Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-12-15
Ne BANDIT CAUGHT AFTER STREET DUEL
Proves to Be Desperate Criminal frsm
Colorado Penitentiary,
CHIT THOUSAND UvLLARs OF PLUMBER
Property Believed to Have been All
Recovered from Person of Cap
tivc-Ftrcman Gross Heads
Mob of Pursuers.

Two robbers entered the pawnshop ana
jewelry store of Joe sonnenberg, 1895
Douglas street at $50 Friday morning,
bound the proprietor and a clerk with
ropes laid them to one side, robbed the
store Of $500 worth Of jewelry and both
were about to make their escape when
Sam Gross. a fireman from Engine house
No 2, at Eighteenth and Harvey streets,
gave chase, catching one OF them, the
other getting away. Fortunately the cap
tive was the one who had the booty. so the
ieweler is cut nothing.
The robbers were Ed Elliott alias Har-
ris, and James Wilson alias Mitchell. both
Of Denver and known to police as des-
perato characters. Elliott was captured
They entered the store at a time when
business for the day had scarcely begun.
They confronted Sonneaberg and Michael
Morrisey, his clerk, with revolvers, then
bound them and rifed three safes. The
robbery, perpetrated in broad daylight,
created the greatest excitement. Police and
FIRE alarms were turned in and members OF
both departments were soon upon the
scene.
Wilson escaped but Elliott was captured
after a running fight, during which several
shots were exchanged between Wilson and
/ Sam Gross, who gave chase. The robbers
separted at the alley on Fourteenth street
between Douglas and Dodge streets and
Gross followed by a crowd Of nearly 200
persons ran down Elliott at the Cambridge
hotel Thirteenth and Capitol avenue. e.
lott ran into a room in the basement OF
! the hotel and crept under bed and was
hauled from his hiding place by Detective
Heitfeldt while his revolver was taken
from him by Oficer Goodrich.
! sOnnenberg Thought IL Joke.
! The robbers entered the store about $50.
when Mr. Sonnenberg was sitting in the
rear part and Morrisey was building the
! FIRE. The men told sonnenberg TO give up
! his money and the proprietor thought It
was a practical joke until the robbers
pulled their revolvers and ordered him
and Morrisey into a back room, where they
were securely bound with ropes. which the
robbers had brought with them for the
purpose The men then stripped the safes.
which had just been opened to begin the
business Of the day, Of every diamond and
| quantities of watches and miscellaneous
! jewelry. While they were at their work
Frank Swan of the Nebraska Lodging
house entered the store for the purpose Of
| having his watch repaired and was greeted
by the robbers with command to throw
up his hands. He was then forced into
N'''A+N''"~'R
Morrisey were bound and compelled TO lie
down on the floor
After filling their pockets with loot the
robbers ran out the front door and around
the corner to the alley behind the Western
Union building. Sonnenberg had managed
to release his bonds and was in hot pursuit.
He met Sam Gross at the door and briefly
told him of the robbery. Gross took a
loaded revolver from the hands of Nor
ran up the alley. entering the back door
10 the Diamond saloon, 1873 Douglas street
and running through the building to Doug
las street Cross ran up the alley and
sighted the robbers at the corner of Four
teenth and Douglas streets where they had
turned north. Gross fired a shot at the
fleeing men and Wilson returned the FIRE
neither shots taking effect, but causing
great alarm to many pedestrians. Gross
then gave chase and fired two more shots
and Wilson returned the fire once and
ran east in the alley toward the Millard
hotel, while his partner, ran north on
Fourteenth street.
Gross Lands His Man.
Gross and many citizens then chased
Elliott north on Fourteenth street. where
the thief ran in the back entrance OF the
Cambridge hotel and into a basement room
occupied by Joe Brown, Charles Stevens
and George Gray, three laborers. The men
said that Elliott exclaimed
For Gods sake hide me- The COPS
are after me, Isn't there any way 10 get
out OF here?"
When told that the only egress was the
door through which he had Just entered
Elliott crawled under the bed and was
soon arrested by Detective Heltfeldt and
Ohicer Goodrich
1 e
shots exchanged between Gross and VIII
son and summoned the patrol wagon. De.
tectives Heitfeldt, Donohoe and Ferris and
Officer Goodrich were hurried to the scene
Of the robbery in the patrol wagon 10 fnd
that the robbers had gone. The crowd
pursuing Elliott was perceived and Driver
, Samuelson made record run to the Cam
bridge hotel, arriving about the time that
Elliott had run into the basement De-
tectiyes Ferris ana Donohoe went through
the rooms on the north side OF the hotel.
while Detective Heitfeldt and Ohicer Good
rich luckily went directly to the room.
where Elliott had hidden under the bed.
Beards Lion in HIS Den.
Although Il was known that Elliott was
a desperate robbie and was armed. Detec-
tive Heitfeldt, re efD.ver in hand, put his
head under the bed and hauled Elliott out
feet foremost amid the cheers OF the 900
spectators. who made an attempt 70 mob
the prisoner when he was being taken 70
the patrol wagon.
In the meantime the other robber Wilson.
had made good his escape, as Gross and
. the crowd had TO let him 90 IN order 20
, capture Elliott. The capture Of Elliott
r proved 70 be the more important, as
Z an OF the stolen diamonds and jeweIry
, were recovered when the prisoner was
, searched at the station. Elliott was thor
I oughly cowed and said he had all the
stolen property and that his partner had
, guarded him while he rifed the safes A
peck measure FUN Of diamonds was taken
. from Eliott's pockets, besides many
watches. rings and stiekpins.
During the excitement some nervous citi-
z.r turned in An alarm of ere a uumbar