Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-03
SUSPECTS UNDER ARREST.
POLICE BELIEVE THEY HAVE TWO
ALTON TRAIN ROBBERS.
Were Arrested for Another Crime. but
Marshal KeshIear Expects to
Convict Them of Holding
Up the Train.

The police have under arrest two men
who, it is believed, were implicated in the
Chicago G. Alton hoidup at Blue cut on
the night of October % The men are
Jesse Pagett and Bert ELS. two stage
hands at the Ninth Street theater They
were arrested Tuesday afternoon on sus-
picion of having robbed the safe in New
by's secondhand store, at Fifteenth street
and Grand avenue, Saturday night.
Yesterday it was seen that the safe rob
berry could not be fastened on the men,
and as a matter of precaution County
Marshal Keshlear was called up and asked
if he wanted Pagett or Ellis for anything.
He replied that ne did, and requested that
they be held for him.
Marshal Keshlear has been watching
Pagett and Els, because of certain state
ments made by oscar Bridges. one of the
Kansas City & Independence electric line
robbers, that the men were connected in
the Alton holdup, but he had not commun-
icated the news to the police and had not
requested them to arrest the men. Their
arrest, therefore, by the police was a sur
prise to him. Pagett lives at 25lS Char
lotte street, while ELS has no home. They
have been working for the Ninth Street
several weeks, although their right names
were not known there, and when inquiry
was made there for the men yesterday, it
was stated they were not employed about
the theater. There was a letter for Pagett,
however, which lad been sent from Atchi-
son to him in care of the theater.
A few days after the electric line holdup,
which occurred a week ago tonight, and
Oscar Bridges, who was the robber caught
in the car and arrested by the motorman
and conductor. had had time to cool off,
Marshal Keshlear put him through
course of cross-questioning, such as only
he can, to ascertain what he knew about
the Alton robbery. 1t was suspected that
Bridges was in the Alton holdup, because
he acknowledged being drunk when he at
tempted the electric line job and Engineer
James Wetton, OF the Alton road, who had
to face the gang of Blue cut robbers, said
the leader was full" and very FULL too.
Bridges under cross-examination, told
Marshal Keshlear that he was not in the
Blue cut holdup, but that he knew who
was. He said that on the morning follow
ing the holdup, Jesse Pagett had come to
him in a saloon at Twelfth and McCiee
streets, where he was drinking, and said:
That was a bad job We done last night,
wasn't it?" What's that?'' inquired
Bridges. "Why, that Alton robbery re-
piled Pagett. I'VE only got $107, and it
was a dead one" Bridges said ne knew
Pagett intimately.
Recalling this statement yesterday Mar
shall Keshlear inquired of Pagett if he was
implicated in the Alton holdup. He replied
that he was not. Marshal KeShlear then
brought in Bridges, as he was determined
to arrive at the truth of the matter.
I'VE know you were in the Alton holdup,
Pagett," began the marshal, "and we want
you to make clean breast of it" Pagett
denied the accusation. Then when Bridges
recited his alleged conversation with Pasett
in the saloon at Twelfth and McGee
streets, Pagett still denied that he knew
anything about the Alton job or had had
any such conversation with Bridges.
He acknowledged. however, that he had
been interested in the hoIdup of a Missouri
Pacific train near Leeds a. week before
Thanksgiving, which Marshal keshlear and
a corps of deputies frustrated. Bridges had
conveyed knowledge of the intended hold
up to the marshal and he prevented 1t in
that way. His intention was to arrest the
robbers. but they heard that he was on
the lookout for them and fed, completely
abandoning their intention of robbery
On the night of the Alton holdup, En-
gineer Wetton looked into the barrel of an
old-fashioned Colts revolver which the
leader of the robber gang held to his face.
He had ample time 10 get a good descrip-
ton of the weapon, which he told Marshal
Keshlear next day was a powder and ball
affair with heavy brass mountings and an
octagon barrel. Bridges said he had seen
Pagett with such revolver, and so told
Marshal Keshlear. Yesterday the marshal
asked Pagett if he had the revolver and
he replied that he had and that 1t was at
home The revolver was later brought TO
the jail. and will be given to Engineer
James Wetton for identification. The en-
gineer said after the hoIdup at Blue cut
that the man with the old-fashioned Colts
pistol had remarkably clear cut features
and a very white and long neck. Pasett
has both these. He is about % years of
age and quite tall.
Engineer Wetton said one of the robbers
had red hair and was short. This descrip-
ton suits Els. Pagert'S pal, and he wiz
be held for investigation.
The search for Eugene Ridgway, the
only missing electric line robber goes
merrily on. Marshal KeshIear returned
yesterday from an all night search for
Ridgway. He was accompanied by sew raj
deputies They got information that Ridg-
way ate supper Tuesday night at a hotel
near the Brush creek rock quarry, south
east of the city. but they could not find
him after making a dihgent search for
him. He slept in a blacksmith shop the
night previous near the quarry but got
away before they arrived.