The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-25
Two Suspected Safeblowsrs in
Jail at PaOla.
Are Thought to Be Wanted for
Several Other Crimes.
TRIED TO ROB A BANK.
FOiled Here They Stole a Team
and Drove Away.
Long Chase Resulted in Capture
and Imprisonment.

Paola, KAN Jan. 25.-The officers
here believe that the two suspected safe
blowers who were captured last Sunday
are only part of gang who selected
this territory for their operations. The
prisoners are strangers in this vicinity
They gave their names as Charles Cor
ney, aged 90. of st. Paul. Mimi, and
Thomas Rogers. 80, of Butte, Mont
These names are believed to be fcti-
tious. Since the capture. the officers
have received inquiries about them from
all parts of the United States. The
men are suspected of attempting to rob
the bank of Cleveland, Mo, Is miles
east of here, and blowing open the safe
in the Missouri, Kansas & Texas rail-
way station in Louisburg, Kan. Is
miles east of here They were sur
rounded and captured two miles north
of here a week ago by posse of
farmers and members of the Anti
Eorsethief association, some of whom
had been on their trail since before day
light. Their preliminary nearing will be
held before Justice I. L. Kent here
January 25.
About 10 O'Clock Saturday night a
week ago two men attempted to enter
the Cleveland bank. To make an OPEN
ing they hurled a chunk of coal,
weighing about fifty pounds through
window. This awakened J. T. Van
Kirk, druggist, who sleeps in the
building, and a friend who was staying
with him that night VanKirk seized
his Winchester and prepared to fire, but
heard the men retreating. It has since
developed that they broke into a livery
stable and stole a team, returning to
the bank in a short time. One of the
men, whom VanKirk saws he can
identify as Rogers, put his head through
the opening to look about the room.
Vankirk fired at him, but aimed too
high. The robbers had also broken into
a section house and stolen a croWbar
shot, the men in the bank heard the
sound of buggy wheels and horses
hoofs. The robbers We're driving at d
furious rate. The alarm was given and
the long chase began. The robbers
made good time and were soon in
I4ouisburg. They entered the railway
station by breaking down the door.
They blew open the safe with nitro
glycerin but secured nothing. The safe
was blown through the wall and across
the railroad track. The interior of the
depot was wrecked
The sound of the explosion awakened
the town and the robbers drove rapidly
west. They reached Somerset, the first
station east of here, at about $50
o'clock. The team was exhausted and
they decided to abandon it. They turn
ed off the main road and hitehed it to
a fence Then they started on a run
down the railroad track towards Paola.
Their unusual actions and the fact that
the team showed evidence of hard driv-
ing aroused the suspicious of John
Dillon, near whose home the team was
left. He had noticed the men and told
J. T. Russell, who telephoned to all the
towns IN this vicinity. In a short time
members of the Anti-Horsethief associ-
alton were on their trail. The delega-
ton from each town was reinforced
by farmers on the way. The Louis
burg, Somerset, Chfles, Paola and
Wagstaff orders were represented, Ira
Capper and Gilbert Huls were ahead of
the others and they kept the robbers in
sight most of the time.
Unaware that they were followed so
closely, the men stopped at a farm
house and one of them went in to get
were unarmed. Because of this stop
the pursuers gained. The robbers then
started for the timber along Bull creek
and were chased two miles through
the woods. Wilburn Downs, James
Masters. Charles keeton, u. J. Miller
and g. L. Downs, of Wagstaff, We're the
first to stop the robbers. Their chase
covered but about two miles. The
Louishurg and Somerset orders were
close behind. The robbers refused to
throw up their hands when ordered to
do so and pointed their revoIvers at
their pursuers. They surrendered only
after several shots had been fired at
them. One of the men was wounded.
Paola, where they were placed in Jail.
Me nfrom Cleveland, including Van
Kirk followed them to jail. The sheriff
and his posse were still out. The men
had two Colts revolVers, sixty rounds
of ammunition, nitroglycerin and dyna-
mite caps and fuse. They refuse to dis
cuss their case at all They are both
rough looking men. Gorney is feet
8 inches tall, weighs about ITO pounds
and has dark complexion, hair and
eyes. Rogers is feet 6 inches tall
weighs 155 pounds and has a fiorid COM
plexion and light hair and gray eyes
The valise or bag which the men had
has been found but it contained moth
ing but bread and coffee grounds. The
officers searched for this several days
and finally found it in a pile of brush
Sheriff Jelly, accompanied by the
county attorney and others, took the
bottle of nitroglycerin, which the mer
had, about a mile from town and at
tached fuse. The shock of the explos
ion was felt by the people in town
Three detectives from Kansas City, Mat
Kinney and Ed Hickman, of the cit,
force, and j. H. Tillosten. a Pinkerto1
man, were here last week to see thu