Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1900-09-19
TRIED TO ROB A BANK.
Desperadoes Discovered in Act Of
Cracking Safe at Wilton.
ESCAPE FROM CITIZENS.
They Fire at Men Who Attempt TO
Apprehcnd Them and
Get Away.

La Crosse. Wis. Sept. 1I.-lSpeciaI.
three desperate men, early Sunday
morning. attempted to rob the bank at
Wilton, Wis. not far from here. but
were scared away by citizen who ar
arrived on the early train from the west
and accidentally heard the explosion
The men fed without getting any booty
bnt fired q dozen shots at their discover
ers who had a desperate fight with them
Saturday. J. Doyle of Wilton, accom-
panied by two friends, went TO Sparta
on business. They returned on the train
getting into Wilton shortly after mid
3hsht and did not go direct to their
ssomes, but stopped to talk over the re
suits Of the days trip. 1t was shortly
after l O'Clock when they were startled
by shots from the direction of the bank
and hurried TO investigate. They found
that an attempt was heIn;5 made to blow
Oft the door of the safe and loot the
strong box Of its contents. There WAS
one man inside the building and two out
side, the latter Of whom soon discovered
The intruders. They notified the one
working on the inside and he lmmedi-
ately stopped work at the safe and the
trio turned theit attention to the three
Inen who had discovered them. They
opened fire with their rerolvers. which
were Of large caliber. and chased the
three citizens around back of the bank.
firing a dozen shots, all uncomfOrtably
near, but striking none Of them. BY this
time the town was aroused and came To
the assistance OF the citizens who were
III q good way of being murdered. The
dcsperadoeS saw things were liable to go
against them and left through the dark
passageWays and escaped from the city.
\ good description of one of the men
was obtained ana the country is being
no n ora
was done was to the safe door which
was blown from its hinges.
The bank is owned by s. w. Brown.
formerly owner of the West Salem Jour
nal.
At about A o'clock yesterday morning.
= few hours after the attempt at bank
robbing. q team was stolen at Tunnel
No. 2. between Wilton ana Norwalk, and
it is quite probable that the same par
ties are the ones who did both good
description CT the horses has been wired
I'll over the country.
1t is quite possible that the trio are the
same ones who >,ered Officer Gates III
this city several nights ago and who
attempted to hold up the Singer machine
agent near Oil City some nights later.
The people Of La Crosse are inclined
To think thai The prevalence of crime III
this vicinity Is due to nothing else shan
the tramp convention at Britt. la.. some
time ago. This is Il great railroad center
and on the route favored by tramps III
making their Journeys back and forth
across the country. There have been sew
eral holdups on the Minnesota side Of
the river and the people of La Crescent,
just opposite la Crosse. held Il mass
meeting Saturday night to devise ways;
and means OF stopping such business.
There is more Of that kind of work be
ing done now than since the days Of the
pioneers in this section. 1t is getting
so that men are afraid to drive on the
country roads after dark. and the smaller
towns expect their citizens to be held rp
on their dimly-iighted streets any night.