The Donaldsonville chief., 1912-11-09
[copyrighs by F. L. Nelson

homes to be robbed were widely scat
tered for the first week. After that
they were all close together, the idea
being that people, after hearing Of the
| first robberies, would think that they
were safe, as the lightning did not
seem to strike twice in the same
place.
1--WE had to get transportation from
place to place. had rig of nny own
to start with that was fitted up as a
farmers wagon. It was large enough
to hold the gang and such property as
| was worth taking away. This scheme
| did not work well, as the wagon be-
came known by being seen in different
parts of the island, SO 1t had to be
given up. We relied after that upon
the farmers own rigs, which we pick
ed up as the occasion required.
'"The Red Robins consisted Of Mike
Feeney. Jim Wilkes, Zip Ireland,
slasher Kelly, Niger Foster and Joe
McGinnis. There was no reason for
having so many In the gang, for the
game was dead easy, but our numbers
gave us a chance to work tricks in
different parts Of the island on the
same night. This drove the people
and police into frenzy, and they did
not know which way to turn. The
work at Riverhead was very hot, and
was surprised at the large amount
Of money that these old miser farmers
had slowed away. The first six
houses that we called at turned up
$4,000 in cash and quite a wad of
bonds. 1t took about two months to
get down to Babylon, and from there
over to Oyster Bay, where there was
a rich mine among the old retired
fishermen and oystermen.
.'The last place we struck was the
home Of August Struble, in Oyster
Bay. He lived with his wife and an
idiotic daughter. The general impress
sion about him was that he had big
Doodle slowed away somewhere on
the premises. JEFF had marked his
name with double cross. That meant
that he was away up in money mat
ters. We started for Oyster Bay on a
Saturday night, but got there bit too
early. There were lights burning In
Struble's house. We did not know
who might be there. We stopped in
the rear Of shanty, and Zip Ireland
picked up a piece of an axe handle
and an old cap. He had lost his own
hat on the ride to the place and put
the cap on his head.
when the lights went out In the
Struble house we went. to 1t In single
file. On the way we met a negro who
had left the place by the back door.
He did not see any OF us and disap-
peared down the road. We listened
for a moment at the door and heard
the old man talking with his wife.
The door was unlocked and I stepped
into the place.
:" Is that you, Rube?' said strub1e.
Z replied that / was Rube. Then
going to the bedside Of the old man
flashed a lantern In his face. He was
terribly frightened, and SO was his
wife, but when 1t came down to get
ting him to give up the hiding place
Of his gold he would not bulge. hit
him over the head and gave him
couple Of twisters in the ribs, but
he wouldn't tell q thing. The old
woman was just as ugly as he was.
They both said they would die first.
They got bit of rough treatment, but
it was no use. While we were at work
the idiot girl came out Of a room and
gave up the whole business. She took
us to where old struble's money was
hidden and turned up a rich prize.
After we got everything in sight we
TOOK the old mans team and lit out.
We made the idiot girl come with us
and then lost her in the woods"