The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-21
He IS CLOSE TO DEATH
Aged Cashier Shot Down in His
Bank.
THE ROBBER CAPTURED
He Asserts That the Cashier Alienated
His Wife's Affections-The Police
Believe That Robblng
Was the Motive.

Chicago Sept. 20.-Frederick ]. Filbert
Palatin ILL.,, 26 miles north of Chicago, is
lying close to death as the result of an
attack made upon him to-day by a young
man who gives the name of Walter Law
ton. The latter is in the county Jail suf-
fering from bullet wound in the abdo-
men which will probably prove fatal. Hen
ry Plagge 20 years old a farmer, whose
intervention at critical moment pre-
vented the outright murder of the cashier,
is at mis- home west of the village. cut and
bruised and disabled as a result of his
struggle. whose motive for the assault,
according to his statement, was not rob-
berry.
The attack upon Filbert was made with
tack-hammer and the cashier was
struck at least dozen times before
Plagge interfered The attack occurred
at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Cashier
F'ilbert was alone in the bank when Law
ton. whom he recognized as a visitor of
last Friday, who had sought loan on a
supposed farm. entered. Lawton called
Filbert into the outer office to consult
map which hung on the wall, and started
q quarrel. Filbert is small and feeble and
could offer little resistance to Lawton,
who pounded him savagely on the head
with a small tack-hammer. Repeated
blows from the hammer sent the old man
TO the floor His cries attracted Farmer
Plagge. AS the latter entered he was met
by Lawton. who said:
Hilbert is in the back room and / guess
there is something the matter with him"
Plagge pushed open the door, and as he
stopped over the PROSTATE cashier Law
ton struck him three times on the back OF
the head with the hammer. The old farm
er turned on his knees and grasped his
assailant about the legs Both fell to the
floor and struggled for the possession of
the hammer. Each in turn received blows
with it, until Lawton drew his revolver
The men fought for the weapon and in
the scuffie for it it was discharged, the
ball striking Lawton in the abdomen. The
wound weakened Lawton so much that
although he still fought, Plagge had little
trouble in throwing him to the floor and
holding him until assistance arrived.
The crowd, which gathered rapidly after
the pistol shot, separated the two men
and took the supposed rpbber to the viii
lage lookup. He was too severely wound
ed to offer any resistance and this fact
was all that saved him from violence at
the hands of the excited crowd that fol-
lowed him to Jail.
Lawton was brought to Chicago on a
late train tonight and placed in the
county jail. Although it was manifest
that the name of Lawton was assumed
he having taken the precaution to cut
all the initials from his linen before at
lacking F1lbert, he insisted that he had
given his actual name. He denied that he
had entered the bank for the purpose of
robbery and claimed that the alienation
of his wife's affections took place five
years ago at the Fifth Avenue hotel in
New York city. Filbert declared that he
has not been in New York for 20 years
Late tonight it was announced that
both Filbert and Lawton will die. The
formers skull is fractured in two places
and the latter cannot survive the wound
in his abdomen. The police have no doubt
that the footing of the bank was Lawton's
design. The cash balance of the institu-
ton is 100000, all of which was in the
vaults at the time the assault took place.