St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-13
The Anniversary Of Lincoln's
Birth Celebrated by the
Union League.
The Defense in the Heilpern
Case Opens Up It's
Side.

6mplON6S, UuL ldGC anu d crown Ol peO-
pie were too many for him when he
reached the street. He is now in mar
row cell at the county jail. Against his
name on the register is written the
charge, Robbery in the first degree"
The bank had been opened but few
minutes. Cashier George B. Shepard
was in his private Office at the rear of
the bank. In the public Office were
James Il. McCuay, the assistant cashier.
Horace A. Gray, the bookkeeper, H. s.
Guerney, the collector. McCuay was
seated at his desk behind the second in
closure, back of the counter rail. He
was startled by hearing from some one,
seemingly directly above him, the com
mand:
Hold upyOur hands, you - -"
Leaning over the railing about seven
feet from the floor was a mali, the lower
part of whose face was covered by a
handkerchief. and who wore deter
mined expression, augmented by a
cooked revolver pointed at McQuaig.
There was nothing for the latter but TO
obey. He did it. The robber had entered
the bank very quietly, passed across the
front and down the side aisle until
directly back of hlr. McQuaig. He
quietly climbed up and leaned over the
top of the railing. and from his lofty
position. which commanded the entire
office, he delivered his startling COM
mand.
With the three occupants of the office
covered" the man was not in the least
ceremOnious. He elm bed over the
rail quickly after ordering McQuiag and
Guerney into side alcoVe. He dashed
to the front Enclosure, where big
valise lay open, having been brought
from the safe and emptied of its con-
tents only few moments before. He
grabbed this, and with side watch on
the two men who were held within the
alcOve, he tipped tray of silver into
the grip, and opening drawer threw in
a pile of bills, closed the grip and left
the,ofllce hulriedly saying no more to the
men. Then he rushed to the front door
and disappeared.
While the robber was doing all this
Horace Gray had slipped out of the bank
to the sidewalk and shouted the alarm
just as the thief reappearedin the door
way. Gray'S cry attracted the atten-
ton of several passers by, and they
noticed man walking briskly up the
avenue toward Fifth street with the big
grip in his hand. Everybody halted,
turned and made grab for the man.
The cry Of police attracted the attention
of @. Probst, driver for the United
States Express company, who was
passing at the time on wagon,
and he promptly jumped off
and made dash for the man.
Adams, as he saw the crowd following,
fired his revolver over his shoulder and
above the heads of the crowd. just
aftnr hn ffrp1 PrnIfct ctrlaE hi m q N q rH
blow under the ear and he staggered.
Frank Weir, of the Century company,
and two or three others from the crowd
grabbed him quickly, and he was thrown
to the pavement and his revolver taken.
This all occurred within moments
time, and Officers Fleming and Collins
came running up while the man was
down on the pavement. They promptly
took him in charge. He was quickly
identified as W. II. Adams, who was
formerly janitor of the bank building,
having been discharged year and
half ago.
This all occurred so quickly that Cash
Ter Shepard, who was, as stated, in his
private room when the robbery occurred,
knew nothing about it until the valise.
with $1,000 in it, was returned to the
bank.
Adams is square. heavy-built man,
with round face, light hair, partly
bald Oh the back part of his head. and
short, thick mustache, dressed in an
ordinary suit of Workingman's clothes.
He is about five feet eight inches high,
weight about 165 pounds, and appears
to be about forty years of age.
Prior to about six weeks ago he was
regarded as sound mentally, but since
then has shown decided symptoms of
insanity. These were so marked about
six weeks ago. at which time he at
tempted to pass on the First National
bill, the milliner, that he was not prose-
he was the coolest man of large party
and while he was being scerched, asked
an officer to give him chew of tobacco.
He talks of the affair with the most
wonderful Indifference, admitting every
thing and treating it as matter of no
consequence. AS reason for his crime,
he advances the plea of the hotel
keeper made famous by Bill Nye, who,
when asked why he charged S. for a
25-cent meal, replied:
81 need the money"
So with Adams. He says he needed
the money. He hadn't a cent. He
claims that he was to have been married
in few days. He wanted to take his
bride on trip around the world. The
only way he could get the money was
to steal it. He tried it and-faiIed. He
doesn't seem bit sorry either. He
said yesterday afternoon:
IF they'd let me alone, intended to
be married tonight to girl on the East
side-her name is not essential here
and we were going for trip around
the world. l had her consent and had
the preacher engaged. The girl.
suppose, will wonder why l don't
come around tonight. When my
case is called l shall plead guilty.
would have succeeded had l been let
will make no defense, because it would
do no good. 1 am sorry | failed, of
course, for my trip around the world
and my wedding are knocked in the
head. Pm not crazy, and you can say
that for me. have as good sense as
any of you, and will not be baby enough
to plead the insane dodge"
Adams had told his acquaintance
right and left that he would be rolling
in wealth in day or two. To some he
said that his uncle had died and left
him s15O,OOO; to others he merely re-
marked that he'd "have S150,000 to-mor-
row." He roomed over the Citizens
bank. where he used to be employed as
janitor. Yesterday morning he came
into the room and told his roommate to
go over to the West hotel; that he
had engaged suite of rooms there. He
also spoke to his roommate about his
projected marriage last night. The
prospective bride is an inmate of an
East side house of ill-fame. a dams is
carpenter by trade, and had been en-
ployed recently at the, Nicollet house.
Yesterday afternoon Inspector John
P. Hoy arrested +. F. Erickson, clerk
in the drug store at21oo Washington av-
enue north, OH the charge of being an
accomplice of Adams. Erickson was
afterWard released. Yesterday morning
Adams hired horse and cutter at Cav
in's First street stable and gave it in
charge of Erickson, telling him he was
going to draw $4,000 from the Citizens
bank and deposit it in the First Ma
tional bank. Erickson, who supposed