The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-12
SKYSCRAPER JAIL VERY SUCCESSFUL
 IN MINNEAPOLIS Murray Brown Talks In- terestingly of Trip
 Through West
MISSED BEING HELD UP BY NARROW MARGIN
Gives Details of Daring Robbery in Yellowstone Park-MinneapOli Has Municipal WaterwOrks and Re-
 suits Are Satisfactory

nau me pleasure trip, aud saw several things bearing directly on prob lems we arc now facing in Birmingham said Murray Brown yesterday afternoon just after returning from a vacation trip wtich took him up north through Chicago. St. Paul, Minneapolis and out west as far as Yellowstone National park.
 ''I came mighty near being held up in
 Yellowstone park, I saw jail on the top of hve-story building in Minneapolis and l heard something about the munich pal waterworks in the same city. Noth- ing has occupied my attention more how ever, than the hod-up in Yellowstone park which l missed by a narrow mar gin.
 Birmingham persons will remember the Associated Press report of the sensational
 hold-up of 165 tourists by one man some two weeks ago in Yellowstone park. There is another park up near the Canadian line called Glacier National park in Montana, and 1 was there the day of the hold-up in Yellowstone. If l had gone to Yellowstone first l would in all probability have been an addition to the 165 victims of the daredevil who robbed them of several thousand dollars. When got to Yellowstone a day or two after the robbery, everybody there was talking of nothing else.
 Talks of Holdup
 There is a very narrow place on the trail which the tourist coaches take through the park which overlooks Sho- shone lake, and when the coaches make the trip they usually go in a group, trail- ing along not far behind each other At this marrow place, where there was no way to turn around or get away, the lone bandit robbed the passengers of every coach on the trail. He placed a blanket on the ground and as each coach drove up he ordered the passengers to alght pass by the blanket and drop all their pos sessions, and then go and sit along the edge of the road while he sorted out what he wanted, the passengers then passing the blanket again. taking what was left, entering the coach and driving on to allow the next coach to drive up and it's pas sengers repeat the performance. No arms are allowed by the authorities inside the park, and not one of the passengers had anything to protest with One of them, d minister. is said to have upbraided the bandit for his oLtlawery. The bandit told him to shut up or he'd All him full of lead, the only one Of the l6o victims. 1t is said, whom he addressed except with the great est courtesy.
 They told of his extreme courtesy to the ladies. one of whom had thrown an exceptionally valuable pocketbook on the blanket. He asked her to open 1t, as he did not wish to cut 1t for her. some of the tourists threw their watches and Jewelry on the blanket, but he ordered them to pick them up again. He took fothing but actual money.
 Up until several months ago one or two soldiers from the fort at Yellowstone park always accompanied each coach This practice was discontinued and the
 robbery is laid to that. account. From now on the authorities have arranged for soldiers to accompany each coach. Just before I left two sheep herders were ar rested under suspicion of being the ban dits. but l have not heard whether or not they were.
 Ranchers Disappearing Butte, Mon.. Is a town all by itself. They take more pride in green bush or q patch of grass there ,:ian we do in our skyscrapers. The saloons are open 24 hours a day seven days in the week. was surprised at the absence of cattle | in Montana and neghboring states. Along the railroad all of the land has been cut up into farms. There are some cattle further from the railroads, but natives | told me farming taking the place of
 the stock ranches very fast.
 l ''All those people out there are wonder l ing what they are going to do with their wheat They aresnot pessimistic. how ever The war has placed them in just | about the same fix as people In other 1 parts of the country. They state that
 wheat in all probability will be almost given away unless ocean commerce of some kind is esta blished soon. | Tn Minneapolis went especially to see
 the jail which had heard about before. | The jail and courthouse Is in the same building. which cost s4000.000. The jail l is on the top floor and they are highly pleased with the arrangement. It is very
 small. however. having only q cells. The population of the county Is probably
 60O. GOO. showing how many less people are ! in jail up in that country than down here. There gre only 69 prisoners in the jail at present and the Jailor told me the most he had ever had in rush season was g7. 1 am not taking sides one way or the other in our own jail problem. but being interested in the matter l wanted to find out how 1t worked in Minneapolis. They said there that with the courts and jail in the same building the greatest con- venience resulted. while there We're no objections to the arrangement whatever Minneapolis has municipal water works. | was informed that the rate ia IS cents per thourand gallons. The min isnum charge is q suarter for water.