Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-01
BRAVERY OF BOY
FOILS A BANDIT
Bank Robber Pursued Into Cornfield,
Arrested and Taken to Jail
by Youth.
MONEY OF BANK Is SAVED
MoClelland, Ia, Scene of Dramatic
Affair.
EMPTY OF PEOPLE AT TIME
All Gone Picknicking When Robber
Appears.
HE GETS DROP ON YOUNG MAN
LATTER Empties Two RcvoIVers ana
then Joined by Another Lad Pur-
sues wuford Kirby Into
CornfIeId.
HE GETS DROP ON YOUNG MAN

CornfIeId.
The courage OF a 17-year-od Danish boy
prevented the robbery Of the Bank OF
McCleland yesterday afternoon, and the
same splendid courage led the lad TO shoot
and wound the robber in the bank build
ing while the latter had him covered with
two revolvers and tnen pursue and cap
ture him in cornfield into which he had
fled, aided in the pursuit and capture only
by one lad Of his own age
The dramatic episode occurred about
o clock, when the little village was almost
entirely deserted and the boy was alone
in the bank The town was deserted be-
cause there were between 1900 and 500
men and women at the county farm,
mile away, where everybody in the vicin-
ty had gone TO attend the annual county
picnic, and no one was about the bank
but the boy, Walter julius, clerk.
Charles H. Withey of Omaha was indi-
rectly responsible for the julius boy being
alone in the bank. Mr.. Withey went to
McC!elland yesterday to looN at some land
which Julius father, who is the banker or
McClelland had for sale The two men
drove away, Julius sr.. saying, as he has
said before to his son:
If a bank robber comes, don't get your
self shot, my boy. Give him the money
first"
Probably now that 1t is all over and now
that the boy has shown himself of such
brave stuff and the money being safe,
Mr. Julius is glad that his son disregarded
| his instructions.
The bank is located in a small, square
| one-story brick building, located on the
principal street of the village Young
! Julius was behind the counter and railing
when man entered the only door of tho
! little building and came up to the counter.
| AS the lad stepped to the window to wait
| upon him the man thrust forward two big
revolvers, one in either hand, and quietly
remarked: ITS up to you, kid. Give me
| the money" For answer the quick-wttod
youth lodged underneath the muzzles Of
| the weapons and under the wide counter
where two revolvers were kept handy. Ila
| seized these and. partly protected by the
counter, began firing at the robber. ono
! of the first shots struck the fellow in the
! left arm and one of his pistols fell to the
floor Young Julius, reaching up from be-
meath the counter, then emptied the other
! gun, also an automatic.
The robber turned to run from the bank,
but the boy followed him, firing he ran.
e. Larsen, another Danish youth but little
older than Julius and who has a black
bank. ran from his shop when the firing
began aud Joined in the chase
The two lads chased the robber into
cornfield quarter of a mile away Julius
had a pocketful Of cartridges for tha
revolver he carried and reloaded it as
he raE. struggling crowd Of men and
boys were following far in the rear, but
julius and Larsen plunged boldly after
the Iobber, Pulius shooting at him when
ever he got a chance. Far in the depths
| of the cornfield the two boys forced tha
robber to stand at bay. lie met them with
a revolver pointed toward them, bur
| julius took another shot at him, COM
manding him to throw up his hands. IL
did so ana the boys marched him back 10
the quickly gathering crowd, who hurried
him to the village jail, where new
Colts automatic .32 callber revolver was
taken from him. 1t had not been fired
and the magazine contained its full COM
pement OF cartridges.
The robber was identified at the jail y
Wilford Kirby, as years odl, of Oakland,
la. Examination showed that he had re-
ceived a painful wound in the left arm
above the elbow.
Men Surround Empty Field.
News of the attempted robbery tele-
phoned to the county farm, instantly
I broke up the picnic and sent about 1000
men scurrying back to the town. Shot
, guns and rifles were requlsitloned from
all sides, and automobiles filled with
armed men dashed TO vantage points
around the cornfield and in ten minutes 1t
was comp etely invested. Sheriff McCaf-
, ferry was At the picnic and was among the
first to get word OF the robbery. He acted
with prompt decision in the work of in
b. ! alI yyl ha
told that two or three robbers were hid
ing Then the word came that the julius
and Larsen boys had run down the rob-
Der and had him iujail. The grown men
looked at one another sheepishly and went
back to town.
Sheriff McCaffery brought Kirby to
Council Bluffs in Robert Wallaces auto
mobile, arriving here shortly after 4
e o'clock DR.. Hanchett examined the
wounded man at the county jail and de-
! ciGed that it was not necessary to send
him 10 a hospital. The bullet was found
to be buried deeply in the muscles near
% the shoulder ana no attempt was made
] 10 extract it last night,
t Kirby talked freely at the Jail He said
he had deliberately planned the robbery.
y He had made large bag out OF strong
cloth, which he had suspended by a can
vas strap around his nccl. This was to
be used In carrying away the money
, Young Julius says Kirby fired at him i'm
medlatey after entering the bank, but
Kirby denies this and his assertion that
he did not shoot at all Is sustained by
the fact that neither Of the weapons he
carried had been fired. In addition 10 the
colts automatic he carried a cheap 3s-
caliber revolver which he dropped at the
bank.
Il could have killed the kid half dozen
: times n / had wanted "a" said Kirby last
: evening in the county jail, but I didn't
Il want 20 and didn't intend 10 hurt any
body. / thought 1 could bluff the Kid
81 but he woulnt be bluffed / don't see
how it happened that he didn't Kill me-