Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1896-02-28
With Good Prospects of Escape, as the Country Is Not Traversed by Telegraph Lines-A Full and Detailed Re-
 port of the Rob
 bery
Arkansas Gazette Correspondence,

WARREN, Feb. 27.-The attempted robbery of the Merchants and Planters Bank Wednesday, evening, of which you were advised by wire, created an intense excitement. Bodies of armed mon are hunting the country in every direction in pursuit of the outlaws. The plans were well laid for the robbery, and the time selected suspicious, as at that hour, just before closing, the streets are generally quiet, and but few persons passing into the bank. The men eoneefned in the affair have been camped about three miles from town for several days, and during their frequent visits to the place had ample opportunity to perfect their plans for d successful raid on the bank which was fortunately frnstra- ted by the coolness and interpidity of the cashier, Mr. Adair. He was seated near the stove, behind the desks, in conversation with two Of the directors, Mcssrs. D. W. Sutton and Thos. Goodwin, when three men entered the bank and one ap- preached the teller's window and asked Mir. Adair if the bank paid in- terest on deposits, to which he re- ceived q negative answer. He asked again: Don't you allow nothing on deposits?" to which Mr. Adair re- piled, Not a cent" The fellow thrust a pistol through the grating with the command: Throw up your hands," Mir. Adair, quick as thought, sprang to the drawer, near the window, and seized pistol, but before he could fire the outlaw fired full at his head, in such close proximity that the powder burnt his face-a second shot brought him to the floor with a ball through his shoulder. While lying there and his assailants trying to shoot him again, he saw the other two coming into the office through the gate, and he opened fire on them, they returning the fire, one ball hitting Mir. Goodwin under the left shoulder. By this time the streets were alive with people and the outlaws were forced to retire to their horses, which were hitched a short distance away, firing their pistols indiscriHinately as they left. On the outskirts of town they met several persons coming in, and with pistol shots, comm anded them to clear the way. In a few minutes a number of armed men
 were in hot pursuit and now the country is being secured for miles around.
 Mr. Adair kept his position at the desk until the assistant cashier came in, when he was taken to his resi- dence, where he is suffering intensely from the wound. The wound recei- ved by Mr. Goodwin is of more serious nature, and at this writing l it is thought he cannot survive the night. Mrs. Goodwin is in San An l tonic, Texas, where she had gone to
 recruit her health, and the news of this tragic affair will be u severe shock to her i'll her present condition.
 A singular circumstance leads many
 to believe that there were a number concerned In the plot. Immediately after the occurrence an attempt was made to wire the particulars and description of the men to different
 points when it was found that the circuit was broken, and communi- cation stopped. After repeated eff forts by the test wire it was found that the interruption was between
 Monticello and Oermott. There was no apparent cause for the interrup- tion, as it was a still, clear day, and but q few minutes before the line