The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-18
STREET CAR HOLD-UP
Conductor Hynes Forced to Give Up
$50 in Silver.
THE MOTORMAN WOUNDED
On the Meadervilie Line, In the
Eastern Suburbs of the City,
Lone Highwayman Makes the
Demand still Another.
THE MOTORMAN WOUNDED

1t looked for a while last night as
though highwaymen had made a con-
certed raid on Butte. While the police
were still searching for the men who
held up John II. Murphy in East Broad
way, a lone robber out in the eastern
part of the city held up a street car
and shot the notorman with a bullet
that was intended for the conductors
head. The thief in this case gave am
pie evidence of being a desperate man
and he did not hesitate to attempt to
murder the conductor when he mani
tested a reluctance about turning over
his receipts.
The last car on the Meaderville line
left the smelter suburb last night at
1918 o'clock. 1t was in charge of Con-
ductor w. L. Hynes and Motorman o.
Y. Rheim, and there were no passen-
gers on board. The conductor was
busy cleaning out the stove when the
car was passing the Silver Bow mill,
and when he heard the back door open
and shut he did not look up, as he sup
posed 1t was passenger getting on.
Hynes was startled a moment later by
the gruff command: Throw up your
hands," and turning his head slightly
he saw a masked man standing over
him with a big nickel-plated revolver
levelled at his head and within six
itation the plucky conductor ducked his
head and seized the gun and as he did
SO the highwayman pulled the trigger.
The bullet missed the conductors head
by very narrow margin, went through
the front door and entered Motorman
Rheims right leg below the thigh. The
motorman dropped to the platform and
rolled off onto the ground. Hynes
made a determined attempt to secure
possession of the gun, but the robber
terked ii out Of his hands, as he had
hold OF II only by the barrel. His
hands were powder burned from the
first shot and were cut by the sight on
the gun as 1t was pulled away from
him. As he lost his grip on the gun
the conductor fell over backwards and
shouted that he was shot In the hope
that the assailant would take his word
and stop shooting or leave the car.
The highwayman was a determined
villain, however and apparently an old
hand at the business. and he followed
Hynes up and showed his gun down in
his face, at the same time ordering him
to give up his money. Seeing that fur
Their assistance was useless, the con-
ductor turned over his receipts
amounting to about $50, which was all
In silver. Haven't you any bills?"
gruffly demanded the robber.
NO" replied the conductor, "the
got all of that" Apparently satisfied
that the conductor was telling the
truth, the robber backed out of the car
and walked off into the surrounding
darkness. Hynes then assisted the mo-
torman back onto the car, and ran IL
up town at full speed. At Union hall
he fired off his own gun several times
but was unable to secure an immediate
response from an officer, and he hurried
on up town.
The injured motorman was removed
TO Murray & Freund's hospital, where
his wound was dressed. The bullet
passed through the fleshy part of the
leg, and the injury is not serious. Con-
ductor Hynes always carries a revolver
on his last trip to Meaderville, but last
night he happened to have left IL in the
tool box under the seat. He describes
the robber as man about six feet tall
and weighing about $50 pounds He
wore a light soft hat, which was pulled
down over his eyes, and a short dark
overcoat. The lower part of his face
was concealed by a black handkerchief
Both Hynes and Rheim have had trou-
BILE with robbers before on the Meader-
vile line. Rheim is the man whom an
Austrian attempted to murder a few
months ago.
Just as information Of the street car
robbery reached the police headquar-
tiers, an old man who lives on the Hes
perus lode, but whose name was over
looked in the excitement, reported that
two men had drugged and robbed him
of $50 in a cabin in the southeastern
part of town. He gave a description OF
the men and James burlington and r.
Coryell were arrested soon afterwards
charged with the robbery.