Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1900-12-27
FIFTY EIGHTH YEAR
Montfort Bank Robbery.

Between the hours of one and two
o'clock Sunday morning the bank OF L,
T. Stevens, located at Montfort, was
entered by burglars and the safe
blown with nitroglycerine. Three
charges were made by the thugs and
most within their grasp, obtainable
withlittle or no effort, the despera-
does were frightened from the scene
of their work for fear of capture, the
noise produced by the explosions
arouSing a number OF people residing
in vicinity of the bank building, who
in turn gave general alarm and
within short space of time a posse
of men led by Marshall A. o. Mills
was hot in pursuit of the fleeing fugi-
tives
The story of the raid, the flight, the
! chase and capture of the thieves is an
interesting one and Is being brought
out in detail at the court house today
in preliminary hearing being given
the prisoners before Justice G. B.
Whee'er. Dist. Atty. Howe is in at
tendance on part of state and Ed. M.
Lowry is retained as counsel for de-
PENDANTS. The circuit court room
where the examination is taking place
is crowded to the doors with interest
ed on-lookers and fully score or more
of witnesses from Montfort and else
where are here to testify. A Pinker-
ton detective and an agent ofthe bank
insurance company in which Mr..
Stevens was insured are here securing
minute description of the prisoners
and it is very likely they are much
wanted criminals.
1t will be divulged at the hearing
that the quartette of marauders were
at Highland on evening of night the
deed was done. At Highland they
procured supper and night overtaking
them on the road to Montfort we
learn they stopped at a farm house,
made inquiries concerning directions
and purchased a lantern which lighted
their way to the scene of their unlaw-
full work.
At about :45 a. M, III. r. Doran,
who resides in the second story of a
building across the street from the
bank, was aroused from his slumbers
by his wife and told that something
was wrong over at the bank. He
arose and peering through the win
dow could plainly see three men in a
dim light working in front of the safe
in the bank building. A moment
later an explosion took place and he
was well aware of the transactions be-
ing made across the street.
He debated with his wife about
going out and alarming the town but
Mrs. Doran, fearful of her husbands
personal safety in such an attempt.
would not listen to it. Finally they
hit upo ma plan. Opening the window
Doran screamed Fire" at the top of
his voice "a number of times, and this
caused CONSERVATION in the bank.
Another explosion followed simultan-
eously and then, fearing arrest on ac-
count of the alarm, with the object
of their labor still behind the slender
wall of a chest, the robbers took
flight towards tie station ht u 'e,
whittier they had been previously and
chartered without leave a handcar
that stood handy by, hastily mounted
it and pumped their way eastward as
fast as the crude carriage could be
propelled.
The alarm given by Mr.. Doran was
quickly taken up by others and be-
fore many moments had elapsed a
number of people were on the streets,
the looting of the bank discovered
and a posse hastily deputized by Mar
shall Mills to 90 in pursrit. Road
Master Snyder of the Northwestern
road, who was in the village that
night, volunteered services and Sc
cured a second handcar for the pur-
suers. The party was composed OF
Marshal Mills, Henry Snyder, Clar-
ence Mcdonald, Earnest Townsend,
William Kennedy, Ezra and John
Thomas, and within a remarkably
short space of time was hot on the
trail. In describing the details OF
the exploit to a Herald reporter Sun
day evening Marshall Mills told in
substance the following, including
the story of the capture that took
place four hours later near Ridgeway,
nearly thirty miles distant:
The night was cold and the dark
est | believe l ever saw. Each of US
was armsd in one way or another and
we had two lanterns We were at a
loss on arriving at Montfort junction
as to which road to take. Going
down the Galena line to the first road
crossing we discovered by the aP-
..a rfe - - ros1- y A