Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1904-09-02
AT POINT OF PISTOL
Aged Polk County Farmer Is Robbed
OF Large Sum of Money.

Wlllamlna last Thursday evening
when two men men entered the house
and at the point of a revolver forced
the old gentleman to hand over $217. SO
in cash. After tying their victim to a
chair, the bold criminals cooked and
ate supper, and then coolly took their
their departure. Mr.. Woolfe is about
80 years of age, and since the death of
his wife several years ago, has lived
alone.
Two strangers came to Mr.. Wolfe S
place between sundown and dark on
Thursday evening and asked for sup
per. Mr.. Woolfe told them that he
was too old to cook, and advised them
to seek lodging at the house of some
near neighbor. The men then asked
for drink of water. After taking a
drink at the we'll, the two men returned
to the house with Mr.. Woolfe and were
no sooner inside than they drew their
revolvers and ordered the aged man
to give them all the money he had in
the house, threatening to kill him if
he did not comply with their demand.
Seeing that the robbers had him at
their mercy and that resistance would
be useless, Mr.. Woolfe gave them all
the money on his person, amounting
to $217.95. The money was in the
shape of a 800 bill, $115 in gold, and
1895 in silver. The robbers appar-
emily were not satisfied, and one of them
said: "You have $4OO in this house,
and we want it all" Mr.. Woolfe
explainedto to them that he had recently
loaned $3.50 to neighbor, and assured
them that the amount secured by them
was all the money he had in the
house.
The men then siezed him and tied
him to a chair, after which they
leisurely proceeded to cook supper
When they had finished their meal,
they took the sheets from the bed and |
twisted them into ropes, with which |
they bound their aged victim to the
bed, fastening his arms and legs in
such manner that he could not |
move.
The robbers then went to Allyn |
Yocum's barn, short distance from
the house, and stole two horses, one a
heavy work animal and the other a
riding mare. Saddling the horses,
they started off in the direction of
Sheridan. Finding the work horse
too slow for fast travel, they turned
him loose in the road near the home
of a farmer named Rasmussen, and,
catching one of Rasmussen's horses
in the pasture, saddled the fresh ami
NAL and started on toward McMinn-
vile. Three miles west of the latter
town, they turned the Rasmussen
horse into field, after throwing the
saddle into the fence corner Reach
ing the suburbs Of McMinnville, they
turned the mare loose near the Baptist
College. From this point no trace of
their flight has been found but it is
believed by the officers that they took
refuge in the thick brush along a
creek which enters the town near the
college. The mare was found in front
of Hinshaw's feed stable at 5 80 o'clock t
in the morning, covered with sweat
and showing every sign of hard {
usage.
A farmer named Mckee, living on I
the Sheridan road a short distance {
west of McMinnville, saw the two men |
pass his place at o'clock in the
One was mounted, and the v
other was afoot. The footman was
in the middle of the road,
short distance ahead of his mounted v
They were again seen t
by milkman as they turned into the l
Amity road near McMinnville. |
The robbers aged and feeble victim {
was found at 8 o'clock Friday morn 1
ing by Irwin Yocum, a son of Allyn \
Yocum. The old man was completely [
exhausted from the effects of lying in =
one position so long and from worry
ng over the loss of his money. When
released from his cramped and weari-
some position on the bed, he was in a
condition bordering on nervous pros
ration, and it was with the greatest
that he gave a coherent ac-
count of what had occurred. Sheriff
Ford was notified Of the robbery and
vent out to Woolfe's house at once, {
there shortly after noon. He
ook up the track of the robbers and (
ollowed them to McMinnville, but
here lost all trace of them. He be-
ieves, however, that he has a clue to
heir identity and will exert every T
fort to locate them. He is being S
ssisted in his work by Sheriff Corri- a
,an, of Yamhill county, and Sheriff :
Yoolfe, of Tillamook county. The
after officer is a son of the man who
7as robbed. t
One Of the robbers is described by I
lr. Woolfe as being a man about 35 S
ears old, about feet inches in =
eight; light complexion, medium !
ark hair, straight nose, blue eyes, =
mOoth shaven, with about one weeks
rowth Of beard wore a white slouch
at old brown suit, with square )
You Know What You Are Taking II
Vhen you take Groves Tasteless Chill {
onic because the formula is plainly ;.