The Savannah morning news., 1902-01-08
ROBBEO STOCK BANK
ROLD WORK OF Masked ROBBERS
AT EAST ST. LOUIS.
MADE AN ALL-NIGHT JOB OF 1T
CAPTURED AND GAGGED WATCH
MEN AND FIREMAN.

One of RoOsevelt's Rough Riders
The Three Captives Laid Out in "A
Newspaper ONCE While the Rob
bers Proceeded with Their Work.
Doors of Bank Vaults Blown Open
with NitrO-GIy cerinc and Great
Damage DOne TO BOoks-About
$4,000 Secured.
st. Louis, Mo-. Jan. six masked
men entered the National Stock Yards
Bank, north of East st. Louis. ILL.,, last
night and, after capturing and gagging
the two watchmen and fireman at the
plant and blowing open the vaults with
dynamite. secured $4,000 in coin and
currency with which theX -decamped
For nine hours from o'clock last
night until o'clock this morning, they
were at work without being interfered
with. The entire East St Louis po-
lice force, aided by the st. Louis po-
lice, are guarding all avenues of es-
cape, but as yet have obtained no clue
to the whereabouts of the robbers, who,
it is believed, escaped on horseback.
Lee Philpot. one of the watchmen, a
rough rider friend of President Roose-
welt and a member of the well-known
kentucky family OF that name, was
the first to meet with the robbers. He
was standing in the stocks yards near
the exchange building in which the
bank is located, when he was addressed
by three men who sprang out of a
fence corner with revolvers in their
hands. They said. I'VE want you,
Philpot." and with that overpowered
him before he Guild reach his revolver.
The three robbers took Philpot to the
composing room of the Daily National
Stock Yards Reporter nearby, and laid
him on the floor. lie was bound hand
and foot and gagged with towels. While
lying there, three other men came in.
While he was lying on the floor Philpot
heard the leader of the robbers say:
Lets kill him. TTe was prevented
from doing this. Philpot says, by the
other robbers. One of the men was
sent out with injunetions to secure
anybody else in the vicinity. Albert
Estep. the other bank Waterman. was
caught on the steps OF the Exchange
building. The robber went up to Estep
and addressed him by name. Thinking
il was a friend, Estep was taken una
wares and a revolver was thrust into
his face and under threats of death
he was forced to go to the composing
room where he was also hound 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 his 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
ter. With nitro-glycerine the robbers
blew open the steel doors of the vault
These doors, Of a double thickness of
steel were shattered and the banks
books and papers blown into shreds.
Entering the vault, the big steel safe
with quadruple plate doors was next
encountered. These doors were drilled
and charge OF the explosive insert
ed, which blew them off. The explo-
sion destroyed more books and papers
and scattered about $500 in gold and
silver upon the flodR The money was
not taken by the robbers. They took
all the currency and other coin
amounting to about $1,000. as nearly as
the banks officers can estimate. The
five men left the bank and signalled to
the one who was guarding the captive
watchmen and fireman, and he Joined
his companions
Five minutes after the robber-guard
left he composing room, Esteps, who
had not been bound securely. worked
loose and released Clark and Philpot
All the robbers we're masked In
addition to the s.. 900 the robbers Sc
cured $3.50 left with the bank by AS
sisant Postmaster Bushnell OF the
stock yards. This is the bank whose
officers recently swore out a warrant
charging Theodore Luddleston. the as
sistant cashier, with embezzling $12-
900.