely
agreed with the stranger that he was
''slicker." The stranger inquired the
time of the next train for AtchisOn, and
asked where he could put up for the
night. The operator directed him to a
hotel, where the 'slicker" took
room without registering, requesting
that he be called at 5 o'clock in the
morning, i'll time far the Atehison train.
Local Police Officers Smith and Sum
merfeld, who had also received inStruc-
tiOnS from Valley Falls to arrest any
suspect, were informed by the operator
of the presence of the stranger at the
hotel. Arming themselves with
WINCHESTER RIFLES.
they went to the hotel. waited under
the "Slick un's" window until IL o'clock
and then, going to the hotel Office, ac-
quainted the proprietor with their in-
tentions to arrest his guest A bell boy
was sent to the strangers room with
the message that it was 4:30 o'clock
time to get up to catch the Atchison
train. When the stranger descended
to the Ofide he was confronted with
the police officers, with Winchester rifles
pointed squarely at his breast. He
never Quiverei, but looked inguiringly
around. Throw up your hands,"
Officer Smith gave the command. The
stranger seemed to realize his situation
then. but instead Of obeying the COM
mand ne thrust a hand in either side
pocket of his overcoat to draw the re-
volvers which cnly few hours before
had intimidatod Cashier COhn. of the
Valley bank. AS the stranger made
the motion towards his weapons
both Winchesters were discharged in
stantly at his breast. The stranger
fell dead with one bullet through his
heart and another through the right
lung. The coroner was notified im-
mediately, and before noon the verdict
NOD rlAfI tn
officers of any criminalty in
having caused the death of the bank
robber, self-defense being their ex-
cuse. Up to this time no scare
of the dead outlaws person had
been made, but at Cashier Cohn's re-
quest the search was made and the
stolen money recovered. In the stran-
gers boots were two packages of green
backs of $500 each. The rest of the
money had been distributed among his
various pockets. The outlaw was
POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED
from a registered receipt dated at Bur-
lington, Kan, as one Robertson. The
money receipted for had been payable
to one d. S. Smith at Ottawa. Kan. In
Robertson's pocket was watch with
the initial "R" engraved upon it, and a
foot rule bearing the same initial.
Falls, Kan. was robbed last evening.
A stranger entered the bank at
4 o'clock and asked Cashier Cohn,
who was busy inside the railing,
verifying the clerks accounts for the
day that he he allowed to wait there for
the arrival of DIR. Gephart, president fo
| the bank. The cashier granted the re-
quest. A little later the stranger re-
marked that he was suffering severely
from the toothache, placed his hand
upon his f1annel-bound face in verifica-
tion of his remark, and requested that
he be allowed to sit by the
stove, inside the railing. Again
the cashier, suspecting moth
ing, granted the request. The stranger
occupied his seat quietly until the
cashier, having concluded his work, en-
tered the vault to lock up the money
and books. When he turned to leave
the vault he gazed into brace of re-
volvers leveled at his head by the neu-
ralgic stranger, who cOOlly requested
| him to hand over $4,000 on penalty of
being imprisoned in the vault. The
cashier parleyed for time, but, finding
| himself wholly at the outlaws mercy,
with death by suffocatiOn i'll the vault
as the only alternative, he handed over
| all the money in the big cash drawer,
amounting to about S2,S00. The robber
pocketed the money. locked the front
door of the bauk made his exit
| from the rear door, locking it
after him, and made his escape.
He neglected to take the front
door key with him, and 1t was only a
minute before the cashier released HIM
self and gave the alarm. The whole
town turned out in search of the out
law, but he had made good his escape.
kilograms were sent by the sheriff to
the authorities of the surrounding
towns. notifying them Of the robbery,
and asking them to arrest all suspicious
| persons.
| MUTILATED HIMSELF.