Omaha daily bee., 1899-04-19
TRIES TO ROB BANK
Bandit Makes Unsuccessful Daylight Attempt
at Council Bluffs
SHOOTS ASSISTANT CASHIER A, j. BROWN
Bullet Lodges in Bankers Right Arm,
Making Painful Wound.
FAILS TO GET ANY MONEY
Frightened Away Before He Aocomplishes
His Unlawful Mission.
ESCAPES CLUTCHES OF The AUTHORITIES
bold Deed liz Committed In the Middle
of the Accommodations Re-
Iicycd To Have Hnd
Confederate.

desperate and daring attempt to rob
the State Savings bank on Broadway, Coun-
ell Bluffs, was made in broad daylight yes
tcrday afternoon and A. ]. Brown. the as
sistant cashier, was shot in the right arm
while resisting the demand OF the bandit
to told up his hands. Four shots in all
were fired by the desperate at
the cashier but the fusllade soon
attracted a large crowd to the scene
and the woud-be robber was foiled in his
attempt to secure any of the banks cash.
The man, whose only disguise consisted of
white handkerchief tied around the lower
part of his face, escaped through the back
door into the alley.
The attempt to rob the bank and the
shooting of Assistant Cashier Brown oc>
Cured about 2:3O o'clock, when Mr.. Brown
was alone in the bank, John Bennett tho
cashier, having stepped out for a few min
utes.
Mr. Bennett had barely left the bank
! when the robbeT. who had evidently been
watching his opportunity, entered, closing
! tho door behind him. He stepped directly
up to the paying tellers window and thrust
| ing revolver through the bars COM
manded Mr. Brown to hold up his hands.
| NJ. Brown, who was sitting at a desk n
few feet away from the window, instead
of complying with the demand seized
stool that was standing near the counter
and raised it to protect himself at the same
| time commencing to shout "Police!"
Bandit Begins to shoot.
AS soon as Mr.. Brown commenced to call
| for help the bandit began to shoot The
! first shot went wide of the mark, and as
Mr.. Brown jumped back a pace SO tho
man fired again this time with better aim.
as the shot struck a rung of the stoor,
! sphntering it to pieces. The stool un.
doubtedly saved Nr. Browns lfe.
| Nj: Brown then tried to get back of the
door of the safe, which was standing open.
| and the man fired at him for the third
! time.
! This time the shot struck Mr.. Brown In
the right arm and he dropped the stool. Mr..
Browns cries for help and the noise of the
shots had attracted a crowd outside of tho
bank, but it was several seconds before
anyone ventured to enter. AS the desperate
was about to fire the fourth and last shot
B. NJ. Sargent whose shoe store adjoins the
bank kicked in the glass of a side
window, hoping by doing this to attract the
bandits attention and prevent him from
shooting Brown.
The fourth shot, probably owing to the
mans attention being diverted by the break
: Of bn
! went dangerously close, striking the side of
! the safe, from whence 1t glanced off and be-
came embedded in map rolled up that was
standing against the safe Just as the
crowd broke into the bank, the man ran to
the back door and out into the alley and
made good his escape.
Had Confederate.
! 1t is believed that the man who entered
the bank had a partner who was stationed in
the alley back of the building who was 10
! have assisted in the contemplated robbery
but their plans were upset by Mr.. Browns
resistance. They probably had expected
that Brown, being alone in the bank, would
have at once held up his hands when order ed
to do so, and while the first man kept him
covered with his revolver the second man
was to have entered by the back door and
carried off the cash
Mr.. Brown never for a moment lost his
presence of mind and after the desperate
had made his escape was able to furnish tha
police with an excellent description. The
man was OF medium height. well built. and
wore a dark cloth cap which he had pulled
down over his eyes and either a long over
! coat or macintosh. The only disguise he
attempted was a white handkerchief tied
around his neck, which on entering the bank
he pulled up so as to cover the lower part
of his face He appeared to be a man
about 20 years of age.
Mr.. Brown was removed to his home In
a carriage and physician summoned. EN-
animation Of his arm showed that the buI-
I let had only made painful flesh wounn,
not striking the bone, The bullet entered
at point little above the wrist and after
! ploughing through the feshy part of the
! forearm came out near the elbow. Tns
affair created the greatest excitement and
an immense crowd thronged the bank for
q couple of hours after.
Three Bullets Found.
Three of the bullets fred by the des-
! perado we're picked up on the floor of tho
bank shortly after the occurrence. One wa.
! found imbedded in the roll of maps next
the safe, while another was found under
CGar between the stove and Mr.. Browns
desk. 1t had evidently struck the heavy
casting Of the stove. as one end was fat
tened. 4 third was found between the safe
and the counter and is thought to be the
one that struck the stool, breaking the
rung
The man on leaving the bank ran through
tho small yard al the back into uhe alley
and from there into the aray between
| Fourth and Main streets. II was thought
/ bn baI tglFap roCtg,. a., tho ,oIIar