The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-11-22
ILLINOIS TRAIN ROBBERS CAUGHT.
Unexpected Capture While Searching
for Stolen Clothing.

Unexpected Capture While Searching
for stolen Clothing.
LINCOLN, Ill, Nov. 15-Lincoln po-
lice have caught the Peotia, Decatur &
Evansville train bandits While search
ing for stolen clothing and jewelry this
morning the officers faced three guns,
but having the drop on the desperadoes
forced them to submit, took them out
Of bed, found three revolvers and landed
the men in the county Jail. The prison
ers are named William Shelles, Edward
Van Meter and Clarence Howe. They
are all ex-convicts. Shelles's daughter Ida
is to be a prosecuting witness. The ar
rested men fit the description Of the trio
who attempted TO hold up the train and
were away from home until a. m. the
morning following the night of the hold
UP.
The capture of the railroad bandits
was an unexpected bit Of work by Chief
Of Police Mitchell and two Of his best
men. On Nov. a clothing store in the
ncighboring town of Clinton was robbed
of large quantity of iewelry and no.
lions. Daughters Of Shelles, the oldest
of the trio Jailed, began displaying
gloves, silk handkerchiefs and jewelry,
a circumstance which was speedily re-
ported 10 the police. An investigation
was started and the important informa-
ton came out that Shelles and the two
men, Van Meter and Howe, new arrivals
here were away from their home,
Shelies's place. the night Of the train
hOld-up. A detective began TO work on
the case under the direction Of Chief
Mitchell. and one day suificed to war
rant the officers to take the desperate
alternative Of Taiding Shelles's house
The Shelles girl so the story goes. was
disguised as a man and participated I'm
the sensational happenings of the train
robbery and leading in the parley with
the brakeman when he was shot. IT is
further charged by one Of the suspects
that the girl precipitated the acts which
foiled the men in robbing the train by
not obeying orders. To support this
story is the fact that when the house
was first raided a wagon-load of mems
and boys clothing was found which
came from the Clinton store. Several
overcoats, vests, pants and hats
sprinkled with hayseed prove that the
person who wore the clothes recently
hid them I'm a haystack, which the BAN
dts undnBbtsdH'-50 as there are great
meadows close to where they abandoned
the train, which afforded them refuge
until they ascertained the coast was
clear. and then reached home between
2 and 3 o'clock next morning. In the
fight from the train one revolver was
lost, so Van Meter said in a conversa-
tion with the Shelles girl. The weapon
is now being searched for. and if found
will add a firm link TO the already over
whelming convicting evidence
When Van Meter and Howe were
lodged in Jail Howe claimed to be from
Ft. Worth. Tex. but the contrary has
since been established and il is claimed
he has been identified as the stool pigeon
of burglars and highwaymen, being
known in his profession as the "Kid."
Van Meter when Jailed wanted to know
if any shooting was lately done on
railroad here. He was nervous and ir-
ritable. He had on the slouch hat oe-
scribed the night the train affair hap
pened and tallies exactly with the me-
dium-siZed man reported by the train
men. Sheles is a stalwart person, six
feet two inches. and fills the place of
the taller and powerful robber who ter
rorized the train passengers. Howe is
the small man who was the first to leave
the train. Two of them have served
time.