People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 September 1893 — A ROBBER SHOT DEAD. [ARTICLE]

A ROBBER SHOT DEAD.

Two Brothers Try to Loot the Safe la the Normal School at Valparaiso, T tiT, — Chased by a Posse and One of Thom Killed—The Other Wounded and Captured. Valparaiso, Ind., Sept 25.—Two masked men entered the office of the Northern Indiana normal school Saturday and tried to rob the large safe. The secretaries, Misses Kate Corbery and Emma Jones, were in the front office, and when Miss Jones passed through the door to the private office to put away some papers she was confronted by the masked men, one of whom placed a revolver against her face and commanded her to throw up her hands. She struck at the revolver, knocking it out of his hand, and ran screaming out into the street, followed by Miss Corbery. As they passed through the door one of the robbers fired at them. The robbers seeing further efforts were useless coolly walked out the front door and down the steps. A mail carrier here blocked the way. Both of them pointed their revolvers at him and he retired They then jumped the fence and started east. Arnold, the carrier, gave the alarm and in a few minutes students started in pursuit,

Word was sent to the city and in a short time officers and hundreds of citizens, armed with every kind of firearms, were scouring the country. When about a mile east of this city the robbers were overtaken by the first of the pursuing party, who demanded of them to halt, and were answered by shots. Nathan 0. Howe, of Michigan City, was coming to this city with a load of peaches, and seeing the masked men followed by a number of others who were shooting drove to a farmhouse, borrowed a rifle and joined in the pursuit. His aim was good and the first shot fired hit one of the robbers, passing through his body and his right arm, killing him instantly. The next shot struck the other robber in his right hand, knocking* his revolver to the ground, which he picked up with the left and fired at Howe. He then stooped over his companion and upon finding him dead threw up his hands and surrendered.

The injured man was brought back to this city by Sheriff Stoddard and placed in jail, where Drs. Letherman and Pollock dressed his wounds. His name is Claire Moody, who came here three weeks ago and represented himself to be a student, but had not entered school. He says his home is in Kalamazoo, Mich., and his father is proprietor of a furniture store. Moody is about 2-2 years of age. Frank Robinson, the man killed, was a student at the school for three terms ast year, and came back about three weeks ago and entered school. He was joined by Moody about ten days ago, but he did not attend school. When Moody was searched at the jail it was discovered that he had two suits on—one a fine dress suit covered with a well-worn suit. His companion was dressed the same way. Some time ago one Webster, of Chicago, was arrested for robbing places on the hill and sentenced to the penitentiary. All his effects were in the same shape as those of these two men, and the officials think that they were members .of the same gang, and that there were more persons interested iD the bold attempt to rob the safe. An examination of the robbers’ trunks showed a peculiar state of affairs. The one belonging to Moody was found to contain about thirty suits of underclothing and a lot of wearing apparel, besides a cloak, which is thought to have been stolen from some place. Nathan O. Howe, who did such effective shooting, is a son of the veteran detective Frank Howe, now living in Michigan City. Late Sunday night young Moody was identified as Claire Robinson, a brother of the dead man. A Kalamazoo dispatch says that he was not a resident of that city, as claimed by him.