The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-26
THE BANDIT CAPTURED
A Bold Attempt to Hold Up the
Copper State Saloon.
PAT QUINN CONFESSED
He IL Assured OF q Term In the Peni-
tentiary-Police Ofncsr Loughrin
Came Near Meeting His
Death.

was ihduc ~ uolu up tnt
Copper State saloon at 555 South Ari-
IONA street about S o'clock yesterday
morning, which resulted disas-
trously for Pat Quinn. one OF the nigh
waymen. as he was captured. has con-
fessed and is assured of a term in the
penitentiary. 1t came dangerously near
having a worse result. for Police Officer
David Loughrin escaped being killed by
the narrowest of margins. To Officer
Loughrin the thanks of the community
are due, as 1t was his
bravery which made possible
the first capture of a hold-up
that has been made for two years. 1t
was the hottest kind of an encounter.
and the eye witnesses state that officer
Loughrin stood the fire of the desperate
h~ighwayman with rare courage end
GOODNESS. and although he did not nave
the honor of taking the desperate. he
Is entitled to the lions share Of the
credit.
Bartender Samuel ii. Harris was on
duty at the time of the hold-up. He and
Andy Howard and +. =. Myers were
the only ones i'm the saloon. The latter
two were swapping out and Harris
stood in the wash room. holding open a
set of swinging doors which screen the
wash room from the saloon. to enable
the ewampers to mop under the doors.
suddenly the front door of the saloon
opened and two men walked in. one
was tall and the other short. Each
wore a mask. the tall one. who came
first. wearing a red b~andanna. and the
short one a black handkerchief.
Harris had been held up i'm the same
place only a few months ago. n as
soon as the two men made their ap-
pearance he knew what was coming.
Letting go of the screens, he dropped
back into the wash room and hastily
took off a diamond ring and his watch
n dropped them i'm a corner, as he
expected the hold-ups to call on him.
While Harris was thus engaged, the
hold-ups Wake down the ealoon. and
while one covered the swampers. the
other went behind the bar and rang
open the cash register.
Officer Loughrin, who was on duty On
that beat. had been piping the pair off
Tor some minutes from n place of ron
cea!ment on the opposite side of the
street. He saw them adjust the hand
kerchiefs over their faces and knew
what they were preparing for. When
they entered the saloon, he waited i.l
they were well inside and then hurried
across the street. He pushed open the
door and entered just as the robber lee
hind the bar put his hand into the FASH
drawer.
Officer Loughrin's appearance was
the eignal for the opening of hostilitiss.
The robbers saw they were in for IL
and at once opened fire. The man he
hind the bar ran out and. with his part
ner, placed himself between the swamp
ers and the officers. Their position
gave them at once a decided advantage
over the officer. for If he fired he was
pretty sure to kill one or both of the
swampers. ever If he got the robbers.
In this position, Quinn and his partner
fired four shots at the officer. while he
could not return their fire. With fue
nerve he stood and took the fire. coolly
waiting for an opportunity to reply.
One OF the shots clipped the officers
cap. and just then the robbers turned
and fled toward the back door. The
swampers jumped aside and Officer
Loughrin cut loose. He fired two shots
but without effect, and the fellows got
out the back door. Officer Loughrin
pursued them. exchanging shots with
the robbers on the outside till they
were lost to view. J.. T.. Ledford. pro-
prietor of the saloon. heard the shoot
ing. and surmising what was up. Jump
ed out of bed and ran out Of doors n
discharged his gun several times with
the idea of attracting assistance.
A dozen or Is shots had been fired oy
this time. The fusillade attracted the
attention of officers Fogarty and Math-
ews. who were on duty on Galena
street. and they ran hurriedly to the
scene. They found officer Loughrir,
reinforced by the swampers. searching
the neighborhood for the robbers. OH
Ger Loughrin did not thinE they had
gone far. Officers Fogarty and
Mathews Joined in the search. Officer
Fogarty was passing a coal shed not
far from the saloon when a neighbor
came out and inquired the cause of
the commotion. officer Fogarty in
formed him briefly and the man replied
he had heard a man run hat way but a
momen before. 1t struck the officer
the fellow might have sought refuge in
the coal shed and ne asked the neigh
Dor to get a candle. He responded and
Officer Fogarty threw it's light into the
shed. There sat a a squatting n a
corner, holding a gun in his and or
Ger Fogarty covered him and told him
to drop his gun. The fellow obeycd
and the officer took him in charge. He
proved to be Quinn. and IL was evident
he supposed he had fired his last "hot.
or else that he knew he was surrounded
and would be killed IL he shot the Cffi-
Ger. for he had all the opportunity i'm
the world. as he could rear the officer
and the neighbor talking n had all
the advantage Of the situation. and had
IL not been for n or the other of ;he
two reasons. he would doubtless have
awaited of IL. When his gun. a big A.
caliber Colt. was picked up. 1t was
found to contain one load. The off,
GERS are of the opinion the reason Quinn
did not shoot was that he supposed the
gun was empty.
Quinn was taken to Jail. where he
confessed his part in the hold-up and
told a ridiculous story about having
been forced into the attempted hold-up
by the other fellow, yet he would not
tell who his partner was. Under pres
sure of a good sweating" however. he
made admissions which led the officers
TO believe hat while only two had been
engaged in the attempt to rob the sa-