St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-11-16
RUN DOWN BY DETECTIVES
CLEVER CAPTURE or RAILROAD BAN
DTS IN NEBRASKA.
GIRL DISGUISED AS A RoBBER

GIRL DISGUISED AS A ROEBER
Played an Important Part by Re-
fusing to Obey Orders-The
Highwaymen Arrested in Bed
One of the Robbers Recent
ly Released From Joliet by
Gov. Altgeld.
LINCOLN, Nov. 15.-The capture of
the railroad bandits was an unexpected
bit of work by Chief of Police Mitchell
and two of his best men. Nov. a
clothing store i'll the reighboring town
of Clinton was robbed of large quan-
tlty of clothing. jewelry and notions.
| Daughters of Shells, the oldest of the
jailed trio, began displaying gloves, silk
handkerchiefs and jewelry, a circum-
stance which was speedily reported to
the police. An investigation was started
and important Information came out
that Shells and the two men,
Vanmeter and Howe, new arrivals
here, were away from their home,
SheIPs 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 sufficed to war
rant the officers to take the desperate
alternative of raiding Shells house.
When the door was burst in a gust of
wind extInguished low light, but a
dark lantern was flashed. and Shells
arrested in an attempt to gain mold of a
loaded revolver. The other two men
were in bed with Shells, and were
commanded to lie still, which they did,
under
CLEANING REvOLvERS
In the hands of men who proposed
to give the criminals no chance to add
more victims to their list. The three
men were ordered up, searched and
marched to the lall, and subsequent
search of the premises brought forth
three revolvers of 32-calibre, the same
size as the one which sent bullet into
the bowels of Brakeman Trott. who re-
sisted the hold-up of the train. The
Shells girl, so one story goes, was dis
guised as man and participated in the
sensational happenings of the train rob-
berry, leading in the parley with the
brakeman when he was shot. 1t
S further charged by one of the
suspects that the girl precipitated
the acts which foiled the
men robbing the train by not obeving
orders. TO support this story is the
fact that when the house was first
raided wagon load of mems and boys
clothing was found which came from
the Clinton store, several overcoats,
10 I'll a
with hayseed, proving cOnclusively that
the persons who wore the clothes re-
Gently hid in haystack, which the
bandits undoubtedly did, as there are
great meadows close to wheres they
abandoned the train, which afforded
them refuge until they aScertained the
coast WAS clear, and then reached. home
between 2-and O'Clock next morning.
In the flight from the train one revolver
was lost, so Vanmeter said in canyer-
sation with
THE SHELLS GIRL
The weapon is now being searched
for, and if found will be a firm link 10
the already overwhelming evidence
When Vanmeter and Howe were lodged
In Jail, Howe claimed to be from Fort
Worth, Tex, but the contrary has since
been established, and it is claimed he
has been Identified as the "stool pig
eon" of burglars and highwaymen, be-
ing known in his profession as the
KID" Vanmeter, when jailed, wanted
to know If any shooting was lately done
on railroad here. He was nervous
and irritable. He had ON the SLOUGH
white hat described the night the train
| affair happened, and tallies exactly
| with the medium-siZed man reported
| by the trainmen. Shells is stalwart
inn 4 ~
| place OF the tall and powerful robber
who terrorized the train passengers.
| Howe is the small man of the trio, who
was the first to leave the train. Two of
the prisoners have served time. Van
meter was liberated from Joliet in Sep
| tember. after serving two years for
burglary. Shells went to the same
| prison in 1891 for term of fourteen
years for incest, but was pardoned last
summer by Gov. Altgeld at the request
| OF many prominent citizens of Logan
county. Shells and Vanmeter hail
| from Southwest Indiana, near the Wa
| bash river. Additional individuals
| are implicated, for they are in search
| of fourth man, but refuse to divulge
| his name. The authorities have strong
| evidence to effect convictions on charges
| of train robbery. assault with intent to
| commit murder, burglary and larceny.
The prisoners will be held and first
tried on the first two charges. The sue
| ceSsful capture has caused showers of
| congratulations upon the officers, and
receives the approval of the whole COM
| munity, which is not averSe to inflicting
| summary punishment, likely to be
meted to the prisoners If the trainmen,
who have been sent for, identify them
| beyond doubt or Quibble.
HINf a
| employe OF the coal mine where the
bandits made their rendezvous was ar
| rested. He was accused of having
| talked on the subject of train robbing
Monday, failed to report Tuesday and
was absent from home until this after
| noon. He was seen in scratched and
bruised condition in Mount Pulaski.
yesterday. He compares favorably to
the man who jumped off the train while
! it was running thirty-five miles an hour
His arrest clears up all the donbts as to
| the guilt of all the suspected, and be-
yond this proves that he has promised a
| confession. Shells daughter has given
| her father, Vanmeter and Howe away
! through revenge for cruelty her father
practiced toward her. The states at
torney is confident they have the right
men and that their conviction is prac-
| ticallY assured. He thanks that a dan
| gerous band of highwaymen and burg
| lars has been rounded up.
ESE