Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1896-11-28
TRY TO HOLD Up A MOTOR CAR
One Robbsr is Captured and Three Others
Get Scared and Run.
DESPERATEsTRUGGLEoN FRONT PLATFORM
MotormAn saves His own Life by
Selling the Revolver hs IL Is
Being Fired-Three Are
in Custody.

KANSAS CITY, Nov. 27.-At midnight las;
night four men. led by Oscar Bridges said
TO be a bridge and parachute jumper Of
more or less notoriety. made al unsuccessful
attempt 10 hold Up and rob an electric car
filled with passengers bound FOR hide
pendence. Bridges was arrested after
desperate tussle with the mo;orman and was
brought here The other men escaped. but
their names are known and }; is believed
they will also be lodged in jail. The gang
is said 20 be the same that so boldly held
up a wes;bound Chicago & Alton passenger
train Just outside OF Independence about a
mon-n ago.
Tie car was the regular theater car re-
turning TO independence from here and con-
tanned seventy passengers. When it reached
lonely spo; midway between the two cities
Bridges. unmasked. jumped on 10 the rear
platform and going through the car 20 the
front end. boldly thrust a revolver 70 the
breast OF the motormau. Another fellow.
who had quickly followed Bridges and who
wore 3 mask, had jus; entered the rear
door and was in the act Of ordering the pas
senEers 10 hold up their hands, when the
conductor threw him from the car, which
the muto-mAn in some manner had been
able TO start. The two remaining robbers,
who i; appears were 20 have covered the
action displayed by him and when the sec
und rotber alirhted on the ground the three
made OF 20 the woods. IN the meantime
Bridges was tussliuE with the mut1-man,
10 whose aid some male passengers came.
The women became frantic with fright and
screamed or cried. refusing 20 be qule,ed
by the conductor or their male escorts.
Bridges was finally overpowered without
having fred his revolver and the car pro
ceeded on its run 10 independence.
MOTORMAN HAD NERVE.
The cooluesz ana courage OF Motorman A.
T Rollins and Conductor Lloyd Jackson
doubtless saved the passengers from being
robbed Moturruan Rollins said today that
he thought at FIRST that Bridges was joking
but when be saw the polished barrel OF
z5-callber revolver pushed against his breast
and heard the order TO hold up your hands"
repeated. his hands went ". At this mo-
ulent the robhe- glanced back into the car
evidently TO see whether his coufeierE-es
were doing their act For second tis eyes
were of the uoturmau. Quicker than
faF- the hands came down and Rollins
swung his left fist around and landed a
blow under the left eye Of his car-o-. knock
ing him hes1loUE against the controller.
The UuturuED grabbed the revolver 6s
Bridges fell. The quick I've saved the
uo-orruEus life for Bridges pulled the triC-
Fe- ls he went down and Rollins caught the
index finger OF his left hand. between the
hammer and cartridge Rollins caught the
robber by the throat and chOked him until be
released his hold on the revolver and finally
gave UP the struggle. After reaching Inde-
pendenee, Bridges was placed under arrest,
heing brought to this city this morning.
Here. after sle16-nE two q three hours Il
the Eweatbox. he gave his identity and that
Of his pals. -Four months aro Bridges gained
cnusi1 cradle votoriEty by leaCiug from the
top Eirder OF the Hannibal bridge into the
Missouri river and swimming out safely
At the time. he displayed accounts OF his
high jumps IL ether cities, and q number Of
letters from g firm O. leronauts and para
chute Jumpers OF Cincinnati His pals were
Eugene HilEeway Ernest RijEewEy and
James Rerlus. all under % years OF age
The El5EewHys live a. Sheffield a suburb !
near the scene OF the hollup. Eugene is z
barber. and Ernest IL high diver who has
e-EEEeuelts Er the local parks !
Both have hard names Eepi-e who is . |
years old. comes o. respectable parents who !
live a. CsltrCpClis. near Kansas City. The
gang. which made its headquarters ct Cen
trurulis is believed by the police 10 have
train al the Glendale cut near here. about I
a month s-o and is wanted for other deure-
da;iuns. II is known they planned 70 rob
The last car on the electric line q few weeks /
ago II exactly the spot they STOPPED the {
car last night A man Who was ~ tie con I
fdence Of the gang told County Marshal J. |
3. Wcs.ler Of H. and he and q force Of deyu-
ties WATCHED FOR the bandits till after mid /
night. The same gang MADE preparations 70 /
hold VI the Denver night train on the Mis- |
souri, Pacific al the Leeds cut last Thursday |
night and again the marshal and Z force
q railway police waited and watched. bur I
the bandits learned Of the trap ana post /
11ne5 ire robbery.
TOPEKA Kan. Nov. e7.-A special 10 I
the Capita, from LegyerwGrth SAWS. Alex /
iselile and Earnest Ridgewsy were arrested /
here tonight. The men came 10 this city /
81 S o'clock and were very tired They
went iu;o Oscar WaIkel-itz' place on Chero- /
Eee street and asked 10 be shown 70 2 room
They were under excitement and wanted [
nothing said about their being in the house
Al 10 o'clock their room was quietly opened /
and before they could get cut Of bed or /
make any defense they were covered with /
IevolverS and made 10 surrender They
were rushed Of 70 Kansas City a. once.