The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-04
A SUSPECT IS ARRESTED
Believed to Have Held Up a
Saloon a Year Ago.
A ERICSSON SPRINGS JOB
A Thousand Dollars Secured From the
Saloon Of j. M. Shiffman = Albert
Bertsch Is the Man Now
Under Arrest.

The police believe they have at last
captured one of the two robbers who
held up the saloon of j. NJ. Shiffman
at Gregson Springs nearly year ago
and secured upwards of $1,000. The sus-
pect is young man named Albert
Bertsch and he is now in custody at
the county jail.
Shiffman's saloon is situated a few
rods from the the Butte, Anaconda &
Pacific railway station at Gregson
Springs. Between and 10 o'clock on
the night of Aug. 7 of last year the
night bartender was on duty and four
or five customers We're in the saloon
chatting and drinking, when suddenly
two men, masked and each carrying
a big gun, appeared in the doorway.
The leader gave a stern command for
all the party to throw UP their hands.
There were two guns behind the bar,
but the bartender had just stepped out
I'm front of the bar and the crowd be-
ing at the mercy of the hold-ups, had
nothing to do but comply.
They were all directed to line up
against the wall with their faces to
the WALL and while one of the rob-
through their pockets. The result was
not very encouraging, and the fellow
then turned his attention to the money
drawer. He was not satisfied with the
contents of the drawer and next Wis
tied the safe, which he found locked.
Proprietor shiffman was asleep in
back room and the robber who was
doing the work went back, awakened
him and made him get up
and go and unlock the safe. All
told the robbers got SLIGO in money,
two revolvers and four checks. They
backed out of the saloon and, mount
ing horses which were tied outside,
rode away.
The sheriffs office here was immedi-
ately notified and officers went to work
on the case Immediately, but no clue
to the robbers was ever obtained until
day before yesterday. Bertsch, the
man under arrest had pawned a req
volver at Roses pawn shop in this city.
Shiffman happens to be a friend Of
Pawnbroker Rose, and Thursday he
happened to be in the pawn office when
Bertsch came in and asked to be loaned
another dollar on the gun. Mr.. Rose
got, out the revolver and concluded to
grant the request. Shiffman was a
close observer during the transaction,
and he noticed when the gun was pro-
duced that it bore striking similarity
at the time of the robbery. When
Bertsch had departed he asked to see
the gun and found it was sure enough
one of the stolen, revolyers. 1t was n
hammerless 3S-caliber Smith & Wesson
of a pattern not difficult of identified
ton Shiffman at once visited police
headquarters to report his discovery
and Detective Murphy arrested Bertsch.
Yesterday the bartender was brought
to Butte and both he and Shiffman took
a look at the prisoner. From the fact
that the robbers had been masked they
could not identify him positively, but
said that as near as they could judge he
was one of the men.
Bertsch denies that he was impli-
Gated in the robbery and says he got
the gun from Ernest Stackpole, the
young man who achieved some noto-
riety a few years ago by writing Il
threatening letter to W. A. Clark, de-
handing money. The officers are still
working on the case