Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-24

descriptions and information FOR the an
prehensI1n N the -four men who robbed
the mail car. Tesides having the whole
force working on the case in a general WAY.
along with dischsrking their regular duties.
there are six detectives. Davis. Pattullo
Maloney. Walker. Van Dusen and MELON
aid. who are giving their entire attention
to Il.
I'VE have a number OF clues that may
bring results and we are following them
up closely. on account Of the poor de-
scriptions Ct the four men given by per
sons who saw thcm In their masks and
raincoats and because OF y lack Of other
descriptions Of the men Al present. we
are experiencins difficulty IN getting down
to bedrock in the case"
The theory that the hold-up was done
by the same men who robbed the registered
mail on the Northern Pacific a few days
ago. is not given much attention by the
police.
Here IL the Chief Clue.
What they regard as the best clue yet
found came from a man named Favell.
who lives at Ralston and works for the
Howard Stove company there. He
saws that while returning home from South
Omaha about midnight Saturday with sew
eral companions. a wagon with four men
in il was seen going south about a mile
south Of the cut where the train was held
up. At the time. Favell says, II occurred
20 him and his friendr that the quartet
in the wagon acted suspiciously and seemed
10 be in a big hurry. Detectives worked
on the clue Sunday afternoon.
Three men are reported by Sheriff Bau-
man of Fremont as having ran out OF a
saloon near the Union Pacific tracks at
that town and to have boarded the Over
land Limited just as II pulled out. FTemont
was the last stop made by the train until
Engineer Meiklejohn was ordered by two
OF the bandits to slow down Signs OF a
fire Of newspapers was found Sunday
morning on the top of the west end or the
cut in which the robbery occurred. From
these facts, II IL assumed by the police
that the three men who boarded the train
at Fremont belonging to the holdup gang,
while the fourth man was stationed at the
top OF the cut to light the fire as a signal
to indicate where the train was to be stop
ped.
The police are firmly convinced that the
fire was for signaling purposes, for the
ashes seemed fresh when they were found
Sunday.
The man who handled the fire at the
cut is supposed to have cared for the auto
mobile or other vehicle in which the out
laws made their escape.
Bauman Describes Men.
According TO Sheriff Bauman of Fremont,
following are the descriptions of the trio
who got on the train as 1t pulled out of
Fremont.
No. 1-Heavy set, red, smooth face; $50
pounds, 5 feet. eight inches in height; 40
years of age. dark suit, soft, black hat.
No. 2-Smooth face, 145 pounds. 5 feet. 10
inches in height; g years OF age. light suit,
soft green hat.
No. a-smooth face, 5 feet s inches in
height, rs years of age, dark suit with
green thread in pattern, soft, blue shirt
red tie. black hat.
These descriptions tally with those given
by the crew OF the train after the affair,
SO fer as age is concerned.
In the minds OF the police. the robbery
was a cleverly planned and we'll executed
piece OF work. They realize the wisdom.
from the standpoint of the crooks, OF com
hitting the hoidup at the time and place
chosen, in the dead OF night, and near
enough to Omaha TO give the bandits a
chance to divide the plumber and lose them
selves in the large city before the police
reached the scene. ~
The choice of the Overland Limited, one
OF the finest trains on the Union Pacific,
and carrying valuable mail from the Pa
cific coast and the Orient. was evidently
made knowingly. while the selection OF
the big, sixty-foot cut was also expedient
for robbing the train without attracting the
attention OF the people in the neighborhood,
On Train Before stopped.
It is supposed, by the detectives working
on the case. that two or three men were
on the train before It stopped at their
order. while at least one other was sta.
toned In the cut to handle that end OF
the undertaking.
After the mali clerks had carried the
registered sacks to q point about 300 yard:
ahead Of the locomotive. had left them al
the commands of the bandits and had
turned back toward the train with ths
warning not to return, II Is supposed thai
the robbers climbed UT the steep pat al
the north side OF the cut, taking the mai
sacks with them and were Joined at the
top by the outlaw who had covered the
engineer with his gun, while the sacks wer,
being carried ahead.