The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-01-14
GRABBED THE PURSE
The Most Daring Robbery Of Recent
Times in Butte.
RECEIPTS OF A POOL ROOM
In an Instant the Thief Had the
Money. and Before the Sur
prised Cashier Could Wink. the
Man and Money We're Gone.

bination pool room yesterday was a
gallop down the back stairway to the
alley and out into the hills with a hid
ing place for the wire. 1t was a 5000
stake race, and it was strictly ON the
square. Although There was only one
entry, 1T could hardly be called a walk
over, as the single starter beat the
flag and then went the distance in rec
ord breaking style. 1t was race in
which the house stood TO lose 5000 ON an
unknown runner without q chance to
win anything. and as a just rebuke for
giving such long odds the house lost.
The good thing" had everything his
own way, and not only was he never
headed but was never closely pursued.
And so in racing parlance is told the
story of the most daring robbery that
has ever been worked successfully in
Butte. An untutored stranger, who 1T
1T is not believed had been In Butte
more than "a hours, singlehanded and
alone took more than 5000 away from
the manager of the Combination pool
room in a room that was full OF people
and got away with 1t with compare
lively little exertion. The thief's nerve
was so anna zing and his colossal gall so
paralyzing i'm it's effects that before the
onlookers could regain the full use OF
their faculties he had a lead that moth
ing could overcome. The robbery could
not have been more successful IL II had
been carefully planned and studied out,
and as there Is every indication that IL
was done almost on the spur of the mo-
ment, its successful elimination Is all
the more surprising.
The Combination pool room is located
dun the large bar and billiard room ON
the second floor of the Combination
house and occupies the northwest cor
-.,ft ,na hn an
20 feet long and five feet wide and is
elevated above the floor and protected
by a low fence. A stairway opens UNI
der the east end of the box and runs
down to the alley in the rear of the
building
The races closed about o'clock last
evening and, after paying the winning
tickets, Phil Hammill, the book maker,
tied the money that was lett in two
sacks which were to be deposited in the
big safe ON the other side of the room
About $40 in silver was dumped into a
small sack and 1902 in gold and bills
was carefully deposited in a large sack
OF the contents of the large sack, $3.50
was i'm shining gold pieces and the rest
in currency.
Ed Vesy, the manager of the pool
room, walked over and received the
money bags and started towards the
safe with them. He had the big sack
in his left hand and the small one in
his right, and The probably did not have
a very tight grip on either of them, as
Ii was no new experience for him TO
have so much money dn his hands, and
the possibility of robbery never en-
tered his mind The large room was
full of bettors and loungers, who were
standing around discussing the races
and the prospects of war in Europe,
and the man who would undertake to
get away with one of Vesy's treasure
n - n.
unhesitatingly voted a grinning idiot.
There was such a man In the crowd,
however, and The was standing quietly
at the head of the stairs awaiting his
opportunity. He was standing ON the
first step and qeaning over the short
railing which projects out from the end
of the pool box and seemed to be try
ing to figure out how he happened to
get on a losing horse when 1T really
looked to be such an easy thing for the
winner.
The long row of occupied chairs in
front of the pool box prevented short
cut across to the safe and after receiv-
ing the money bags from the book
maker, Vesy walked slowly down In
front of the elevated box and past the
stairway and very close to II. As he
came within reaching distance, the
nervy and cool-headed robber jumped
towards him, snatched the big sack of
gold and currency out of his left hand
with a quick jerk and started down the
stairs four steps at a jump. Charles
Grant and Paul Manuel were standing
close together at the top of the stairs
and the latter was thrown to one side
like burnt match by the desperate
thief His action was 50 quick and
entirely unexpected that the spectators
were momentarily paralyzed, and the
robber made the best use of the few
lc r.f thot he l.fl Il
they were recovering from the shock.
Vesy was the first to regain his senses
and he darted off down the stairway
in hot pursuit The thief had slammed
the door at the foot of the stairs shut
behind him, and 1t took Vesy several
valuable seconds to get ii open. When
he finally reached the alley the man
ne wanted was nowhere in sight. A
couple of fellows who were standing
in the alley back of Clark's bank stated
that just a moment before they had
seen man run out of the door at the
foot of the stairs and run down the al
ley towards Park street and then turn
off and run out through the alley run
ming into Academy street. This was
the last seen of the man and he had
made his escape almost before the pur-
| suit was started.
John Kelsy witnessed the robbery at
| short range and was one of the first
to give chase 10 the robber. He had
noticed the fellow early in the MORN
ing, when the safe at the end of the
bar was first opened up and had had
| his attention drawn to him by his sus-
| picious actions. He had all of the
looks and actions of a thief, and Kelsy
set him down for a crook. Kelsy de-
| scribes him as being five feet seven or
] eight inches tall. % or % years old.
weight of 155 or $50 pounds. smooth and
very red face and broad shoulders. He
wore a pepper and salt coat and vest
and a soft snuff colored hat None OF
| the men who saw the thief had ever
seen him before. and there is little
| doubt that he was a stranger in the
| city. He may have had a confederate
| in the crowd. but If so he did not show
| himself and the police inclined to the
| belief that he did the job alone. Chief
| Tebo and Captain Waters arrived soon
n. 4 q a