Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-10-25
BANDIT TELLS
HOLDUP DETAILS
Dying Confession of Blair, Alias
Morris, at St. Louis
Hospital
NO MONEY ON NO. II
Nothing in Safe, He Says, But Lot
OF Cheap JcweIry, Which
Was Thrown Away.

dit Blair, alias Morris. fatally shot in
a duel with detectives at St. Louis
last Friday, was implicated in the
holding up of No II Rock Island pas
senger train near Let's. Iowa. Sept.
10. The detailed confession made with
the knowledge that death was near
has been given the public by Chief of
Police Desmond, of St. Louis. who
vouchcS for its genuineness.
Morris. in his confession, says that
he got on the train at Davenport and
that he later stopped the train near
Let's by pulling the emergency air.
His duties consisted in uncOupling the
engine and preparing it for flight. With
him were four others, who after rob
bling the safe. got on the engine with
him and were rapidly whirled away.
Got Nothing From Safe.
, According to Morris the gang got
nothing but some cheap watches and
cutlery, which they later threw away
as worthless. This examination of the
find, he says. was made Is miles south
west of Columbus Junction. He does
not say how he came TO know the dis
lance so accurately. but it is presumed
they reckOned the distance from the
time it took them to travel.
In Many RObberics.
This is about the extent of the con
fession, Morris at this point drifting
10 other crimes. which he told about
while conscious.
The GIobe-Dcmocrat has the follow
ing:
The confession of William Morris
alias G. c. Blair. made to Chief of De
tectives William Desmond at the city
hospital yesterday morning in the
presence of Conductor /. V. Combs.
of the Illinois Central train, which was
held by by Morris and his cOnfeder
ates near Harvey. Ill. on Aug. /, 1904,
forms one of the most interesting con
tributiOns to recent criminal literature.
Morris was proppcd up in bed and evil
IDENTIFY thought he was dying.
He told of crime after crime. with
perfect composure. only pausing now
and then TO ask for water. which the
detectives gave him by holding a damp
cloth to his mouth The facts relating
to the various train robberies and 9th
or crimes were told in such a matter
of-fact way and with so much circum-
stance that there is no doubling them.
Indeed. il is evident that Morris told
only a few of the incidents in his ca
TeCr of crime.
whisky Hollow Robbery.
The part of Morris confession that
has To do with the Whisky Hollow
robbery is as follows:
Q.-You attempted TO rob train in
Iowa? (No answcrD.
Q-Do you remember that job up in
Iowa? A-Ycs. sir.
Q.-Who did that job? Al did
most of it,
Q-What train was that? A.--No.
Q-What road? A-RoCk Island
Q.-What day was it you did that
job? Al don't know.
Q.-About what day? Al don't
know
Q.-About what hour in the night or
day? A-She was about a half hour
late and she was due there at 11:I0.
Or. IN? Ayes. sir. at night
Q.-At what station? About
two or three miles east of that little
station called Let's.
Q.-What way was the train going?
Southwest. to Kansas City.
Q-Where did you get on the train
\ - At Rock Island. or Davenport,
rather.
Boards Train Alone.
Q.-Where did you commence oper-
ations? Aust as soon as saw the
signal fire stopped the train from the
inside.
Q.-Who got on the train with you?
A.-Nobody
Q.-How did you stop the train?
Al put the emergency air on.
Q.-Then what did you do? Al
got of and walked up to the engine.
Q.-What did you do then? Al
uncoupled the engine and got all ready
To leave after the robbery was done.
GLOW long did it take you to
commit that robbery" \. - About
half an hour. l guess.
Q.-What did you get on the train?
\. There wasn't anything but a lot
of cheap jewelry. We didn't know
what we had until we got away and
we threw it away.
Q-What did you throw away? a.
Watches. knives. forks and things
amy money? A-There wasn't
a cent on the train. We never got a
cent.
Q-What part of the train did you
rob? A.-The express car.
Glow did you rob il? A.-Biew
it open with soup.
Q-You mean nitrogiycerin? A
Yes. sir.
Odd you bore the safe? A.-No.
Q.-How did you get the intro into
the safe? A.-You know how safes
are loaded with nit-oSlycerin. Don't
ask foolish questions. The express
messenger ran ont of the car when we
stopped.
Q.-How many went into the car