Year: 1876

Two Robbers.


Recently was published the story Of
tho express robbery in Missouri and Of
the manner in which the robbers bound,
gagged and carried woman who had
become cognizant OF their crimes over
the bridge at st. Louis; of how, in
moment OF supreme agony, when about
to be hurled over into the Mississippi
river, with m iron weight attached to
her, she displaced the gag from her
mouth and raised an alarming cry tint
caused tho villains to leave their victim
and seek safety for themselves in flight.
Tho ST. Louis Republican adds this Sc
quel to tho story:


Edward Deal, alias Wilson, one Of the
North Missouri express robbers, arrived
from Cincinnati, in charge OF m officer.
Deal is nero youth, tall, rather light
build and OF nota pleasant countenAnce.
About eleven o'clock the colored woman
whom the robbers tried to murder, be-
cause of her knowledge OF their crime,
was brought to the court. Deal was led
before her, and ut the first glimpse Of
him she burst out in a furious and most
unnistakable identification. "That's
him. That'sthe villain who put tkorub.
Der ball into my mouth Oh, let nc at
him! Oh, you rascal" and ut him sho
would have dashed then and there had
she not been restrained by n detective.
Deal, before being led in, pulled his
slouch hat down over his eyes and hung
mis- head in the most abject manner, but
said never word. He was sent back to
his cell, and the woman then begun 10
relate in more detail than she had for.
merly given the events Of that terrible
Sunday when she for hours heard plans
for her murder deliberately discussed.


Her description was mostvivid OF how,
when shc opened the door Of the room
and came upon the men dividing their
spoils, they hastily covered tho money
with a blanket, pounccd on her, locked
tho door and gagged her; then, after n
few moments consultation, they strip.
ped her entirely naked, and bound her
hand and foot, leaving her lying on the
floor. Then came the frighttul discus
sion US to whether they should shoot
her, cut her throat, or drown her, it be-
ing au agreed fact that either course
must be pursued. She was particularly
vindictive toward Deal, because he was
up to that time total stranger to her,
and yet he was the most abusive to her,
and insisted on putting pistol in her
mouth aud blowing her brains out, aud
then leaving her in the room. She says
he would occasionally come up to where
she was lying and kick her in the side or
head by way Of joke, making some
jovial remark meanwhile. Onco he
measured the coal box to SEQ whether
her body could be slowed in it, and then
walking up to her he measured of her
body, showing that it would he neces.
sary to cut her into three pieces, thelRst
cut coming Just where her head joined
her neck. When he reached this point
ho drew his finger nail across her neck,
scratching n mark to cut her by, as he
told her. They threw her on to the
bed. then rolled her of on to the floor
and applied chloroform several times,
evidently desiring to stupeiy her by
bruises, without drawing blood. Deal
ut one time paced up aud downthe floor,
with hands behind him, giving his ideas
rs to how the murder had best be done,
and every time he came to where she was
lying he gave her kick, as though it
facilitated his reasoning. Once he
stopped down, took lot OF her hair off
and threw it into the stove, laughing ut
the why it burned. Then, seeming to
like that sort Of joke, he held her
mouth open while he took ont her set OF
false teeth, which he also threw into the
stove, reIuarking diabolically that he
"nevei knew n nigger's teeth woNld
crackle like that" After the men tired
out OF this, they relieved each other
while they went to dinner, and finally,
just after dark, one OF them put her on
his back, they having dressed her in
mems clothes, and carried her down to
the buggy to take her to the bridge for
drowning purposes.