The Portland daily press., 1899-09-21
WITH A TACK HAMMER.
murderous Attack on Cashier of MI
nois Bank.

murderous Attack ON Cashier of IIli-
nois Bank.
Chicago, September 20.-Frederick j.
Hilbert, the aged cashier of the Palatine
bank at Palatine, Ills, 20 miles north
of Chicago, is lying close to death, as the
result of an attack made upon him to-
day by young man. VINO gives the name
of Walter Lawton. The latter, who is
o stranger In Palatine. and apparently
of good education, is In jail suffering
from probsoie fatal bullet wound In the
abdomen. Henry Plaggo, 20 years old,
a farmer, whose intervention prevented
the outright murder of the cashier, is at
bis home, cut, bruised, and disabled as
result of his struggle with Lawton, WIN
declares his motive for tie assault wa5
not robbery. Lawton attacked Filbert
with a tack hammer and tine cashier was
struck at least dozen times before
Plaggo interfered. The attack occurred
sens were thrown into tumult by the
report of revolver and the noise of the
flerce struggle in the bank rooms.
William CAIRNS WAS among the fret
to reach the bank. AS he entered he al
most stumbled over the form of Cashier
Filbert who, with torn clothing and
bleeding head, was endeayorlng to crawl
through the door.
CAIRNS ran into the street shouting
murder" and then reformed to the
bank. Sounds of struggling still came
from the rear room, and CAIRNS hurried
to that apartment where he found Plaggo
bleeding from a number of wounds,
fighting vigorously with stalwart young
man, who lay on the floor, with Palggo
on top of him. IA blcoay tack-hammer
and u revolver with a broken butt lay on
either side of the struggling men. The
young mans clothing was stained with
blood In the region of the abdomen. The
crowd which had gathered, separated the
two men and took Lawton to tho lock-
up. He was too severely wounded to offer
resistance and this fact was all that saved
him from violence at the hands OF the
excited crowd.
Cashier Filbert was alone in the bank
when Lawton, whom he recognized as .
visitor of last Friday, who sought loan
on "a supposed farm, entered. Lawton
called Hilbert into the outer office to con-
cult a map which hung on tine wall and
started quarrel. Filbert Is small and
feeble and could offer little resistance
to Lawton, who pounded him savHgely
on the head with tack-hammer.
Repeated blows from the hammer sent
10 old man m ha fIoor hut hia crfoa 4
tracted farmer Plaggo. AS the latter
entered Lawton said;
"Filbert is in the back room and guess
there is something the matter with him."
Flaggo pushed open the door and as he
stood over the PROSTATE cashier, Lawton
struck BIN three times on the back of
the head with the hammer. The old
farmer turned on his knees and grasped
his assailant about the legs until both
fell to the floor and struggled for posses
sion of the hammer. Each in turn re-
ceived blows with it until Lawton drew
his revolver.
The men then fought for that weapon
and in the scuffls it was discharged, the
ball striking Lawton in the abdomen.
Plaggo says he has no idea how thu re-
Volver was discharged. The wound weak
ened Lawton SO much, that, although he
still fought, Plaggo easily threw him to
the floor and held him until assistance ar
rived.
LaWton's confessed motive for the as
sault was revenge ON Filbert who. he al
leges, slienated the affections of his wife
His So. ~ is not believed by the police,
however. They have no doubt the loot
ing OF the sank was his ultimate design.
The robber says he tracked Filhert for
five years, and that he discovered only
recently where ths object of his pursuit
lived. He went to the bank he asserts,
to demand $500 In satisfaction of the
old injury. The cash balance of the insti-
tuition was 500, 900, all of which was in
the bank when the assault took place.
Lawton was brought to Chicago late
tonight and placed In jail. Although
1t Is manifest that the name of Lawton
was assumed, he having cut nll Initials
from his linen, to avoid Identification,
he insists that he has given his actual
mama
He denies that he entered the bank for
the purpose of robbery and claims that
the alienation of his wife's affections
by hilbert took place five years ago at
the, Fifth avenue hotel in New York.
Filbert declares ne has not been In New
York in 20 years.
Late tonight it was announced that
both Hilbert and Lawton would die. The
formers skull Is fractured in two places.