Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1921-10-13
BANDIT ROBS
ST. PAUL DEPOT
LEAVES THREE VICTIMS IN
PRAYERFUL ATTITUDE
ON FLOOR

the odHait Suh, prayed their reSpeC-
tive parts in bold robbery staged
last Tuesday evening at the passenger
depot Of the G. NJ. & st. p. After it
was all over, the three victims re-
manned in prayerful attitude ON the
depot floor for one-half hour.
The evening train, northbound at
z: 53, was late and had left the sta
tion about Sis. At $50, Tom DoyIe.
baggageman, had just completed
survey of the waiting rooms and
started out onto the platform. He
noticed man standing outside the
building and as the door was opened.
Doyle was confronted with a gun and
forced back into the depot
Revolver Cooked
The two, baggageman and bandit,
entered the ticket office in the order
named, Doyle backwards, where Rob-
ert Sternetzky, the night clerk, had
Just finished making up his cash and
was preparing to turn out the lights
Oheying orders enforced with a cooked
revoived, Sternetzky left the lights
burning and opened the safe, from
which the bandit distracted what
money he found. According to Albert
I. Lathrop, the freight agent, this
sum amounted to about sevcnty-iive
dollars.
All this transpired while the three
We're on their knees, the robber hav-
ing adopted this precaution doubtless
to prevent anyone passing the building
to see what was going on.
While the bandit was working he
kept up what was apparently a con-
Il -
waiting room although no reply came
from there. The gun he carried was
a hammer revolver and he kept his
i #
Paul Hove, of this city. vas ar =
rested Wednesday afternoon ON =
suspicion in connection with the :
depot robbery. He will be ar :
\ raigned on the charge. Hove has y
criminal record, having served
four years at Waupun. 1911 to 1915. =
and soon after having been re- y
committed for eight years after =
later robbery Ill health made
possible his par0i after having
served five years Of the sentence.
When arrested he carried an old
revolver. 1t II said he was intoxi-
Gated ySsielrly. The two victims
i = have identified him, according TO I
Chief OF Police Thomas Malone.
thumb on the hammer except when
the opening of the safe went bit TOO
Islowly to suit him. Doyle attempted
to demonstrate with him for his allow
ance of two minutes to Sternetzky for
] solving the combination with which
| the latter was not readily familiar A
peremptory command to "shut up
and a threatening gesture with the
gun was the reply.
Joins, Victims
4 About this time Nick Schlaefer. a
high school boy, returning from town,
NOTED the light and stopped in for a
moment of conversation with the
clerk. He was met at the entrance OF
the ticket office with the ever ready
gun and command to hold up his
hands, Startled, he backed toward
the door, but was urged by one of the
men, "Do just as he tells you" AS a
matter of fact there was not great
deal of choice and Nick joined the
other two on their knees.
Having ransacked the safe the ban
dit demanded ticket to New York.
Sternetzky wrote the ticket as di-
rected and then asked the robber if
he also wanted the auditors stub.
"What for" he asked, cts no good
to me- This is all I'll need"
This completed, he asked each of
the others what money they had with
= ~ MI dol ~,
lone pocket and sixty-five cents in his
vest. He produced the two dollars
and was hidden to keep the small
change. Doyle produced four cents.
as that all you've got?" he was
asked. Receiving an affirmative an
swer, the bandit graciously permitted
Doyle to keep the four cents.
When it came to Nick Schlaefer's
turn slight embarrassment arose.
Nick, while up town, had purchased
cocoanut and this was in his pock-
ct on top of the money. The nut was
wedged rather tightly and a certain
amount of nervousness, natural under
the circumstances, made its removal
difficult.
"Take your time, kid said the ban
dit, there's no hurry whatever"
The cocoanut yielded finally and re-
leased eighty-fve cents. Gravely ac-
cepting the money, the robber handed
back a dime and said, "Here, bub, you
can keep that"
All this occupied about fifteen min
utes and then the bandit left the three
in their prayerful attitude on the
floor with parting injunction to re-
main in that position for thirty min
utes, under pain of being shot IL they
stirred. Fear of the suggested accom-
plice, who might have watched after
tie departure of the other man, kept
them on the floor out OF reach Of the
phone until 9:l5.
Notify Police
At that time, Albert Lathrop. freight
agent, noticed the light in the pas
senger depot and as il was bit un-
usual for 1t to be burning so late, he
went over The police were notified at
once and Chief Malone had men out
all night investigating all trains, sa-
looms, road houses. boarding houses
H. AT -.