The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-01
AFTER AGRA BANDITS.
They Will Be Brought Back to
Kansas.

J. r. Burrow, secretary of state, re-
turned this morning from a trip to Lin
coin, Neb., where he went to get re-
QUESTIONS honored for the supposed bank
robbers who attempted to blow up the
bank at Agra, Phillips county, last
Thursday morning, a bank in which Mr..
BurroW is interested.
Five men are under arrest for the
crime three at Bloomington and two at
Riverton all in Franklin county, Neb..
which lies just over the state line north
of Smith and Phillips counties. Mr..
BurroW arranged by wire to have the
acquisitions made out in Topeka, he had
Attorney General Coleman meet him at
the train as he passed through Clay
Center and approve them, he arranged
by wire with the secretary of state of
Nebraska to be ready to make out the
necessary papers at Lincoln, ana conse-
duently got his acquisitions without de-
lay.
Il am sure we have the right men
under arrest said Mr.. Burrow today.
1.-THE officers tracked them from Agra
and from Smith Center all right. L
think the three who were arrested at
Bloomington are experienced cracks
men, but one and perhaps both OF the
others may be new men at the busl-
ness. We will have them back in Kan
sas within twenty-four hours, and my
plan is to send one to Smith Center,
another to Mankato, another to Nor
ton, and separate the other two In phil
lips county, and 1 think we can md
out something of the operations OF the
gang If one of the five is just boy,
as l think he is. he will probably tell
some things if we can keep the others
from soaring him out of it.
"They stole the wrenches and crow
| bars with which they attempted the
robbery, at Kensington, east of Agra,
and then went to Agra on a hand car
The attempt was made about 2:3o
Thursday morning. They tried to blow
open the vault, but the explosion only
blew the lock off. 1t went through
window and across the street. The
noise woke a man who was sleeping
in a restaurant next door, and he got
up and looked out. One of the robbers
who was on guard told him to get back
| inside or he would blow his head off.
The restaurant man is positive that he
can identify that voice.
This scared the robbers away. Two
of them apparently went to Smith
Center and the other three struck
| northwest for Nebraska. The two in
Smith Center We're seen early that
morning and were traced from Smith
Center to Riverton. Neb., where they
were caught in saloon. The other
| three were traced to Bloomington,
where the sheriffs of both Phillips and
Smith counties overlook them as they
were crossing the bridge. Several
people had seen strangers around both
| Agra ana h6HSlIlSlOH JUST DelOTe the
robbery. ana the Smith county sheriff
thought these three men answered the
descriptions given him. They were
arrested and all sorts of burglar tools
We're found on them.
eff they had got into the vault with
out an explosion they could probably
have blown open the safe without max
| ing much noise. and if so they would
have got about $4,000. They had
planned to make the robbery early
Thanksgiving morning, and it is quite
likely no one would have gone to the
bank until late in the day. and perhaps
Would 1 have ample time time to t escape Ell Il
| their plans had not miScarried"