Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-14
FLEEING THIEF SUICIDE
Held Up Bank, Fired on Pur-
suers, But Cornered. {.
TAKES OWN LIFE IN SHED
Fur Coated Robber With Automo-
bile Came From Washington.
PAID BILL AT HOTEL HERE
He Cowed Employees and Took Cash
From Institution Near
Chicago.
PAID BILL AT HOTEL HERE

! CHICAGO. October 14.-Highland Park,
an exclusive suburb on the lake shore,
twenty-five miles north of here, had a
bank robbery yesterday. a running fight
| between posse and one of the robbers
and the dramatic suicide of the fugitive
| when cornered
| His companion. a chauffeur. was over
| powered as he sat in all automobile in
front of the bank waiting to help in a
quick getaway.
The two men appeared at the banking
institution of D. M. E,rskine & Co., one
fashionably dressed and wearing a cost
| iy fur overcoat They asked for the
president. When John c. Duffy, the
| cashier. replied that he was in Liberty
vile they left in their big touring car.
On their return, just before closing
time, only one of the men entered the
bank 1t was he of the fur overcoat,
and he was obviously nervous.
| Well did you see the president"
queried Duffy, pleasantly. The stranger
said he had not
| Held UP Entire Force.
The cashier. with foreboding of trou-
bic. transferred several thousands of
dollars in bills from the paying teller's
| ii j
O'Clock he locked the vault
The man in the fur overcoat stood in
a remote corner, and as the cashier start
ed to go behind the grating into his
office he was stopped by the stranger.
Drawing two reviewers, he whispered,
| Get all your people in that cage midi
dfcaiing the paying teller's cage.
Duffy, unarmed, obeyed quickly. Miss
Nellie Fitzgerald, the bcokkeeper; Joseph
S. Richards. the receiving teller. and
the door of which the robber locked
| Keeping them covered with his revol-
vers, the robber backed into the receiv-
Ing teller's cage and swept the currency
on the counter into his pockets. Then,
going TO a side door, he issued his final
orders.
IF one of you makes a sound until you
hear my automobile start away I'll come
back in here and blow your heads off"
| AS Duffy saw him rush up to the wait
| ing machine and try to crank the engine
he picked up the telephone and sum-
moned John Sheehan, the town marshal,
whose Office is opposite the bank. Rich
! ards forced the spring lock on the cage
! door and started for the street on the
run. picking up revolver.
AS Richards darted toward the auto
mobile Marshal Sheehan appeared.
Turns and Fires on Pursuers.
| The robber, unable to start the engine,
ran down the street at top speed. Call
ing to Richards to take care of the man
| in the machine, the marshal sprinted
after the fugitive.
| A score of men joined the chase. and
| the robber, handicapped by his long coat.
| was losing rapidly. when he darted into a
| shed. AS his pursuers rushed down on
him he fired point blank into the crowd.
| His two first bullets struck Policemen
| James Gleason and John Genert. Both
| fell seriously wounded. A third bulle:
! pierced the marshaIs sleeve.
! As a dozen men returned the fire the
i burglar disappeared in the shed. Shee-
han. alone, dashed in. Five shots from
! the cornered mans revolvers whizzed by
the fire. but covering the covering bur-
! glar with his gun ordered him to sur
render.
By way of answer the man turned
the revolver on himself, sending a bullet
through his brain. He fell dead
| In his pocket besides the $500 taken
from the bank, was found receipted
hotel bill made out to w. Blair Harrison
Of New York. His clothing bore the
mark of New York tailor and his hat
was purchased in Washington.
| Inquiries at the Raleigh Hotel in Wash
inGton, from which the dead man had a
receipted bill for $15, elected the infor-
nation that c. r. Blair and l.. Harrison
left there October =.
II The robber also registered at the Ave
nue. House in Evanston, ILL.,. Wednesday
night as u. G. Wilson, Milwaukee, Wis,
and worked his way into the good graces
of J. F. Keelyn, wealthy mining man
of Goldfeld. New, and Evanston. Keelyn
unsuspectingy, lent him his automobile
fur coat and chauffeur. the other man
arrested