The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-09-21
ATTACKS HIM AT BANK
PLAGGO, A FARMER, FLIES TO
THE RESCUE.
CASHIER FlLBERT'S SKULL FRACTURED
Lawton Dying of a Wound in his Abdomen
An Attempt at Robbery is Charged
Against him Which he Pos
itveIy Denies.

Chicago, H., Sept. 20.-Frederick ].
Filhert the aged cashier of the Palatine
Bank, in Palatine 26 miles north of Chi
cago, is lying close TO death as the result
young man who gives the name OF Wal
ter Lawt0m. The latter, who is unknown
to anybody in Palat1ine, and apparently
of good education, is in the county Jail
suffering from a bullet wound in the
abdomen which will probably prove fatal
Henry Plaggo, 20 years old. a farmer.
whose Intervention at a critical moment
prevented the outright murder of the
cashier, is ait his home west of the vii
lage cut and bruised and disabled as Il
result of his struggle with Lawton,
whose motive for the assault. according
to his repeated statements. was not rob
berry The attack upon Hilbert was
made with a tack hammer ana the aged
cashier was struck at least a dozen times
before Plagge interfered.
The attack occurred at 3 O'Clock in
the afternoon. At this hour many of
the residences of the community were
thrown into a tumult by hearing the re-
port of a revolver and the noise Of
fierce struggle in the bank rooms. Will
liam Garme. a farmer, was among The
first to reach the bank rooms. AS he
entered he almost stumbled over the form
of Cashier Filbert, who with torn cloth
ing and bleeding head was seebly en-
deavoring to crawl through the open
door.
Garme turned and ran into the street
shouting Murder" and then returned to
the bank Sounds of n struggle still
came from a rear room and GaImcs hur-
ried to that apartment As he pushed
open the glass door he found the old
German farmer. Plaggo, bleeding from
a number of wounds. butt fighting vigor-
ollsly with a stalwart young man who
lay on the floor with Plaggo on top of
him. A bloody tack hammer and a re-
volver with broken butt lay ON either
side of the struggling men. The Young
mans clothing was stained with blood
i'm the region of the abdomen.
The crowd which had gathered rapidly
after the alarm had been given separated
the two men and took the supposed rob
Der to the village lookup. He was too
severely wounded to offer any resistance
and this fact was all that saved him
from violence at the hands OF tile excited
crowd that followed him to Jail.
Iawtom'S confessed motive for the as
sault was revenge en- Filbert. who he al
leges. alienated the affections u his wife.
His story is not believed by the police
however. They have no doubt the loot
ing of the bank was his ultimate design.
The robber saws he tracked Fi,hert for
five wears and that he discovered only
recently whore the object of his pur-
Salit lived He went to the bank. he as
serts. to demand $500 in satisfaction of
the old injury The cash balance of }he
institution was 100000. all Of which
was in the vaults at the time the assault
took place.
Lawton was brought to Chicago on a
late train tonight and placed in the ccun-
ty Jail He denied that he had entered
the bank for the purpose OF robbery, and
claimed that the alienation of his wife :
affections by Hilbert took place i've years
ago at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New
York City. Hilbert declares he has not
been in New York for twenty years.
Late tonight it WAS announced that
both Hilbert and Iawton win die, T,c
formers skull is fractured in two places,
and the latter cannot survive The wound
in his abdomen.