Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-10-15
,WeH-Known Bank Robbers Believed
to Have Been Run Down.
DARING ATTEMPT At MSEKER, COL
TownspeopIe Surrounded the Build
ing and Shot the Bandits.
DESPERATE TO THE LAST

DENVER, Col, October 15.-Accorling to
the latest advices from Meeker. Col. whist
is ninety miles from the nearest telegraph
. Office the three men who were killed there
AFTER robbing the bank have not been
identified. The one who lived two hours
after being shot gave names which are be-
HeHed. to be fictitious. 1t Is believed tina;
ole OF the robbers is Thomas Mccarthy.
u no sided in robbing banks at Telluride
and Delta.
Those killed and wounded in the battle
between the citizens and the robbers are:
Dead-Charles Jones, leader of the bandits
aged forty-five, shot through the lungs and
chest; VIM. Smith, robber. aged twenty-one,
riddled through the lungs. and chest, shot
through the heart, and a number of other
wounds, any Of which would have been
mortal; George Harris. robber. aged thirty
five. shot through lurgs and chest. The
" ounded-Game Warden w. II. Clarke, bull
let in the right chest, not fatal Victor
Dikeman, shot through the arm: C. A.
Booth, scalp wound; w. p. Herrick, fling n
| shot of. The robbery was one of the mos;
daring ever perpetrated in the west. occur
| ring in broad daylight and at a time when
there were twenty or more persons In plain
| sight.
George Rooney, clerk Of the Meeker Ho-
| tel, had stepped into the bank. which is 10
| Gated in the general mercantile store of ].
W.: Hagus. to make deposit. and stood
talking to Assistant Cashier David Smith.
AS he turned to leave he felt heavy hand
on his shoulder. and. glancing up, was
| looking into the muzzle of a revolver. The
man with the revolver commanded Hands
| up" At the same instant two shots rang
| out. and two bullets whizzed by the head
| OF the assistant cashier, David Smith, who
| threw up his hands. In the meantime. two
other robbers had covered the crowd in the
| store. compelling them to assemble in the
| center OF the room, and guarding both
| doorways.
Then Cashier Moulton was called. and one
| Of the men said to him: open the safe
and be quick about it."
| At the point of his gun he was conducted
| to the safe. which he opened. and the con-
| tents Of the drawer. 500. were emptied into
| a sack which the robbers had brought
Not a word was spoken. the robbers going
| about their business with a elaboration
that was astounding under the circum-
| stances. After getting the money in the
| till. they quietly took all the firearms In the
| place, helped themselves to cartridges, and
then The leader spoke to the crowd, bank
| officials, employees of the store and custom
| ers who happened to be in the place. say
ing their horses were standing h!tched out
| side the rear door. which opens a side
| street. and that for their own sake they
would request all to go outside with them.
The crowd filed through the doorway, fol-
lowed by the robbers The robbers were
until all were out. The crowd that they
had driven from the store broke and ran
for cover
The citizens of the town had been warned
by the two shots fired in the store, ano
| armins themselves. surrounded the bank
and quietly awaited the appearance of the
| robbers. Deputy Game Warden w. H.
| Clarke noticed that the three horses Were
fastened at the rear door, and, surmsinS
that the robbers would leave by that route.
| took up his station short distance from
the. back door. and conferred more men At
this place than any other, not neglectEs,
however. to keep the front door just as
well watched.
When the robbers saw that they were
ccrnered Charles Jones raised rife he
had taken fiom the store and fired z /
Clarke. The bandits were commanded 20
hold up their hands but answered with "a
the ground literally riddled with bullets.
They had been killed IN the act of firing.
| Harris, mortally wounded, held his re-
vOlNer, and, still staggering, continued the
battle until he fell. The dead men were re-
moved to VI dertaking establishment.
where an inquest was held. rendering a
verdict of justifiable homicide.
The money was all recovered.
1t Is believed here that the robbers were
members of the Mccarthy gang that COM
mitted several daring train and bank rob-
berries in Montana, Oregon, Washington
| and Colorado. 1t is also supposed that the
man who robbed David H. Moffatt and the
First National Bank Of this city Of 81 600,
in 1889. was a member Of the gang.
The McCarthys formerly lived in an out
ofthe-way place in Oregon, where they
| were regarded wealthy ranchmen. In
an attempt to rob the bank at Delta, Col,
son were killed. but Tom Mccarthy es-
f,cp