Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-02-12
$4,000 in Cash and $4,000 in
Drafts Gone.
TRACKED SUSPECTS IN THE SNOW
consummate Nerve characterized the
Robbery-The Safe Weighed Four
Hundred Pounds-Theft Occurred
at Manila, Town Near Sioux City.

Sioux City, Feb. 11.-A $4,000 haul
was made by the robbers who boldly
stole United States express company
route safe at Manila Saturday night
while express matter and baggage was
being transferred from train on the
Sioux City division of the Chicago, Mil
waukee & st. Paul railway to Chica-
go train. The express officials will
not state that this sum was lost, but it
is known that about $4,000 in cash
was taken on in Sioux City and about
$25,0OO in drafts and other valuables.
Three men were arrested at 8
o'clock yesterday morning in the coun-
try near Manila after an all-night hunt
by citizens posse under direction Of
the city marshal-John Jackson, Chas.
Hayes and John Stovall, all young fell
lows who live in and near Manila.
Say They Have Clear Case.
| The officers who arrested them de.
clare that the evidence is conclusive.
The trail led Enthusiastically to their
lair, altho no part of the booty was
found on them. They persist in de-
claring themselves innocent. a
Consummate nerve characterized
| the robbery The Sioux City train ar
rived in Manila at sos p. M, and i'm
mediately thereafter the express mes-
Asenger. James w. Sturteyant of Sioux
4 City. and couple of baggage rustlers
employed at the Manila junction un
loaded the car, placing the route safe
on platform truck with other freight.
The Chicago train was an hour or
more late, and the men climbed into
the. car to get out of the cold while
waiting. At about $40 o'clock the
messenger stepped outside and for the
first time noted the loss of the safe.
z Carried off the Safe.
The heavy iron box had been picked
up bodily from the truck by two men
and carried away. Usually the depot
platform is crowded at train time, but
the extreme cold weather kept the GU
rious depot loungers inside, and the
men were not detected as they worked
at the dark end Of the platform.
The men carried the heavy box for
about two blocks, where they loaded
| it into buggy and drove away. A
mile and a half in the country north
of the town the box was found several
hours later, forced open, and its yalu-
able contents gone.
A posse was Immediately organized
after the loss was discovered and the
country searched in every direction.
The trail was finally found and a hard
chase kept up all night thru snow
drifts, cornfields, over country roads
and across hills. This morning the
three men under arrest were captured
at the end of the trail that the lucky
posse followed.
Robbers Are Easily Tracked.
While the robbery undoubtedly was
deliberately planned, as the horse and
wagon were in waiting in convenient
spot, it is not believed that the men
knew they were making so rich haul.
They had no means of knowing the
contents of the safe, only that it was
used for carrying yaluab1es. They
found an unusually favorable oppor-
tunity when Sturtevant left the safe
on the truck, and had it not been for
the telltale tracks in the snow it is not
likely that arrests would have been
made SO promptly
Jackson, Stovall and Hayes have
Ibeen in the habit of hanging about the
Edepot at train time, but that was not
considered significant, as it is the Gus
tom of a number OF town people at
Manila.
Mrs. Jackson, wife of John jackson.
was also arrested, but at prelimina-
Try hearing she was released. The ex-
amination was continued today. The
three prisoners are in Jail, having been
unable to furnish bonds of $12, 700
leach.