The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-29
CLEW TO BANDITS
DETECTIVES ON TRACK OF MEN
WHO ROBBED UNION Pa
CIFIC MAIL
ATTEMPT TO CASH NOTES

Taken From the Express Car Gave
the Authorities a Clew to the Sup
posed Highwaymen-Curry Broth
ers Involved in the Latest DeveI-
opment of the Famous Case
Home of Bandits Is in Montana.
HELENA, Mont, Jan. 2S.-After months
of unavailing efforts on the part of rail-
road detectives and the sheriffs of two
states to apprehend the perpetrators Of
the robbery Of the Union Pacific mail
train, in June last, chance has unexpect-
eddy revealed the identity of a number
of the gang. The history Of the robbery
and Of the subsequent fight and pursuit
of the robbers Is we'll known. The train
was held up on the night Of June e. 1889,
near Rock Creek, Wyo, by six masked
men, who blew open the express safe,
taking therefrom an amount of money
estimated at from $50, 900 to $4,000. With
swift horses they fed through Wyoming,
pursued by sheriffs' posses and railroad
detectives, and after one or two desper-
ate encounters, in which one sheriff lost
! way to the famous Hole In the Wall,
in the Big Horn basin, from which, after
several brushes with Montana sheriffs
| and two stock detectives, they finally
| made their escape. Notwithstanding the
fact that reward Of $4,000 was offered
by two express companies and by the
| postoftice department. nothing has been
heard of the bandits for number of
months
From facts recently developed 1t now
appears that three of the gang were
| without doubt the well known Curry
brothers, Of Northern Montana, known as
Harvey. Bob and 'Loney." The strang-
est feature of the whole is that until
recently Bob and Loney had been living
quietly at their home In Harlem, Mont, a
small station on the Great Northern rail-
| road, engaged, as usual In the saloon
business, and having no apparent connec-
ton with the Wyoming robbery, until
certain actions on their part of late
aroused suspicion against them. Detec-
tives were put on their track, and all
was working well, but the suspects them
selves, In some way, got an inkling OF
proceedings and suddenly and quietly
disappeared.
TRIED TO CASH BILLS.
The first clew leading to the discovery
of their implication in the robbery was
some time in December, when the Stock
mems National Bank of Fort Benton re-
ceived from Loney Curry FIVE s100 bills
of the First National Bank of Portland,
to be forwarded for redemption. These
bills were numbered seriatim, but were
minus the signature of the president and
cashier, and from each bill the lower
right-hand corner had been torn off
When, in the regular routine of bust
ness, these bills were forwarded to the
bank of issue, 1t was discovered that
they were part of a large shipment
from the United States treasury which
had been stolen from the Pacific Express
company's car at the time of the rob-
berry. The express company was i'm
mediately notified and at once put detec-
tives on the track of the Curry BROTH
ers. The latter, however, in some way
became aware of the proceedings and
suddenly left the country, but not until
after they had disposed Of another "wad''
of the same series Of bills to the Cas-
cade Bank of Great Falls and received
draft therefor. AS Harlem Is situated
in the center Of a large area of wild,
unsettled country, and only short dis
tance from the Canada line, they could
effect their escape with little difficulty.
NOTORIOUS FAMILY.
The Curry family is notorious, and
even in these civilized times has made
history which reminds one Of the early
days of the West. There were original
ly five brothers-Hank, Harvey, Johnny,
Bob and Loney. They came to this
state about 1885 from Southern Missouri,
and it is reported that they have trace
of negro blood In their veiEs. Hank
| I'LL
whether with his boots on history
does not state. Johnny early lost an
army in shooting scrape, and some
years later having already appropriated
his neighbours wife, undertook to take
possession of his ranch also, and at
tempted to enforce his claim with six
shooter The rightful owner of the
ranch was a little quicker with firearms
| than he, however, with the result that
Johnny fell from his horse a dead man.
Harvey Curry in a brawl In a store in
Landusky, Mont, shot and killed
man by the name Of Pike Landusky, who
had tainted him with his mixed blood,
his brothers being implicated in the
Scrape for standing off the crowd during
| the quarrel. Loney was arrested for
hammering a man nearly to death at
the Belknap Indian agency, and was
only released on his promise that he
would leave town. Shooting up the
! town. ard escapades of that nature were
| their ordinary paStime.
| After the killing of Landusky, Harvey
Curry disappeared, and the two re-
| naming brothers settled down to more
| quiet life 1t was reported that Harvey
had gone to South America; from recent
| developments, however, 1t Is believed
that instead of leaving the country. as
reported, he Joined the notorious Hole
| In the Wall gang and was one of the six
who robbed the Union Pacific mail train
last summer. That his brothers were
associated with him in the robbery seems
evident from the fact that Bob and Loney
We're both missing from Harlem for
few weeks early In the summer. Nothing
was thought of their absence at the
time, but it is now believed that Harvey
sent for them to join him in the enter
prise and employed them to assist in
disposing of the bills. A good sum would
now be paid for information regarding
the whereabouts of these two.
FRANK p. CATLIN DEAD.