Omaha daily bee., 1899-09-25
ROSS CAVE ROBBER A CHASE
Plucky Conductor Follows Highwaymer
Until He is Shot Twice.
POLICE UNABLE TO SECURE ANY clul
j. ID. Laird, from Exeter, Ia, Taken
Into Custody Upon the story of n
witness in Bookkeeping Case
Ross wounds Not Serious.

The police have been unable to secure any
clue that would lead to the Identification
or arrest Of the two highwaymen who held
up and shot Motor Conductor Ross about
midnight Saturday in front Of the Bloomer
school building on Willow avenue. The two
bullets which lodged in the back of Ross
right hand were extracted yesterday morn
ing and. except for the soreness of the
wound, he was very little the worse for his
exciting adventure.
The particulars Of the hold-up as told by
Ross yesterday show that it was a most dar-
ing one. Ross was accompanying a lady
friend home and had reached the Bloomer
school when they were stopped by two men
whose faces were partially disguised by
handkerchief as masks, who ordered him
to hold up his hands. He complied with
the demand as the shorter of the two men
had him covered with a revolver. While
the taller fellow went through his pockets
the other thug kept Ross covered, the re-
volver being within a foot OF his face.
After rihing his pockets and securing
about $25 in money and his gold watch and
chain the thugs started west on Willow
avenue on the run. Just as they started to
run Ross companion tore the handkerchief
partly of the face OF the robber with the
gun and thus was able to get a good look
at his face. She is certain she would be
able to identify him If she ever saw him
again.
Ross, as soon as the robbers ran, started
after them. At Eighth street the pair sep
arated, the taller of the two turning south
while the other continued west on the
avenue. Ross followed the fellow who
turned south and was close on his heels
when he saw a man coming toward them.
He called out to him to catch the robber
and the man made a grab at the fleeing
thug. The robber stumbled, but quickly re-
gained his feet. Ross continued the chase
and at the alley between Third and Fourth
avenue was within a few feet of him when
the fellow stopped, drew his revolver and
fired point blank at Ross. Ross threw out
his hands and the two shots hit him in the
back of the right hand. A third shot went
wild.
This satisfied Ross and he decided to take
no more chances, but returned to where he
had left his companion. He then went to
a doctor to have his wounds dressed and
after calling at the police station was taken
to st. Demands hospital, where DR.. Seybert
removed the two bullets, which were firmly
lodged in the muscles Of the hand. It was
fortunate for Ross that he was holding his
hands in the position he did when the thug
fired or otherwise the bullets would have
entered his body with probably far more
serious results.
officer George Wilson, who had been at
tracted by the shooting, trailed the fellow
who shot Ross from Fourth avenue and
Eighth street to the Sprague Iron works at
Tenth avenue, where he caught sight of
him. The officer was about half a block
behind the thug, who was running. He
called on him to halt. but the fellow merely
Increased his pace. Wilson fired twice, but
the range was too long and the officers
quarry made his way into the vacant lots
near the foundry, which are overgrown with
sunflowers ten feet high, and escaped.
Yesterday morning Leigh Ballenger, a son
of Attorney H. A. Ballenger, while passing
along Willow avenue, picked up a IS bill
and 30 cents in small change, which the rob-
bers had evidently dropped after starting to
run. The money taken from Ross consisted
of three IS bills, one IS gold piece and
about So in silver and small change.
G. Sylvester, a witness in a Bookkeeping
case in the federal court from the eastern
part Of the state, who had a companion
arrested a couple Of days ago on a charge
OF stealing his revolver, bobbed up at the
police station last evening and accused ]. d..
Laird. another witness, from Extra, Ia, of
being one of the thugs who held up Ross.
He told the police he had overheard Laird
talking about the holdup and admitting he
was implicated in 1t. Laird was taken into
custody, but denied the charge and in turn
accused Sylvester Of either being crazy
from drink or mentally deranged. The po-
lice, although they placed no credence in
Sylvester's story, decided to lock both of
them up over night on the charge Of being
Migrants.