Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-02-23
Arrest Of Mendard and the Story
of the Famous Bank Rob
berry In Iowa
PLOT LAID BY TOWN MARSHAL
Notorious Crooks Brought Out From
Chicago to Pull Off the Burglary
They Divided $4,000 Booty but Pin
kertons Run Them to Earth = 1t
Took Eight Years.
Special to Times Republican.

|
Ottrmwa. Feb. 23-More than eight
wears after the boldest robbery ever
committed in Wapello county, after
evading Pinkerton detectives and other
officers and apparently thinking him.
self entirely safe from detection, IN
| dian joe has been arrested for the
robbery. of the Bradley bank at Eldon
and will probably be brought back from
| Chicago to stand trial on the indictment
now standing against him on the
books OF the district court of Wapelio
county.
| Menard is the last to be arrested of
1 the seven men who were indicted OF
May 10, 1897, for the burglary of the
Bradley bank at Eldon. Though man
| thought to be him was arrested soon
| after the robbery, he gave straw
, bond for his appearance, made his es-
cape and until today no trace has ever
been secured of him. Nevertheless the
| Pinkertons into whose hands was
l
worked night and day, hunted the
| country from border to border, gath
cred in all the other men accused OF
| taking part in the robbery, and now
| have finally succeeded in tracking
| down the seventh and last member OF
the gang of bank robbers brought TO
Ottumwa years ago by DICK Dood 10
rob the Eldon bank.
May Yet Go Free.
| The man who stands between Joe
Menard and liberty is Dick Dodd. IT
was this willy gambler and trlckster,
| formerly we'll known in OttunWa, VINO
| planned the robbery of the Bradley
bank, who brought the burglars 20
| this city twice to rob the bank but was
| twice unable to carry out his plans.
who finally won over all obstacles, d.
yiaed the money with the burglars IN
his own house in South Ottunwa, KEPT
the criminals under his roof until they
could escape from Ottumwa, and IL
nally turned states evidence to avoid
imprisonuent. 1t was he who sent
| Bob Durkin and Buck Murray to the
nenitentialv. 1t was he who testified
against Jesse Hamilton and G. j. Stew
ems, and it was he who finally, When
Samuel Ritchie swas arrested ana
brought back to Ottumwa for trial, sat
upon the witness stand and sWore that
he had never before seen the prisoner,
that he had nothing 10 do with the rob-
berry. 1t was he who, few minutes
| after Richie walked out OF the court
house a free man, became suddenly
very chummy with him, drank with
him. ate. with him and talked over OLD
times with him. But both Richie ana
Dodd are free.
Whether Dodd will return from
sunny TEXAS to testify against Menard
is the question Ottumwa and Eldoh
people are asking today. Whether he
! will have a spark Of honor left, a de-
sire to see justice done, whether he
will disregard the threats OF death
which, it is said, made his memory
fail him $50 fortunately for Ritchle, Is
a question Wapello county officials
and the Pinkertons would like to have
answered now.
Story Of the Crime.
The scheme for the robbery origin
ated in the brain of Clarence ]. Stew
ems night marshal at Eldon. This
man. working for small salary and
having in his care the lives and for
tunes of the people of Eldon, worked
for years honestly and in trustworthy
manner. He was relied upon by the
people. He was looked upon as an
honest man. But he betrayed this
trust. Late in the fall of 1895 Stevens
conceived the idea of robbing the
Bradley bank, owned by the Bradley
family of Centerville, and located IN
the Eldon building on the principal
corner Of the little town.
Enlisted Dick Dodd.
Knowing that he could not carry out
the plot alone and being unacqualnted
with any one who could Stevens came
to OttumWa and made known his evil
plans to Dick Dodd, then a gambler
employed in houses in this city. Dodd
was acquainted with several Chicago
crooks and he undertook the task OF
getting some of them to come to Ell
don, rob the bank, divide the spolls
with himself and the marshal, and get
away. without leaving any suspicion
upon the home guard"
Durkin in the Game.
Dodd, according to the story as gath
cred from his own and Stevens con-
fessons, correspondent with Robert
Durkin, q, cracksman known In several
cities. Durkii came to Ottumwa, and
with Dodd went to Eldon, looked over
the ground and decided that the Crib"
was a good one. Returning to Chicago
he proceeded to make plans. Mes
sages for him were sent from time to
time to Jesse Hamilton, bartender in
saloon on Desplaines street in Chi
cago, where Durkin others of his
ilk made their headquarters.
Two Intellectual Attempts.
On two occasions before February i.
1897, Durkin and his accomplices
came to Ottumwa for the purpose of
mbbing the Eldon bank, but both times
something interfered with the carry
ing out of the plot. Finally, late In
January, the time for the robbery was
set for the night of February 1. Durkin,
according to his own story, which In
that part is believed, did not come
to Ottumwa that time, but sent Richie,
Menard and Murray. They were met
by Dodd and in the evening the four
secured A carriage at Ransslers livery
barn on East Second street, drove to
Eldon, met Stevens and We're given
key to the bank building by him.
Stevens than disappeared from the
scene of the robbery and was not seen
again that night by Dodd and his com
panions.
The Robbery ond Escape.
About midnight the Chicago cracks