The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-07
BANK ROBBERS AND BULLETS.
ONE OF THE FORMER KILLED AND
sIN CITIZENS WOUNDED.

The Robbers Open Fire Almost I'M
mediateiy on Entering the Bank
and NNOund the Cashier and cit
fEen-The Outlaws Flee Under Fire
hut are OVertnken-One surreB-
ders but His Pal Refuses 10 DO So
and is Shot Dead-The Survivor
May lie Lynched.
Des Moines. Ia, MARCH 6.-Adel, the
county seat of Dallas county. twenty-five
miles from here. was the scene OF a bold
bank robbery this morning. followed by
the pursuit Of the amateur bandits. the
killing OF one and the formation OF an
angry mob which surges about the county
jail tonight and threatens to have the
life Of the living robber.
The funds of the bank were saved by
the presence of mind Of the cashier. who.
after receiving a load Of lead in his body.
swung shut the door to the vault and
turned the combination. Following are
the casualties so far recorded:
Dead-Orlando =. wilkins, robber. from
Patterson. Madison county, Iowa. aged
80, shot by pursuers.
Injured
$. NJ. Leach. cashier of bank seri-
ously wounded in the left shoulder and
neck.
c. D. Bailey, merchant, shot in the
shoulder.
j. NJ. Byers. a prominent citizen, shot
in the hand and arm.
r. $. Barr. postmaster. shot in the
left arm.
J. NJ wilkins, a citizen. and Cecil Dex-
ter. boy. slightly wounded.
The robbers Orlando p. wilkins and c.
w. Crawford were farmers living in
Patterson.
About s a. m. they drove in to Adel in
a buggy. Leaving their rig a block away
they went to the bank Wilkins carried
a repeating shotgun with six loads
They entered the bs.k just as Cashier
Leach was taking the money from the
vault. c. d. Bailey was in the bank at
the time. Crawford remarked that they
wished to make a deposit. Cashier Leach
was busy at the time, but turned with the
inquiry, what 1t it?" As he did so he
looked into the barrel Of the shotgun
held by Wilkins, who at once fred.
Cashier Leach staggered and fell, but
rousng himself flung the currency and
gold on the counter into the vault and
closed the door. Wilkins fred again.
wounding Mr.. Bailey. Then Crawford
kicked in the door leading behind the
counter and he and wilkins scooped the
loose silver into sack. II amounted to
S267.
BY this time Sheriff Payne, who was on
the street, had his attention attracted
and opened fire on the robbers. They
I Far hi.
firing as he ran and wounding the other
citizens mentioned.
The robbers started TO drive across the
country. They were hotly pursued the
hastily collected posse being often within
two or three hundred yards Of the fugi-
! tfVes. Many shots were fired some Of
which hit the horses driven by the fugi-
tves. After a chase of nearly twelve
miles the wounded horses could 20 no
| further and we're abandoned by the
/ bandits. who separated at what Is known
as MEALS Crossing" There Crawford
secreted himself in clump Of timber,
but was soon surrounded, and surren-
| dered
wilkins took refuge in a barn, which
was quickly surrounded. To repeated or
| ders to come out he made no reply Then
| Crawford was forced at the point Of a
| Winchester rifle to carry a can of kero-
! sene, saturate a straw stack near the
barn and start a fire.
Wilkins did not shoot at his comrade,
and when the flames closed about him
made a break across the open space for
| the timber He had proceeded but a
| few yards when he fell, pierced by a bullet
! from rife held, 1t Is said, by prominent
| farmer named Prltchard Then the mob
| lost control of itself, and the body was
riddled with bullets.
The corpse OF the robber and his living
| companion were taken back to Adel.
! where this afternoon, Crawford made a
! full confession. He claimed he had been
forced into the job by Wilkins, who threat
| ened to kill him II his nerve weakened
| The two left Patterson Tuesday and spent
last night with farmer five miles from
| Adel.
Tonight the biggest crowd ever seen
| there Is upon the streets of Adel. Every
man carries a rifle, shotgun, pistol or
| club. Sheriff Payne has the jail pro-
| tected by a large and well armed posse
1t is believed that in the course of the
night Crawford will be spirited away to
a place of safety. All the wounded are
doing well.
RETURN OF THE NEGROES.