The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-01-22
DARING BANK ROBBERS
Capture Treasure of East St. Louis
Stock Yards Institution.
Work at Leisure, With Rough Eidel
Watchman and Two Others Gagged,
Bound and welI Guarded.

st. Louis. Mo.--SiX masked men en-.
tered the National Stock Yards Bank.
north of Eas. St. Louis, ILL.,, and af'
ter capturing and gagging the two
night watchmen and firemen at the
plant and blowing open the vaults
with dynamite. obtained $4,000 in coir
and currency, with which they fed
They were at work on the vaults fol
nine hours without being interfered
with, from early in the evening until
early in the morning. The police OF
st. Louis have obtained no clue. The
men are supposed to have escaped on
| horseback.
Lee Philpot of Kentucky, one Of the
watchmen. q Rough Rider friend OF
President Roosevelt, was the first to
meet with the robbers. He was stand
| ing in the stock yards near the Ex-
change Building. in which the bank is
located. when three men sprang ou'
of q fence corner with reVolvers IN
their hands. They said:
1--WE want you, Philpot," and with
that overpowered him before he could
reach his revolver. The. three robbers
| took Philpot to the composing room OF
the Daily National Stock Yards Re-
porter, near by. and laid him on the
| floor. He was bound hand and foot
and gagged with towels. While lying
there three other men came in.
Philpot heard the leader of the rob-
bers say: Lets kill him. This the
IT. koI - l.
pot. One Of the six men was sent out
with injunctions to hold up the other
guard. Albert Estep. another bank
watchman, was caught on the stairs
of the Exchange Building. The robber
went up to Estep and addressed him
by name. Thinking it was a friend,
Estep was taken unawares. A revolver
was thrust into his face, and under the
threat of death he was forced to go to
the composing room, where he also
was bound and gagged.
Night Fireman l.. W. Clark was
taken unawares in the steam plant OF
the Exchange Building. He resisted
and was badly beaten before he was
subdued. He was also taken to the
composing room and left bound and
gagged with mis- two companions.
About midnight one of the robbers
was left to guard the three captives,
while the other five went to the bank.
which is located on the first floor of
the Exchange Building, near the cen
tire. The robbers blew open the steel
doors Of the vault with nitroglycerine.
The double steel doors were shattered,
and the banks books and papers de-
stroyed. Entering the vault. the quad
ruple plate doors Of the big steel safe
were drilled. and a charge of the nitro.
glycerine blew them open. They took
all the currency and other coin.
amounting to about $4,000. as nearly as
the banks officers can estimate. The
Eve men left the banl-and signaled to
the one guarding the captive watch
men and firemen to join them.
Five minutes after the robber guard
left the composing room Estep worked
loose and released Clark and Philpot.
In addition to the $4,000 the robbers
secured $3.50 left with the bank by AS
sistant Postmaster Bushell, of the
stock yards. This is the bank whose
officers recently swore out warrant
charging the assistant cashier with em=
beZZlinp SO 000