Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-11-16
CHICAGO THUGS BUSY.
Two Successful Raids Made by
 Daring Thieves.
THE RooKBRY ROBBERS GOT $2l, GOO
In the Very Heart of ChIcaEo's Business District Bold Thieves sandbagged Treas urer Drake and Escaped With Bagfui of Cash.

CHICAGO, Nov. 10. - It has just been learned that K. P. Mccormick, president of the Mccormick Construction company of St. Louis, was held up by three men on the towpath of the Illinois and Michigan canal Tuesday evening and a package of money amounting to sS, GOO taken from him. He was returning to his headquarters from Lockport and had with him the money, which was to be used in paying off the la borers. As he neared his camp three men sprang upon him, and he found himself looking down into two revolvers.
 He complied with Il request to throw up his hands, and the men took from him his money satchel and ordered him to walk on without looking around. When he did turn, the men had disappeared.
 The RoOkery Robbery.
 No clew has been found Of the men who sandbagged John \. Drake, treasurer of the Indiana, Illinois and Iowa Railroad company, and robbed him of S2l, ,00O in the office of the company on the ninth floor of the Rookery building.
 Mir. Drake had the money in n little hand satchel and was prepaSlg to go out on the road to pay the employees. He had first placed the cash in the valiSe and was about to leave the office when two men stole up behind him and felled him to the floor with several hard blows on the head.
 The treasurer was knocked nearly insen- sible and ere he could move q finger in de fense, he says, the thieves tore the satchel from his hand and rushed out of the office, slamming the door as they went. They rode down in an elevator very unconccrn- edly and made their escape.
 MT. Drake notified the Central station as soon as possible, and soon every detective that Inspector Shea could spare was put to work on the case.
 It was the most daring, sensational rob bery that has occurred in Chicago in many years. Occurring as it did in one of the beat known office buildings in the city, right in the very heart of the business dis trict, the crime caused the greatest excite meUt
 Robbers Were Posted,
 The early hour selected by the thieves is all that prevented their immediate cap ture. It has been the custom of the treas urer to pay the employees of the road in checks. Had the custom been continued, the startling robbery would not have been attempted in all probability, but within the past week the officers of the company decided to pay the men in currency.
 From the story told by Treasurer Drake it appears evident that the robbers knew of this change. In some way they learned that Mir. Drake intended to call at the office, get the money and take an early train
 They must have followed him into the building, around the north corridor of the ninth floor, and waited until he had SC cured the money from the vault. They then sprnng upon him, struck him several swift blows on the head with a weapon, presumably a sandbag, and when he sank to the floor insensible seized the precious handbag and successfully escaped into the street.
 Where they went then the detectives are trying to find out. Every effort was made to keep the robbery 6 secret. Mir. White head, general agent of the road, refused to give any details of the robbery, but finally said that the amount of money stolen was about S2I 900. Mir. Drake has been with the Indiana, Illinois and Iowa railroad ever since it was organized. He and his father, the president, are part owners of the prop prty