Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 October 1895 — BANDITS ROB A CAR. [ARTICLE]

BANDITS ROB A CAR.

CHICAGO ELECTRIC PATRONS BOLDLY PLUNDERED. Murderous Brutality Shown by the Daring Marauders—Passenger* Assaulted, Money, Watches and Diamonds Taken and Thieves Escape; Bandits Shoot to Kill. Four masked and armed men held up a street car on the Evanston electric line at Edgewater, a Chicago suburb, Monday night in true Western style. They succeeded in carrying off between S2OO and S3OO, besides several gold and silver watches. Of the twenty-three persous aboard the car only three offered resistance, and one of these was shot and the other two badly beaten. The highwaymen stopped the car in Evanston avenue at the corner of Berwyn. Evanston avenue between Montrose boulevard and Edgewater is a lonely place at night. The street is not paved, except in the car tracks, and there is no travel either by teams or pedestrians,’ When the men stopped the caT two of them jumped on in front and two behind. The front men were masked, with white handkerchiefs tied over the lower part of their faces, while of the two in the rear one had a black mask and the other a red one. They all carried revolvers. The man evidently the leader, a tall, slender fellow, with deep sunken eyes and wearing a light overcoat, ordered the motorman, J. O. Merrimau, into the ear, threatening to shoot him if he disobeyed. Merriman, however, obeyed promptly, and the robber, following him in, immediately commanded everybody in the car to give up whatever of value he or she had in hi» ( or her possession. In the meantime the two robbers oa the rear platform had also driven the conductor, W. G. Osborn, inside, and then a robber stood at each door, threatening to shoot any one who attempted to get out, while the other two went down the aisle, grabbing watches from the men, searching their pockets for money, and seizing what-: ever women’s pocketbooks happened to be in sight. After that the robbers had' things their own way, and robbed the passengers at leisure. More than S6OO in' personal property and money was secured 1 from the passengers. Some of the ladies had ear-rings torn from their ears. Passengers Are Daated. For a moment nobody attempted any resistance. The men in the car seemed dazed and the women, of whom there were seven, did considerable screaming. Finally, when the robbers came to N. OG. Johnson, of Galesburg, 111., who is in Chicago visiting friends at Edgewater, and whose wife was with him, he strongly objected to parting with a valuable watch and SOO which he had in his pocket. The robber grabbed him by the shoulders and Mr. Johnson struck at him with his fist. The robber replied with a heavy blow with the butt end of his revolver, striking Mr. Johnson under the left eye and at the same time his companion beat him badly over the head. Just then A. E. Wostman.also offered resistance and was set upon and also badly beaten. He had a cane in his hand which he attempted to use against the robbers, but one of them took it away from him and used it against himself. Just then Thos. P. Nesbitt made the strongest fight which had yet been made against the robbers. Mr. Nesbitt is a man fully six feet tall,' with broad shoulders, anil built like an ■athlete. He jumped up from the rear end of the car, overthrew one of thq robbers who was in his way, gave another one a blow which knocked him against the side of the car. The robber in the light overcoat, who seemed to be the leader of the gang, leveled his revolver at him and fired one shot. The bullet took effect in Mr. Nesbitt’s left thigh, and, while inflicting only a flesh wound, still brought him to the ground. The whole affair took five minutes. When the robbery was completed the highwaymen all gq£off the front platform, taking with them the lever with which the motorman controlled the motor. They also swung the trolly off the wire and cut the rope, leaving the car in darkness and stationary on the track.