Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-11-23
DARING ROBBERY lNCHICAGO
Committed In the Business
Centre of the City.
THE THIEF GETS OVER $4,000
The Treasurer of a Railroad
Company the Victim.
Assaulted in His ONCE by the Robbers,
Who Got the Monthly Cash Payroll, oil
Over S21, OOo--Tho Victim Left insensi-
BILE While the Thieves Wont Down the
Elevator and Escaped.

Elevator and Escaped.
CHICAGO, ILL, Nov. 15.-Daring rob-
hers beat the treasurer of the Indiana,
Illinois & Iowa Railroad into insensi-
bilitv this morning, and got away with
something over $21 900 in cash.
The victim of the assault was John
A. Drake. 80 years old, u son of f. M.
Drake, president, and builder of the
"rhree rs" road, and the crime was
committed in the company's offices, on
the ninth floor of the Rookery Building,
one block from the Board of Trade. 1t
was an easy matter for the thugs TO
make their escape from the great build
ing, which is practically deserted at z
o'clock, the hour at which the robbery
was committed.
The money taken represented the
semi.monthly payroll of the company,
Mr., Drake intended to take the 7.30
o'clock train on the Nickel Plate for
Knox, Indiana, the eastern terminus of
the "Three Is" from which point he
| had been in the habit of working to
the Western terminus at Streator, Ill.
with his pay car. 1t had been the GUS
tom of the company to pay its employees
in checks altogether, payable to bearer
at the banks on the line, and afterwards
q change was made to part checks and
part cash.
But it was suspected that dummies
were on the payroll, and the last change
to pay in currency only led to the dis
| covery of two dummy employees. The
custom of paying only in cash had been
in vogue about two mouths, and this
fact must have been we'll known to the
robbers. They were also familiar with
the treasurer's movements at the time
he started out of Chicago on his pay
trip. He drew the amount of the pay
roll from the Illinois Trust and Savings
Bank yesterday afternoon, and made up
the $21 900 in envelopes for distribution
to each employe.
These envelopes were placed in the
safe for the night, and nothing was dis.
turbed when Mr.. Drake came to the
office little before o'clock He
walked up the nine flights of stairs, as
the elevators were not running, and had
arranged with r. P. Shouts, general
manager of the road, who is son-in.
law of President Drake, TO meet him be
low. The two officials intended going to
: gether on the pay train, but MIR. Shout:
|
received as to his brother-in-law's alb
sence was telegram notifying him o
! the robbery.
Mr.. Drake says he had just put tn
money packages in handbag and wa
: stepping from the vault when he wa
seized with a vise-lIke grip, sideway
4 round the body, and, while his arm
were pinioned by the robber, the secon
l,ae hfYln okt1 in r.
the right temple with slung.shot. A
o he staggered the robber who held hir
J. released his grip and struck the victir
in the face twice with his fist. AT tn
same time the robber with the slunl
y shot hit Drake again on the forehead
telling him to the floor unconscious.
The robbers then distracted the pacl
ages of money, and, placing the satch,
on chair just outside the vault, Wake
d down stairs without being met by an!
!, one. Nothing has been seen of thel
,r since, and the police have no clue whic
s promises anything. Drake left the offit
door unlocked when he entered and I'll
& key on the outside, which Chief Inspe
& tor Shea thinks was very careless &C
& to say the least"
i. Recovering consciousness, the trea
ID next to the one in which the vault
& built, and sat on the floor in daz,
condition against partition. Mt
Carrier Charles DAILY was droppil
letters through the door half an no
r. afterwards, and heard moan comil
ed from the inside. Opening the door,
as discovered Mr.. Drake and alarm
Al ianitors and elevator men. The victi
| ,rtt tplr hsa
a but could not remember seeing
n. robbers snatch the money from his bl
and could only family describe tho o
who had used the slung-shot.
He waited in the Office until his Gle
na came, and at o'clock went to pol
no headquarters, where he told the story
,s. Inspector Shea. Then he went to /
he Plaza Hotel, where he resides. He ca
Of fully avoided newspaper reporters,
though his injuries are slight. VIZ
was sent to his father, who lives at q,
of treville, Ia, and reward will
re- offered.
The clerk were put to work at OIL
sit making out bank checks to duplic
De- the payroll, and the company will
be embarrassed by the robbery.
ecil "Drake was undoubtedly hit W
lei some weapon" said Inspector Shea,
there is discoloratlon of his forehe
has and he was also hit in the nose. If
sou story is true the job was not done
81. professionals, but by men intimat
a acquainted with the> company's cust
the about paying its men."
|, in at seems TO be bona fide case
robbery, without clue, SO. far as
the have gone" said the detectives work
the on the case.
I'M --A-