The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1907-09-26
Vth
FIRST NATIONAL
BANK ROBBED BY
THREE DESPERADOES

otpH'i t1otH tHi'ith NHt
First National bank building at noon
today, held up those who were in the
building and perpetrated one of the
most daring bank robberies on record.
There were in the building at the
time Cashier Nixon, Assistant Cashier
Mcbride, B~ookkeeper Hill, Stem
~ographer Calhoun and w. S. johnson,
a horsebuyer. Messrs. Nixon & John
son were in the cashiers office in tn
rear of tn the bank, the door between
the rooms being closed.
The robbers came in at the Bridge
street entrance while the employes
were busily at work and none Of them
at the time facing the door The
first intimation they received tina.
anything was wrong was the quiet
command of one of the robbers
"Throw up your hands, gentlemen,
and be quick about it, and don't make
any noise
The surprised clerks turned them
heads and looked into the muzzles Of
two revolvers, and the order was
quickly obeycd. The third robber
burst into the cashier $ office, where
Messrs. Nixon and johnson were en-
gagged in conversation. He had a
Winchester rife drawn on them and
ordeeed them to throw up thhelr
hands on penalty of instant aeath.
The order was instantly obeyed. They
were taken into the front room of the
bank and, with a revolver held at
their breast, Cashier Nixon was fore
ed by one of the robbers to open the
safe in the vault, the others being
kept covered by the remaining two
desperadoes. The leader of the gang
threw three sacks of gold coin which
were in the safe into an ore sack
which he carried, and then emptied
into the sack the gold coin which was
in the money drawer in the office, ig
noring the silver and bank notes en-
tirely. While this was going on a
number of people passed along the
sidewalk in front of the bank. but
those inside could not give the alarm,
and none of the passers- by took no
tice of the daring robbery which was
being perpetrated.
Having accomplished the object of
their visit, the robbers marched the
men through the back door of the
bank building and lined them up
against the wall, with hands up. and
climbed over the fence into the alley.
They ran down the alley to the rear
of +. G. Robbins store, where their
horses were tied to a post, mounttd
the animals and escaped. The first
intimation people on the streets HAD
of the robbery Cashier Nixon rushed
TO the front door of the bank an
fired several shots into the air to give
the alarm. BY this time the robbers
had turned into Secondstreet. A FEY
men on the street who happened to
be armed took strap shots at them as
they passed Bridge street, but with
out effect. The bandits returned the
shots, but fortunately no one was
hit.
At the Cross Creek bridge on See
ond street the robber who was carry
ing the coin sack dropped it and part
of the contents rolled out. The man
dismounted like a flash, picked up the
money sack and handed it to his pal.
remounted and were off like a wink.
leaving far behind the men who had
pursued them on foot
The robbers took a straight course
up the river toward Golconda. They
were followed by a few scattering
men on horseback, their idea being to
keep the fleeing robbers in sight, if
possible, until an armed posse could
be organized for pursuit.
AS soon as the course of the robbers
was ascertained Deputy Sheriff Rose
ran to the depot and started up the
road on the switch engin. Near the
Bliss ranch, fourteen miles from town,