Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1912-07-09
BOY BANK ROB
Der KILLED IN
RUNNING FIGHT
Charles Clark, Is Years Old, Holds
Up Cashier at
Rome, Ia.
POSSE KILLS THE YOUTH.
Young Bandit Makes Desperate
Fight, But Receives Dozen
Bullets.

Mount Pleasant, July 6.-Ont
boy is dead and three men are
wounded as the result of the rob
berry of the bank at Rome, seven
miles west Of Mount Pleasant, yes
terday afternoon.
The dead:
Charles Clark, Is years old.
The wounded:
J. H. HeiImann, cashier, shot
through left arm; will recover.
). j. OLoughIin, shot Between
shoulders; condition serious.
William Basham, shot through alb
domen; will recover:
The robbery was the most Daring
Henry county ever has known. Just
as Heilmann, the cashier of the
bank at Rome was balancing his
books at 4 O'Clock yesterday after
noon, Charles Clark walked to the
cashiers desk with a leveled reval-
yer. Throw UP your hands," lie
said. Keeping his gun pointed at
Hei1mann, Clark climbed over ths
railing in, 'front.' of the desk anG;
picked up $500 In currency. AS he?
backed out of the door he shot He'll
mann through the left arm.
Rushing to buggy which had
been hitched in front Of the bank,
he drove directly through the town
and started for the rough country
south of Rome The. rig belonged
to Mount Pleasant liverynan.
Clark drove the horse as fast as it
could run.
A general alarm was given over
the telephone lines, and soon a doz-
en- automobiles loaded with ARMED
men We're rushing towards Rome.
Two automobiles started from
Rome, and they were the first 40
reach Clark, who had reached tire
hills eight miles south Of the town.
The hoy abandoned the horse and
took to the fields, but he was sur
and a running fight took
place. Hundreds OF shots were fir
ed, and finally Clark feIi, shot to
death.
The resistance fTs made was sem
sational. He fired point blank into
one automobile loaded with five
men, and hit r, j. OIoughlEn, al
prominent Rome merchant, between
the shoulders. How serious HIS in
juries are is not known. William
Basham, another Rome man, was
shot through the abdomen.
Clark was we'll known in Rome.
He formerly WIS employed on a
section gang, but for the
last two weeks had been working on
the Hayes-H elevator as a
His mother has been dead
a good many years, and it is, not
known where his father is. He made
his home with his grandfather, John
near, the Burlington sta7
ton.
The body of Clark was brought
to Mount Pleasant last evening, and
is in local undertaking parlor.
Shaffner identified the body of his
grandson.
For the last three years, Char
ley has been working ON the rail-
road" the old man said. when
his mother died, we took him into
our home. He would have been 16
years old next October, although he
was large for his age, and many
thought he was older.
'He was good boy" continued
the grandfather. between his sobs,
"but he always would read dime
novels. He used to sit up until mid
night reading them, and reckon he
has read thousand"
The boy had four revolvers with
him, and he fired and reloaded re-
peatedly before he, fell. A dozen
bullets entered his body, hole in
his heart indicating the one that
caused his death. The money was
found in his pockets.