The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-01-15
HELD Up IN HIS OFFICE.
,------~--s
The Station Agen, at Wickes is In
teryiewed by Some Masked
Highwaymen
Two Gums Arc LeveIled at Him
While He is Being
Robbed.
The FOOtpRds Secure " Little Money. But
Overlook some Much Larger Piles
A FruitlesS Pursuit.

Overlook Some Much Larger Piles
A Fruitlsss Pursuit.
II. II. Ebert, station agent OF tho Mon
n Central railway Mt Wickes, in Jeffer-
son county. was held up in his office on
Friday night by two masked men, while \
confederate kept watch outside. The south
bound train had just left the station about
ten minutes past six O'clock. and the agent
was sitting at the window of the ticket Of
flee to the left OF the entrance to tho wait
ing room. The door opened and SOMEBODY
entered, a circumstance that did not at
tract the agents attention, AZ people are
coming and going at all hours. Another
thing that caused tho agent TO pay no sps-
cial attention to the opening of the door
was the fact that he was preparing to tele-
graph to the train dispatcher that the train
had gone. Still another WAS the fact that
the door opened toward tho ticket office.
which prevents a person there seeing any,
one until he has fairly entered tho room.
The first thing that did attract Ebert'A at
tention was the order:
"Hold up your hands"
Thinking that soTns of his friends were
trying to scare him, the agent paid no at
tention to the command, and didn't even
look up for Il moment. He did, however.
when the command WAS repeated with en-
phasis.
Hold up your hands, or I'll blow the
whole top of your head off,
Ebert looked through the ticket window,
md what ha gnrw ,nranN ~, IL r..J. GAN
right, Pn DO it," and to hold up his hands
MS high as he could get them. What he saw
was two men. with handkerchiefs tied
about their faces from below the eyes, and
each with a gun pointed at him.
One of the men, the larger of
the two, appeared to be the leader, as he
gave the smaller man orders to enter the
ticket office and 90 through the agent.
The smaller man obeyed. AS he
entered the little Dom he again leveied his
revolver at the agent with his right hand
md kept it there in dangerous proximity to
Ebert's head until he had finished the Job.
With his left hand he searched Ebert's
pockets, and in the inside one of the agents
coat he found 80 in bills, which he appro-
priHted.
Where are your money bags?' de-
mnnded the man at the window.
j AhNeA u any, i6plleA inc agent.
The man with the gun inslds then went
to the cash drawer, where he secured about
five dollars in silver. After making an
other search of the agents pockets. the
man, still holding the gun on Ebert, backed
out of the ticket Office. The two robbers
then went out of the door of the station,
keeping the agent covered until they dig
appeared. They whistled, and another
man came around the corner of the build
ing to the platform. and Ebert. who looked
out a few minutes later, saw all three max
ing off up the railroad track, going in the
direction of Cotbin.
AS soon as the men had gone Ebert tele-
graphed the news of the affair to the Mon
tana Central offices in Helena, but not
getting an immediate answer, ran to
Wickes and gave the alarm. A large party
OF Wlckes people, armed with all kinds of
shooting utensils, started in pursuit of the
three robbers. They we're followed for
some distance by their tracks in the snow.
The heavy snow falling. however. soon OBJ
liberated all tracks ana the searching party
had to give up the hunt. At several cabins
where they stopped, however, the people
remembered seeing men of the description
OF the hlghwaymen hanging around for
several days. The Wlckes patty we're very
much put out over not being able to follow
the trail. for had they come up with the
robbers there would undoubtedly have been
IA hight. and. it is lntimated, a lynchlnp
later on.
The $50 gotten from the agent was the
property of the company. In his hip pocket,
80 deep down that he WAS sitting on it, was
$40 moro In gold and bank bills. The robber
would not let Ebert rise from his seat, and
though that left hand went into tina same
MP ! ocket, the money escaped his fingers.
Inc $40 was exp esq company money.
/ here was also within this reach of the
hlghwaymen a bag containing $3.50 in gold,
NJ IL Nh &har |Il ,~t -~A Jl- - i
the bag into the pigeon hole of a book rack,
and then put Il book in on top of it. 80 the
robbers overlooked nearly seven times as
much as they got.
Agent Ebert te%leeraphed to the police
here to look after the hlghwaymen. One
man who came In on the train from Wiokes
yesterday WAS arr ested anu the agent sent
for. He promptly said the suspect was not
one OF the arty that held him up. He
saws he would certainly know the two msn
who came inside the station. in spite of the
hnndkerchiefs over their faces. The thi d
one. who watched outaide. the agent only
caught u passing glimpse of as he ran off
with his COMPANIONS. There is no doubt
but that the three men have been hanging
around Wlckes for some time, ana that their
object was robbery. " ID al2o believed
they were aware of Agen. Ebert having
considerable sums Of money about him. A
few nights before the hold-up, iust as Mrs.
nc var IAtt'aI iHE w revue, she IGAfu
two men walking around the house, which
is NOS far from the station. Mrs. Ebert
had lett the door unlocked III anticipa-
ton of her husbands eariy rett IN.
Hearing some one approach the
door che hastily blew out the
light, Just as n hand WAS placed on the
knob. Inc door opened softly n little dis
lance and was then closed again. and Nj =.
Ebert heard the noise of two men going
from tho house. Agent Ebert came
mono shortly after, with several hundted
dollars i'll his pocket, having just received
1t. He thinks the men knew 1t, and ex-
! ected to take him while asleep and secure
the money. The sudden ~extinguishing OF
the light. he thinks, made the men sus-
OF a surprise awaiting them inside,
aud cause them to change their minds.
IL says the next gang of highway men who
10 rob HIM Will find him pro.
paced by not having enough money in his
pockets to justify tine risk they run.
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