Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-02-11
BOLD ROBBERY M|ONA.
Iron Box Containing $40. 600
Stolen From United States
Express at Manila.
Taken From Depot Trucks While
Waiting For Transfer to
Chicago Train.
Box. Rifled Of Contents Found
in Country--T Three Arrests
Made.
Special to Tines-Republican.

/ Special to es-Republican.
Des Moines Feb. 11.A special from
Manila, Iowa, gives meager details of
| the theft of an express safe said to con
tain $4,000 in cash and $4,000 in drafts
and valuables. When the passenger
train from the north on the Sioux City
and Dakota branch OF the Chicago,
Milwaukee & st. Paol railroad arrived
from the north at 10 O'clock last night
Two truck loads of express oflthe United
states Express Company We're unloaded
from the express car to be transferred
Ito No. 4, east-bound on the main line.
The trucks stood on the platform for a
short time. When No. arrived and the
packages we're being unloaded the abb
sence of a small safe, said to have con-
tained $4,000, was discovered Train No..
/ . was held one and a half hours and
search for the safe prosecuted, but
without result.
No clue to the robbers or their method
lsof operation is known.
Special to Times epubl ican.
! Sioux City, Feb. u.A $4,000 haul
4 was made by the robbers who boldly
I stole a United States Express Com
lpany route safe at Manila, Iowa, Sat
arday night While express matter and
baggage We're being transferred from
train on the Sioux City division of the
! Chicago, milwaukee, & st. Paul railway
Ito a Chicago train. The express officials
! VIII not state that this sum was lost,
HAT 1T is known that about $4,000 i'll
leash was taken on in Sioux City and
about $4,000 in drafts and other valu-
I ables.
\ Three men were arrested at . o'clock;
| Sunday morning in the country near
1 Manila after an all-night hunt by a
tctizens' posse under the direction of the
lefty marshal-John Jackson, Charles
Hayes and John Stovall, all young fell
Ilows who live and near Manila
/ The officers who arrested them declare
THAT the evidence is conclusive The
| trail led Enthusiastically to their lair, all
1tho no part of the booty was found on
them. They persist in declaring them
selves Innocent
Consummate nerve characterized the
/ robbery. The Sioux City train arrived
lin Manila at sos p. M, and Immediate
lily thereafter the express messenger
4 James w Sturtevant, of Sioux City.
and a couple of baggage rustlers em-
\, ployed at the Manila Junction unloaded
4 the car, placing the route safe on a
platform truck with other freight. The
4 ,Chicag6 train was an hour or more late,
4 and the men climbed into the car to get
Il cut of the cold while waiting. At about
3lss:40 O'clock the messenger stepped OUT
4 side and for the first time noted the
loss of the safe
4 The heavy iron box had been picked
I up bodily from the truck by two men
i and carried away Usually the depot
platform is crowded at train time. but
the extreme cold weather kept the Curl
Gus depot loungers inside. and the men
We're not detected as they worked at the
4 dark end of the platform.
The men caFried the heavy box for
about two blocks, where they loaded it
4 into a buggy and drove away. A mile
4 and a half in the country north of the
town the box was found several hours
later. forced open, and its valuable con-
4 tents gone.
A posse was Immediately organized
after the loss was discovered and the
country searched in every direction. The
trail was finally found and hard
chase kept up all night thru snowdrffts.
across hills. In the morning the three
men under arrest We're captured at the
4 end of the trail that the lucky posse
i followed.
4 While the robbery undoubtedly vac
deliberately planned, as the horse and
wagon We're in waiting in a convenient
spot, it is not believed that the men
knew they We're making 80 rich haul
4 They had no means of Knowing the con
tents of the safe, only that it was used
! for carrying valuables. They found an
unusually favorable opportunity when
4 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
4 promptly.
Jackson, Stovall and Hayes have heen
in the habit of hanging about the depot
at train time. but that was not consid-
Tered significant. as 1t is the custom OF a
number of town people at Manila.
Mrs Jackson, wife Of John Jack son,
was also arrested. but at q preliminary
hearing last evening che was released.
The examination will be- continued to-
day. The three prisoners are in Jail.
having been unable to furnish bonds Of
$4,000 each.
Detectives on the scene.
Chicago. Feb. 11.-Detectives OF the
4 Chicago, Milwaukee & ST. Paul road
and of the United Express Company
We're hurried yesterday fnorning to
points in Iowa near the scene Of the
mysterious express robbery at Manila
the junction of the Sioux City and ON
aha branches. The local officials denied
all knowledge of the amount secured or
the details of the robbery, and asserted
that The matter was in the hands OF the
officials of the Iowa division.
The safe stolen contained currency
and money orders in transit to the Chi
cago Office. 1t was an oblong iron box
about 15x3O inches, and weighing about
400 pounds. When valuables were
locked in the box it was supposed to be
guarded at all times by the express
messenger to whom 1t was intrusted.
/ The name of the messenger or his ex-
Eplanation of the DISAPPEARANCE has not
Ebeen divulged by the officials.
4 Train No. 4, to which tue safe was:be-
ing transferred with sther baggage
from the Sioux City and Dakota train.
arrivedat the union depot at noon yes
terday three and half hours late. In
addition to being held at Manila while
/ a search for the missing safe was Iue,np