Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-29
Officers Confident They Have Bandits
and Expect Fourth.
BEND EVERY EFFORT TO GET HIM
Unable to Give Clear Account
of ThemseIves-Two Profess
Not to Know One.

Eight mail sacks containing registered
mails taken by the highwaymen from the
Overland Limited about 30 p. m. Satur-
day were found by John vavra yesterday
in the attic of the Brown Park school.
This find was made by Vavra, who is tho
janitor of the school, about 10:3O A. m, but
it was not reported to the police until after
noon. vavra was determined to secure his
share in the reward. If possible. so he did
not report the find at once. Even then,
being for some reason unwilling TO confide
in the South Omaha authorities, he re-
ported to Captain Mcstyn of the Omaha
police department.
Captain Mostyn, William t. Canada and
Chief John Briggs went at once to the
school building and verified the find C.
M Perkins of the federal mail service in
charge of the investigation, took charge
of the mail sacks which were taken to
Omaha.
The sacks were all cut and the contents
rifled. 1t appeared that they were placed
in the attic early Sunday morning. During
the day the robbers laid low and sorted
out the desired letters and packages in the
attic, which afforded an excellent place of
concealment. 1t is thought they hid their
guns and went into Omaha Sunday night.
WeRves Net Around Men.
Next TO the finding of the outfit by John
Krolik Eighteenth and U streets, while at
play on the way home from school Thurs
day noon, and the capture of the highway
men, d. w. Woods, James Gordon and
Fred Torgensen at 11:SO or IL p. m. Thurs
day night, the finding of the mail sacks is
the most important event Of the great
number of startling disclosures since the
true trail was found.
The evidence both circumstantiaI and
direct is closing on the three men with
positive certainty.
EHick r, Mickeljohn and Herman Prawl
engineer and fireman of the Overland
Limited train, arrived i'm South Omaha yes
terday afternoon at $50 p. M and iden-
titled Torgensen and Woods as the men
who climbed over the cab and held them
up forcing them to stop the train. Tor
gensen was recognized mostly by his voice
and movements and general outline;
Woods by his heavy shoulders, complexion.
scanty hair and his height.
Emil Kslaum, a workman in J. j. Hurts
elevator, saw two men Friday morning
May 81, on the Union Pacific right of wav
apparently examining the ground and
looking about. He was working inside and
they approached the elevator. He identi-
fled Woods and Torgensen as being the
men he saw. He says he saw them prac-
ucing with automatic guns under a bridge
on the right Of way.
Furthermore the three alleged train rob-
bers were brought into the police court
room in South Omaha last evening and
positively identified by the five school chill
dren as the men seen prowling around
Do
and Monday. One of the boys recognized
Wo das the man who told him to saw
that he knew him in case ne was asked
to identify him by stating that Wood lived
about there some place.
Collapse Under Scrutiny.
A. r. Bentz and John Vavara, the tani-
tors OF the school building, also recognized
the three men and gave a fair description
OF the fourth man. Then the three men
were told to stand up for Identification
by the school children and ianitors. Tor
gensen almost collapsed and Wood lost a
good deal OF his composure Gordon looked
as If all hope was gone and hadn't friend
in the world.
+. r. Hart, farmer, also identified yes
terday two Of the men, Wood and Gordon.
as proWling about the empty house at
Camp Of the Fitzpatrick Bros camp.
within 800 yards Of his home. sHe saw them
there twice or three times, trying TO get
into the empty house, but discovering Hart
watching them they finally went away.
An important clue found in the loft of
the school house seem to lead to the prob
ability that these men may have had some
thing to do with the Spokane robbery This
was a small pocket glass with a picture
OF the Union station al Spokane on the
back. The glass was a new one, OF the
souvenir kind, and evidently had fallen out
Of the pockets Of one OF the men while
climbing up into the loft.
such in the main has been the course Of
events in the capture OF the three highway
men since John Krolik discovered the
cache where the men had hidden their
guns and ammunition, and the blue polka
dot handkerchiefs which hid the faces OF
three Of them The boy Il said TO have