Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-11-27
THEY SAWlT COMING
st. Joseph Police Say They Elk
pected Rock Island Robbery.
SAY SCENEOF HOLD-Up WAS CHAN Ed
Believe that Pat Grove and His Gang
Did the Work and That They In
tended at First to Carry it Out at
st. Joseph, but Changed Plans.

tended at First to Carry it Out at
st. Joseph, but Changed Plans.
The astonishing information is Civ
en- out that the daring hold7up of Rock
Island train No. 11,which occurred last
Friday near Davenport. was originally
planned to have been attempted near
st. Joseph Mo, but the plans of the
robbers were changed owing to the
fact that It became known that the st.
Joseph police had acquired knowledge
of the proposed robbery. The news
was given out yesterday by the st.
Joseph Gazette, on which paper Clar-
ence G. Cheadle the son of Mr. and
Mrs. S. R. Cheadle, l0S East Fifth
street, is police reporter. 1t is also
stated that the Davenport hold-up was
| leadership of Pat Grove, the alleged
kidnaper of Eddie Cudahy, who has
never been apprehended since that
deed was committed. The Gazette
has the following to say Of the orig
inal plans of the Rock Island robbers:
st. Joseph police were expecting the
Rock Island train hold-up, which oc
Cured near Davenport, Iowa, last Fri
day night, to be attempted near this
city and were surprised to learn that
the scene of operations had been NOV
ed so far away
Ever since and prior to the Bur-
lington hold-up near Lincoln, Neb.,
some time ago, the st. Joseph police
have been closely watching the actions
of local crooks and expecting, that the
attempt at hold-up would be perpetrat-
ed near ST. Joseph.
i Some weeks ago the st. Joseph po-
lice were given a tip that a hold-up
of the st. Joseph and Kansas City ex.
press had been planned and since that
time the vigilance of the local officers
has been untiring.
The members of the gang of train
robbers are all believed to be the fol-
lowers of Pat Grove, and it is to
Groves gang that the recent robber-
lies in Iowa and Nebraska may be at
tributed.
The officers have SO FAR been unable
to secure direct clue to the identity
! against them the officers have been
1 poWC 1883 W iudhG dlISSIS.
l. 1t is known that certain gang of
train robbers make their headquar--
/ tiers in Dug Cut and the French Bot.
toms north of the city while there are
desperate men who reside in the city
and cooperate with those living in
Dug Cut. st}
The police have been shadowing
these crooks for weeks past and
many trips have been made to the
French Bottoms tifor the purpose Of
watching the movements of the men
IS These men make occasional trips in
| to Iowa and Nebraska where they
meet Grove and his followers. 1t is
also believed by the police here that
the plots of the recent train robberies
were Matched in or about St. Joseph.
After the Lincoln, Neb, train rob--
berry the st. Joseph police kept a Wig,
liant watch for any track of the rob-
bers in st. Joseph, but no trace of
them was found here, though one or
two of the men who reside in the
French Bottoms were missing at the
time.
Some envelopes, supposed to have
| been taken from the car in the Lin
coin hold-up were found few weeks
ago in an Indiana town, but the police
| believe that this was subterfuge u.s.
ed by the robbers to throw the Off
Gals off their track.
1t is known, however, that a great
deal of the money which was secured
in the Burlington hold-up near Lincoln
was spent in Nebraska cities, where
Pat Grove and his followers make
their headquarters.
Grove is one of the most desperate
men in this section of the country.
and the kidnapping Of Eddie Cudahy by
him and his followers fully illustrates
the character of the man. Grove has
been identified with many daring rob-.
berries prior to the Cudany affair and
he is well known to the ST. Joseph po-
lice. Grove was alleged to have Wis.
tied st. Joseph after the Cudahy af.
fair and it was believed at one time
he would be captured here
There is no doubt in the minds of
the local police but what Pat Grove
has been behind both the Lincoln and
the Davenport train robberies. Grove
is known to have followers III st. Jos.
eph who keep him posted on the run
of affairs here.
| Several years ago Rock Island
train was held up in the cut southeast
of st. Joseph and later another at.
tempt was made, but the engineer fail.
ed to stop at the signals given by the
robbers and as the train passed a
number of shots were fired into the
y cab CT the engine
4. The cut southeast of the city forms
a very attractive spot for train rob-
bers and it was here that the police
supposed the recent robbery of the
Rock Island would occur.
The only explanation given by the
police for the hold-up not being pulled
off near St Joseph is that the thieves
had learned that the police had been
informed of the proposed robbery and
fearing they would be caught, chang.
ed their plans.
Regard For Sacred Trees.