Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-11-28
SWUNG HIS LEFT
And Knocked Street Car Bandit
Out Of Time.
NOToRMAN WHO EARNS A MEDAL.

SA@1A&1As A8A@A~A8A1s
Thugs Get Aboard the Train ON Robbery
Intent, but Leave without Their In
tended Booty, One of Them with q Bad
Eye-An of Them Now Under Arrest
and Suspected of Other Deviitry, Includ-
ing Train Robbery.
Kansas City, Nov. ga daring street
car hold-up was attempted in this city
Thursday about midnight by Oscar
Bridges and two other men, The car
was the regular theatr car return
ing to Independence from here ard
contained seventy passengers. When
it reached lonely spot midway be-
tween the two cities Bridges. I'M
masked. jumped on the rear platform
and going through the car to the front
end boldly thrust revolver to the
breast of the motorman- Another of
the gang, who had quickly followed
Bridges and who wore a mask. mad jus;
entered the rear door and was in the
act of ordering the passengers to hold
up hands when the Aonductor threw
him from the car which the motorman
in some manner had been able to start.
The two remaining robbers who. it ap-
pears, We're to have covered the con-
ductor, became frightened at the
quick action displayed by him and
when the second robber alighted on
the ground the two made off to the
woods. Many of the women screamed
or cried, refusing to be quieted by the
conductor or their male escorts.
The Motorman Swings His Left.
The GOODNESS and courage of Motor
man A. T. Rollins and Conductor Lloyd
Jackson doubtless saved the passen-
gers from being robbed. Motorman
Rollins said he thought at first that
Bridges was joking, but when he saw
the polished barrel OF q i5-calibre re-
volver pushed against his breast ard
heard the order to hold up your
hands repeated his hands went up.
At this moment the robber glanced
back into the car, evidently to see
whether his conferates Were doicg their
part. For a second his eyes were off
the motorman. Quicker than a flash
the hands came down and Rollins
swung his left fist around and landed
a blow under the left eye of his captor
knocking him headlong against the
controller. The motorman grabbed the
revolver as Bridges fell. The quick
move saved the motorman's life, for
Bridges pulled the trigger as he went
down and Rollins caught the index
finger of his left hand between the
hammer and the cartridge.
Got the Thug by the Throat.
Rollins caught the robber by tho
throat and choked him until he re-
leased his hold on the revolver and
finally gave up the struggle. After
reaching Independence Bridges was
placed under Arrest, and later brough,
to this city. Here after spending two
or three hours in the sweat-box he
gave his identity and that of his pals
Four months ago Bridges gained con-
siderable notoriety by leaping from
the top girder of the Hannibal bridge
here into the Missouri river and swim
ming out safely. At the time he dis.
played accounts of his high jump In
other cities, and also a number of let
tiers from a firm of aeronauts and par.
achute jumpers in Cincinnati. His pal:
| were Eugene Ridgeway and James Re
pine, both under % years of age.
Suspected Of . Train Robbery.
The Ridgeways live al Sheffield, 6
| suburb near the scene of the hold up
| Eugene is a barber and Ernest Is 6
| professional high diver. who has fillet
' engagement at the local parks. Boil
I have hard names. Repine, who is 2
| years old, comes of respectable pa
rents who live at Centropolis. neal
Kansas City. The gang, which made it,
headquarters at Centropolis Is believed
| by the police to have been in the hold
| up of the Chicago and Alton train a
the Glendale cut near here about /:
| month ago. and is wanted for othe
| depredations.
Other Two Thugs Taken In.
| Leavenworth, Kan, Nov. 2s.-Ale.
Repine and Ernest Ridgeway. wante,
in Kansas City for holding up an In
| dependence electric car. and who wer
in the recent Alton hold-up. were ar
rested here last night. The men cam
| to this city at s o'clock and went int