Honolulu Republican, Volume IV, Number 500, 18 January 1902 — ROBBERS SUCCESSFULLY LOOT ILLINOIS BANK [ARTICLE]

ROBBERS SUCCESSFULLY LOOT ILLINOIS BANK

i I BIND GUARDS AND GET BOOTY. | With Nitroglycerine Many Steel Doors Are Shattered—Thieves Complete Their Work Unmolest, ed and Make Their Escape. ST. LOUIS (Mo. i. Jan. 7 Six masked men entered the National Stork Yards Hank, north of East St. Louis. 111., last night, and. after choking and gagging the two night watchmen and the fireman at the steam plant and blowing open the vaults with dynamite, secured $5OOO in coin and currency, with which they decamped, early today. From 7 o'clock last night until 4 a. m. they were at work without being interfered with. The entire East St. Louis police force, aided by the St. Louis police, are guarding all the avenues of escape, but as yet have obtained no clew to the whereabouts of the robbers, who. it is believed, escaped on horseback. The two watchmen and the fireman were confronted individually, overpowered. bound and placed in the composing room of the Daily National Stock Yards K-*porter and one of the six desperadoes was left to guard them. The other five at about midnight went to the bank and blew open the double steel doors of the vault with nitro-glycerin. Next the quadruple plate doors of the big steel safe were shattered. The explosions destroyed books and papers and scattered about in coin upon the floor, where it wa* left. The robbers took all the other currency and coin, amounting to about sst<oo. as nearly as the bank officials can estimate, as well as sssh left with the bank by Assistant Postmaster Bushnell of the stockyards. The robbers were all masked. The watchmen say that ail the bandits appeared to be middle-aged men , none of them under 3S year? of age