The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-12

ing with his widowed mother at q Mac
kubin street Balfour is an inexperienced
youth, but Rogan is regarded by the po-
lice as a dangerous and desperate char
acter OF the money stolen, $50 was found
hidden in a water pipe at the Omaha
! freight depot, under the Robert street
bridge where the robbers had cached
it in their fight.
For boldness of conception and daring
execution the robbery causes the more
recent operations Of criminals in this city
to pale into insignificance. Half an hour
later the robbers would have secured a
much greater sum of money, as by noon
the receipts for the morning sales would
have been in the safe, and 1T is believed
the robbery was planned with the idea of
making large haul by getting the entire
receipts. The police charge the planning
of the robbery to Rogan, and think he in
duced young Balfour to assist him.
When the robbers entered the office
there was nothing TO indicate their des-
peratc purpose They walked in quietly,
and one of them asked permission to COLI
suit the directory. Otto G. Berreau, cash
er, and John Nelson, assistant bookkeep-
er, were the only ones in the office. Cash
! ier BeTreau granted the request made by
one of the men to look at the directory
and turned toward his books. Nelson had
his back to the strangers Scarcely had
Mr.. Berreau resumed his work when he
heard the wire door opening into the Of
fee click, and turned about. He was
startled to see one of the strangers level
ing a revolver at his head.
Throw up your hands!" ordered the
robber, "and be d quick. No foo
ishness goes!"
Reading desperation in the robbers ac-
! tions, Mr.. Berreau elevated his hands.
| when the rObber also ordered young Mel
| son to do likewise. Mr.. Nelson complied,
! ard then the robber made the pair march
| to the wall farthest away from the safe
| and stand with their faces to the wall.
In this position the rObber with the gun
held the employees, quickly directing his
| companion as to what course to pursue
! The second and apparently more timd
rObber, obeying his confederates orders,
went through Mr. Berreau's pockets and
secured the keys to the inner compart-
ments of the safe. Finding the large out
side door open, the robber unlocked the
inner compartments and appropriated ev-
erything inside that looked like money.
During the operations the fellow with
the revolver, alleged to have been Rogan,
cursed his confederate roundIy for being
so slow. When the robber rifiing the safe
communicated TO Ills companion LDdC ne
had secured everything of value in sight
the fellow with the revolver ordered Cash
ier Berreau and young Nelson to march
| to a doorway, apparently opening into a
darkened room.
This was the robbers fatal move. In
stead of being a storerOom or unused in
closure with no other exit, it was the en-
trance to the bottlewashing departmen
! where half dozen men were at work.
A the SlipF and the q Scict-
| ant boOkkeper disappeared through the
| doorway the robbers ran out the front
! door. In an instant Mr.. Berreau had
| communicated to those in the bottle
washing department what happened, and
pursuit Of the robbers was commenced.
| Frank G. Grossman, foreman of the
| department, and his assistant James
Hart, were the first to start after the
robbers. They saw the fugitives run
| ming toward Exchange street and ran
| after them. At Eagle street the robbers
| turned toward the railroad tracks. Gross
! man and Hart followed half a block
| away. In the railroad yards the rob-
| bers lodged among freight cars and
| doubled on their tracks several times
! but Grossman and Hart managed to
! keep them in sight all of the time. The
i~purSuers were at a disadvantage, how
! ever, for whenever they got very close
| to the robbers the one with the revolver
I stopped and stood them off with the lev
| eled weapon, threatening to kill them.
Each time this occurred the robbers back
| ed some distance away and thus secured
a fresh lead. But Grossman and Hart
| clung to the chase and never lost sight
| Of the robbers until the Omaha freight
] depot was reached, when the pursued
lodged out of sight. They appeared
| again in a few seconds however, having,
| 1t is alleged stopped only long enough
| to plant the money in the water pipe,
| when they ran toward the union depot
! At Jackson street the pursuers were
| close to the robbers and call&l out to
| pedestrians and railroad employees to
| stop the fugitives. Seeing that only
| last bold dash for liberty gave any chance
| of escape, the robbers increased their
| speed, darting toward Sibley street.
| Here Tony Lowell switchman in the
knploy of the Union Depot company,
headed them off. Rogan lodged toward
| the Bethel, his companion following him.
By this time a crowd had joined the pur-
| suit.
With the robbers almost hemmed In
| Grossman and Hart reached the scene.
| Desperate over impending capture, Ro-
| gan drew his revolver and brandished it
| in the faces of those about him. He fired
one shot, but hit no one. officer Ben
| Morse heard the shot and ran to see
what was the trouble. Realizing des-
perate situation was pending Officer
| Morse dashed through the crowd and