The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-03-05
2 BANDITS PUT
BANKERSIN SAFE.
THEN TAP TILL
Masked Men Enter Williams
vile Bank During After
noon and Take $4,000.
ESCAPE IN MOUNTAINS;
HOUNDS TRAIL THEM
Three Officials Locked in Vault,
Rescued by Pat
ron.

Two masked DdnQllS entered TIE Guy
bank of Williamsville, a hamlet tucked
away in the hills of Wayne County
yesterday afternoon, and after locking
the officials in a vault, stole $4,000 and
made their escape.
C. w. Chiffon, president; D. N. Hol
liday, vice-president, and Rolla King,
cashier, were holding a directors
meeting when the strangers entered.
Mr.. King noticed them as they step
ped in and just as he attempted to
step into the cashiers cage, the ban
dts raised their hats, and the masks
which were concealed under their
headgear, dropped over their faces.
simultaneously each of the robbers
drew two revolvers from their hip
pockets, and pointing them at the
three bankers, commanded them to
throw up their hands.
Begging them not to shoot, Presi-
dent Chiffon lifted his hands above his
head, and his lead was quickly follow
ed by Holiday and King.
81 see you boys want to do the right
thing" said one of the gentlemen rob-
bers. "Now all of you just trot along
into the big vault here and you won't
be harmed"
The second bandit stepped up to the
big safe and pointing one of his re-
volvers at the entrance to the vault,
beckoned to the bankers to enter,
which they promptly did.
AS soon as they were inside, the
strangers closed the doors, which
clicked as the locks went into the sock
cts. "Mum is the word, gents" said
one Of the robbers, in a tone which
was Just above whisper. The bank
ers, unwilling to irritate the thieves,
made no reply.
AS soon as they had imprisoned the
bank officials, the thieves began to
garner the harvest of bank notes and
silver, which had been left in the
cashiers cage. They worked rapidly
and as soon as all the visible cash was
in their possession, the robbers walk
ed leisurely out Of the bank and climb
ed on their horses which had been left
at a hitching rack just in front of the
institution.
Pedestrians who saw them mount
their steeds and gallop off into the
wooded Ozarks, noticed nothing to at
tract curiosity. The bandits had plac-
ed their masks under the hats before
leaving the building and when they
reached the street, they bore the ap-
pearance Of stockmen or farmers. The
horses galloped away from the bank
and were soon out of the village and
into the mountains.
A patron of the bank liberated the
three officials. He entered the insti-
tuition a short time after the robbers
had escaped, and when he failed to
find an official in, called the name of
the cashier. The cashier responded
and asked the customer to summon
help. He did and the men were set
free, whereupon they shocked the
countryside with their experience with
the modern James boys.
Williamsville, a town of approx
mately 300, is located at about the
center of Wayne County, on the main
line of the Iron Mountain and the
Hunter branch of the Frisco. 1t sits
in a canyon of the Ozark mountains,
and is surrounded by some Of the
widest country in the state.
At the outskirts of the village,
mountains on both sides begin to rise
to probably the greatest height in the
Ozark range. Caverns are in abund-
ance along the trails that lead from
Williamsville into the mountains.
The hills are covered with trees and
vines that almost reach tropical pro-
portions at times, and chasms and
precipices form perfect natural steps,
which make escape easy.
1t is supposed that the two bank
bandits took one of the mountain
trails, leading across the range. Once
on the other side of the slope, the dis
lance is not great to railroad station,
if the robbers planned to leave the
country.
Authorities, however, believe the
thieves were mountaineers, and have
telegraphed for the pack of blood
hounds owned by a resident Of Poplar
Bluff. AS soon as the dogs reach
Williamsville, they will be placed on
the trail, and will be followed by a
posse of residents fron that city.