The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-01-15
BOLD ROBBERS.
Robbery Of the National Stock Ys,d
Bank Of St. Louis
DONE By SIX MASKED MEN.
They Took All the Currency and Coin
Amounting to About $4,000.
Books and Papers De-
strOyed.

Six masked men entered the Ma
tional Stock Yards bank north of East
St. Louis, ILL.,, Wednesday night and
after capturing and gagging the two
night watehmen and fremen at the
plant and blowing open the vaults
with dynamite, secured 5000 in coin
and currency, with which they es-
capped. For nine hours, from / O'clock
last night until a. NJ, they were at
work on the vaults without being in
terfered with. The entire East St.
Louis police force, aided by the St.
Louis police. are guarding all avenues
of escape, but as yet have obtained no
clue to the whereabouts Of the robbers,
who. it is believed, escaped on horse
back.
Lee Philpot. one Of the watchmen,
a rough rider friend Of President
Roosevelt, and member of the well
nwn Kentucky family of that name,
was the first to meet with the robbers.
He was standing in the stock yards
near the exchange building, in which
the bank is located, when he was ad-
dressed by three men who sprang cut
Of fence corner with revolyers in
their hTnGs. They said: We want
you, Philpot," and with that oyeTpoT-
cred him before he could reach his re-
yolver. The three robbers took Phil
pot to the composing room of the Dai-
ly National Stock Yards Reporter
nearby, and laid him on the floor. He
was bound hand and foot and gagged
with towels. While lying there three
other men came in.
/ While he was lying on the floor Phil
pot heard the leader Of the robbers
say: Let's kill him." BE was pre-
vented from doing this, Philpct says,
by the ether robbers. One Of the men
was sent out with injunctions to Sc
cure anybody else in the vicinity. Al:
bert Estep, the other bank watchman,
was caught on the steps Of the ex-
change building. The robber Went2up
to Estep and addressed him by name.
Thinking it was friend, Estep was
taken unawares and a revolver was
thrustS into his face and unddr threats.
of death he was forced to go to the
composing room, where he was bound
and gagged.
Fireman Clark was taken unawares
in the steam plant Of the exchange
building. He resisted and was badly
beaten before ne 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 captiyes,
while the other five went to the bank,
which is located on the first foorof
the exchange building, near the centre.
With nitro-glycerine the robbers blew
open the steel doors of the vault.
These doors Of double thickness ef
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 a charge of explosive inserted,
which blew them off. The explosion
destroyed more books and papers and
scattered about $500 in gold and silver
upon the floor. This money was not
taken by the robbers. They took all
the currency and other coin amount
ing to about $4,000, 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 the composing room Estep, who
had not been bound securely, worked
loose and released Clark and Philpot.
AL the robbers wore masks. In ad-
dition to the $4,000, the robbers Sc
cured $3.50 left with the bank by As
sistant Postmaster Bushnell Of the
stock yards. This is the bank whose
officers recently Swore out a warrant
charging Theodore Duddleston, the
assistant cashier, with embeZzling
S1o D0n