The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-01-08
fee-Dull; RIO SO. z sc.
ROBBERS SECURE $4,000
\ Hen Make All Night Sob OF st.
LOuis Bank

! st. Louis, Jan. six men entered tbs
Stockyards bank. north Of East St I.oui:
Ill, last night and after capturing and
| gagging the two night watchmen and
| fireman at the steam plant and blowing
| open the vaults with dynamite. secured
5000 in coin and currency, with which
| they escaped. early today. For nine hours
| from o'clock last night until a. m.
they were at work on the vaults with
out being interfered with. The entire
| East st. Louis police force aided oy the
ST. Louis police are guarding all the ave-
nues of escape, but as yet have obtained
10 clue to the whereabouts of the rob-
bers, who it IS believed, escaped on horse
back.
Lee Philpot, one of the watchmen. a
Rough Rider friend Of President Rccse-
welt. and a member of the well krcwn
Kentucky family of that name, was the
first to meet with the robbers. He was
standing in the stockyards near the Ex-
change building in which the bank is 10
Gated, 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 could reach
for his revolver The three robbers took
Philpot 10 the composing room OF the
Daily National Stockyards Reporter,
near by, and laid him on the floor. He
was bound hand and foot and gagged
with towels. While he was lying en- the
floor Philpot heard the leader OF the rob-
Der gang say: Lets kill him" He was
deferred from doing this, Philpot says,
by the other robbers. One of the six men
was sent out with injunctions to secure
the others. Albert Estep, the other hank
Waterman, was caught on the steps OF
the Exchange building. The robbers went
up to Estep and addressed him by name.
Thinking it was a friend Estep was
taken unawares and when a revolver was
thrust into his face, was not in shape for
defense. Under threats of death he was
forced to go to the composing room,
where he was also bound and gagged.
Night Fireman 1. w. Clark was taken
unawares in the steam plant of the Ex-
change building. He resisted and was
badly beaten with a sandbag before sub
dued. He was also taken to the COM
posing 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 Ex-
change building near the center. With
nitroglycerine the robbers blew open the
steel doors of the vault These doors. Of
a double thickness of steel, were shat
tered and the banks books and papers
blown into shreds.
Entering the vault the big steel safe.
with quadruple plate doors. was next en-
countered. These doors were drilled and
a charge Of the explosive inserted. which
blew them off, The explosion destroyed
more books and papers and scattered
about 5000 in gold and silver upon the
floor. This money was not taken by the
robbers. They took all the currency and
other coin, amounting to about $500 as
nearly as the banks officer can estimate.
The five men left the bank and signalled
to the one who was guarding the captive
wa tchmen and fireman. This man joined
his companions.