The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-11-20
Chicago Chauffeur Killed on Lone
l,v Road After Seek
ing Help.
BANK ROBBERS IN PLOT.
Farmers Refuse .Admittance TO
Man Who Came to Their
Homes-Hcard Voices
in the Night.

Chicago. Nov. l9-Shot dead in an au-
tonobile by bank robbers. whose plot the
victim OF the tragedy had discovered. and
whose plans he had frustrated. is one eS-
PLANTATION of the mysterious death OF
William Bate. a chauffeur. whose corpse
and machine were found or a lonely road
side to-6a..
TITS theorS Mas advanced by Bates
employer. after an investigation OF the
circumstance. Tho idea IS that men who
hired the automobile were bank robbers.
and contemplated q raid Oil some banis
In some small town.
Investigation at the Auditorium to-day
developed the fact that a man giving the
name OF 'Dobbs' had appeared at the
hotel last evening and had asked Edward
Slavtn. the hotel telephone operator, to
have Daniel Canary send an automobile to
the Auditorium entrance at once.
That Bate cid not commit suicide. but
was shot dow by an assassin. is indicated
by the finding Of an empty cartridge she'll
to-day in the to1nesu OF the automobile.
AZ the Canary Company's ONCE 1t was
said to-day that when the call was re-
celved last night a machine for two was
asked for.
William Bate, the dead chauffeur. had
been connected with the Canary Company
for several years. and was we'll known a.
a fast driver.
Two letters found on the person OF the
dead man oHer the suggestion that Bates
death might have been the result OF a love
affair. This theory, however, IL not re-
sarded seriously by the police.
On OF the letters read:
Dear Bate: 1 understand that YOU
have VOL the love Of Bertha, and I pre-
rune that you ave no further use for me.
1 hope that your future love will be sue
cessful. OF course. It is pretty hard on
me. but I will let the matter drop and say
no more. With love, RO6D L."
The circumstances surrounding the
death OF Bale were made more puxElinc
Tonight By he report that a woman was
In he automobile a short time before
Bale is believed TO have been killed. John
eeiler. a farmer. gave this Information to
the police late tonight.
He said that he was aroused about Il
o'clock By loud knocking at the door of
his house. and when he demanded to
know who was there, a man replied:
Will you let mo in II 1 60 to the rear
door: 1 must get IN. as I am in danger"
Seller offered to open the door IL the
man would give his name, but he refused
to give It, and Seller. thinking 1t was a
trick to rob him, Gid not open the door.
The man returned TO the automobile,
where Seller could hear voices in a We
hement DISPUTE. Among them was a
woman.
The machine went south from Sellers
house and about a half mile further on
stopped at the house Of Denni. Connors,
where a man knocked on the door. but as
there was loud talking in the road and
because Of he lateness Of tho hour Con-
rors did not pen the door and the man
who was knocking at the door returned to
the automobile. which went north.
Peter Freehauf, the farmer near whose
home Bale was murdered, said tonight
that he heard the rattle Of tho machine
and voices talking loudly and then a shot.
He paid 10 more attention to It, thinking
the people in the automobile were intoxi-
Gated.