Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-09-26
RALPH'S MISTAKE.
He Thought He Had the Points
Of a Real Thug.
AND NOW LANGUIsHEs IN PRISON

4 Young nst>oisan Creates . Commotien
At Mt. Sterling. Having Prepared Him.
self to no the Bank Robbery Act by .
Full Course Of Sensational Literature
The Robbery . Failure, and the Robber
Tells . Strange Story.
MOUNT STERLING, Ills, Sept &c. This
place, the county seat of Brown county,
| was the scene of thrilling western style
hold-up. Ralph Conklin. aged IS years,
was the bold robber. He is native Of
this county, and his parents live a mile
and half northeast of here. Conklin is
| addicted to the reading of such literature
as THE Life of Jesse James," Young
Conklin left his home with a double.
barreled shotgun, and started for Mount
| Sterling. On his way he met Mace
| Dunbar riding horseback. The boy
bandit leveled his gun at Dunbar and
commanded him to dismount. Dunbar
got off his horse and Conklin mounted it
| and rode it into Mount Sterling. Riding
to the rear of Bloomfield 6 Skles' bank,
Conklin dismounted and left boy to hold
his horse. Wearing mask he entered
the bank by IA rear door,
"Eoid Up Your Hands,"
| Approaching the cashier, J. D. Mil
stead. Conkliu ordered him to put up his
hands Milstead refused to comply at
first and said: What are you doingf
| What's the matter with yoG?'
| Hold up Your han1s, OF FL show you
| what's the matter with me-" replied
Conklin, nj the same time levelina his
shotgun. Cashier Milstead took to his
| heels through the rear door. Conklin lost
no time, and in "A moment Cathe cred up all
the money in sight-SiIl. Ed Allison, who
| was in the bank at the time Conkiin en-
tered, ran out upon the street and gave
the alarm. After pocketing the money
Conklin went out of the bank tn trough the
rear door and was inst mounting his
horse when ALI Snodgrass, the constable,
arrived upon the scene. The constable
ran up to Conklin and pulled him off his
horse. Conklin jerked away from him.
however, and ran down the street in the
direction of the court house.
Conklin Opens Tire.
Jack Nighswonder tried 10 catch Conk-
lin, who opened fire on him, shooting
through his coat, but infiicting no bodily
injury. Nighswonder stumbled back
blinded with smoke and powder, and the
robber kept on running in the direction OF
|
being followed by several men who heard
the alarm given from the bank, and the
pursuit was a hot one. Armed men and
teams dashed in the direction taken by
the robbers. Reaching the courthouse
Conklin tried to seal a horse and cart, but
was knocked of the cart by a well thrown
brick. A few blocks north Of the court.
house the masked man was held up at the
muzzle of a gun by julie Cox, and wal
compelled TO surrender. The mask was
torn from his fsee and it was found out
who the Jesse James was. The money
taken was all recovered.
ConLlin's Queer Story.
The bank robbed Is on the most promi
nent corner in the city, directly under the
new Bloomfield hotel. and the robber had
to pass through q part of the hotel anG
Rickey's drug store in order to get into
the bank. At the time the robber entered
/. there was no one in the bank except the
two men behind the counter. In jai
Conklin said that four men came to hi.
house Sunday night, and. drawing theil
pistols, made him promise that he would
rob the bank in the morning He further
said if given his liberty he would give the
names of the men. The officers are now
at work trying to learn If Conklin had
any accomplices.