Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-09-21
STRANGE ASSAULT IN ILLINOIS.
Bank Cashier Beaten With Tack
Hammer-Assnilant Badly Wounded.

CHICAGO, September 2O-Frederick j.
Filbert the aged cashier Of the Palatine
Bank. in Palatine, H., twenty-slx 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 Lawton. The latter.
who IS unknown to anybody in Palatine,
and is apparently Of good education. is
in the county Jail, suffering from a bull
let-wound, which will probably prove
fatal
Henry Plagge. 20 years Of age farmer,
whose Intervention at a cTAlcal moment
prevented the outright murder of the
cashier. Is at his home, west Of the VIII
lage, cut and bruised, and disabled, as
result Of his struggle with Lawton, whose
motive for the assault. according to his
repeated statements. was not robbery.
The attack upon Gilbert was made with
a tack-hammer, and the aged cashier
was struck at least a dozen times before
Plagge interfered. The attack occurred
at O'Clock in the afternoon. At this
hour many of the residents Of the com
munity was thrown into Il tumult by
hearing the report Of a revolver, and the
noise of fierce struggle in the bank
among the first 10 reach the bank. AS he
entered he almost stumbled over the form
Of Cashier Hilbert, who, with torn cloth
ing and bleeding head, was feebly en-
deayOring 10 crawl through the open
door.
Garmes turned and ran into the street
shouting Murder" and then returned
to the bank. Sounds Of a struggle still
came from the rear room, and Garmes
hurried to that apartment AS he pushed
open the glass door he found the old
German farmer Piagge) bleeding from
a number Of wounds, but fighting yigOr-
ously with a stalwart young main, who
lay on the floor with Plagge on top Of
him. A bloody tack-hammer and a re-
yolyer with a broken butt lay on either
side Of the struggling men. The young
mans clothing was stained with blood.
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 the ex-
cited crowd that followed him to jail.
ASSAILANT'S ALLEGED MOTIVE.
LawtOn's confessed motive for the as
sault was revenge on Hilbert, who, he al
lNhtEf AAlflaNtu Alt uAfAAANila "a no
WIFE, His story is not believed by the po-
lice. however. They have no doubt the
looting of the bank was his ultimate de-
sign. ..,....
The robber says he tracked Filbert for
five years, and that he discovered only
recently where the object Of his pursuit
lived.
He went TO the bank, he asserts, TO de-
mand $500 in satisfaction for the old IN
/ jury.
The cash balance of the institution was
10000 all of which was In the vaults at
the time the assault took place.
Lawton was brought to Chicago on
late train tonight, and placed In the
county iail. He denied that he had en-
tered the bank for the purpose OF rob.
merry. and claimed that the alienation OK
his Wife's affections by f1lOert took place
i've wears ago. al the Ftith-Avenue no
lei i'm New York city. Filbert declares
he has not been in New York for twenty
years -......1 mt
both Filbert and Lawton would dle; Inc
fornoer's skull Is fractured I'm two places,
and the latter cannot survive his wound