The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-16
THROW UP YOUR HANDS"
TWO MASKED MEN COMMIT A BOLD
ROBBERY AND ESCAPE.
tom" COttreII Held Up I'm His Store
on West Washington street.
Thieves Secured Only SO.

Thomas Cottrell, better known as plain
Tom is once more before the public, but
this time not as a candidate for office, or a
leader of political faction, in which work
he was a few years ago probably the best
known man in town. His ability to talk,
and talk at all times was never better
shown than about $50 o'clock last night
when he was held up in his store on
West Washington street by two masked
men and robbed of So, a bunch of keys and
a pocket knife.
Mr.. Cottrell keeps small poultry store
on West Washington street, at the junction
Of the old National road He was about
ready TO close up last night when two men
entered the store. He had just removed the
cash from the money drawer and dropped
ii into a small bag, which he placed in his
hip pocket He paid little attention to the
sound of footsteps and did not look up
until some one said:
Throw up your hands,
Mr.. Cottrell looked up and saw two men
standing before him, one of whom held a
cooked revolver as big as a small-sized
cannon so close to Mr. Cottrell's face that
he could scarcely see the man.
What does all this mean?" demanded
Mr.. Cottrell.
Throw up your hands, I will blow
your head off," was the only answer.
II can't put up my hands; they are tired
and not used to going up in that way"
said Mr.. Cottrell, in the manner so well
known to his many friends.
Again came the demand to throw up his
hands, and the demand was emphasized by
placing the revolver against the end of Mr..
Cottrells nose. This was getting a little
pered Mr.. Cottrell, and he slowly raised
one hand his left hand, to a level with his
head
Put up the other hand too" and the
revolver was playfully rubbed against Mr..
Cottrell's nose.
II can't; it won't go up
III give you just two seconds to put up
that other hand" said the robber
Up it went, but the other one came down
with the explanation that both would not
stay in the air at one time.
been industriousy searching the clothing
of Mr.. Cottrell for money. The rest of the
| story is best told in Mr.. Cottrelfs own Ian
guage.
II don't know how it happened but had
an old leather in my pocket-a thing l
seldom have enough money to demand
and the man soon found II. This little bag
of silver was in my hip pocket and just
played Cal Darnell on them and let down
a little on my right leg-you know. how it
is done-and in that way every time the
man would run his hand over my clothes
that bag OF silver would drop too low down
for him to find it. He missed it, but they
got the leather with s. in it. At first L
thought i wouldn't say anything about this,
but then j knew i couldn't keep II all the
time and thought i would just we'll
| tell it now as later. After the men were
satisfied with their search they told me
| to go into the back room and said that if
/ opened the door inside of ten minutes
| they would shoot h out of me. j knew
| that was a bluff, but went into the back
room and closed the door for about ten
seconds. / then opened il and ran out to
| the street, but guess the earth had opened
| and swallowed the men, for they were en-
| tirely out of sight.
Mr. Cottrell was once q very conspicuous
| figure in local politics. Under the old dvi-
| sion of the city years ago he was the Re-
| publican leader in the Seventh ward. but
| a caucus turned him down i'm that ward
| for some reason and he swore vengeance
| and got it. The next year he became the
| Democratic nominee for the Council from
| the Seventh ward and carried the ward
| for the Democrats thing that was never
done before. He remained in the Council
| as long as he would accept the nomina-
| ton, having no trouble TO get elected. He
| was once a candidate for mayor, but was
| defeated.
Marion T.. Hedges aged twenty-eight, liv-
| ing at California and Pearl streets. and his
| uncle James Hedges, of Greenwood, were
arrested by Patrolmen Mackessy and Haley
late last night. on suspicion of having been
| the men that held up Mr.. Cottrell.