Days Gone By In Staunton

Thursday, May 31, 1923 -- BANDITS GET $55,000 IN DARING HOLDUP; KIDNAP STAUNTON POSTMASTER AND CLERK -- The even tremor of life on Saturday afternoon was given an abrupt jolt when at about 5:35 o'clock five men in a Cadillac touring car staged a spectacular hold-up and made their get-away with the payroll for the men employed at Mine No. 2 of the Mt. Olive & Staunton Coal Co.

Postmaster Geo. A. Roberts had received word that a valuable package would come in on the Wabash train due here at the above time. Mr. Roberts was aware of the nature of the package's contents and asked Mr. C.R. Wall, president of the Staunton National Bank, to keep the vault open so that the same could be deposited immediately upon its receipt. In company with Harry R. Kuehnen, one of the clerks at the post office, Mr. Roberts drove to the Wabash depot. Both men carried revolvers and Mr. Roberts had a sawed-off shot gun lying across his lap.

Having received the package, which was in a pouch, Roberts and Kuehnen started for the postoffice. Kuehnen was driving and the pouch was lying on the floor of the coupe. At the corner of Mill and Henry streets, Kuehnen attempted to turn north into Union street, but was blocked by the Cadillac, which drove up on the right side of the Roberts car.

At that instant several shots were fired, the bullets burying themselves in the body of the coupe. An instant later another shot knocked the glass out of the window opposite Mr. Roberts and his face was spattered with small bits of glass. The bullet evidently passed out through the coupe, the glass on the other side of the car being down. Mr. Roberts' first impression was that they had collided with some drunks and that a tire had blown out. However, when the business end of a rifle came poking through the window, together with a command to stick them up, accompanied by a volley of choice cuss words for not having stopped sooner, both occupants of the coupe realized what was happening.

One of the thieves stood in front of the coupe with two revolvers levelled at their victims, while others grabbed the pouch containing the money and then compelled Roberts and Kuehnen to get into the Cadillac with them. The next instant they were on their way for a speedy ride over the hard road to Edwardsville.

The driver headed straight west over Mill street and at the Reinholt corner came very near overturning the car when they struck a bad mud hole. The trail was blocked to traffic, as it was being oiled, but the bandit car ploughed right through the barricades, scattering them to the right and left. Henry Clement, Sr., took the license number of the car as it went by the Klondike Saloon, intending to have them prosecuted for driving over the newly oiled street.

Roberts and Kuehnen were compelled to sit on the floor of the car and hold their hands up on the robe rail. In this position they were not visible from outside the car and as they were ordered to keep their heads down,were unable to get a look at the bandits. Both Roberts and Kuehnen were naturally excited when they first got into the car, Kuehnen suffering more in this respect than did his companion. The robbers ordered both men to keep quiet and when Kuehnen persisted in pleading that he be spared from injury, one of the bandits struck him over the head with the flat side of a revolver, which, it is said, served to silence him.

A short distance out of Staunton the driver of the car suggested that Roberts and Kuehnen be permitted to alight, but the others would not hear of it, saying that they were carrying the two men for protection.

The fact that Roberts and Kuehnen were in the car is what saved the robbers from meeting with resistance, as it is possible that attempts would have been made to stop the car at Hamel but for the presence of the two Staunton men.

Near the oil tanks, just south of Edwardsville, the driver of the Cadillac insisted that the two prisoners be released and as he slowed down Roberts and Kuehnen were ordered to get out. We have their word for it that they did not wait for a second invitation. Hailing a passing car, they rode back to Edwardsville where they stopped at the police station and then came on back to Staunton, where a large crowd of friends and townsmen had assembled and were overjoyed to greet them, hale and hearty.

Among those who witnessed the hold-up at the corner of Mill and Union streets were: Chas. F. Franz, Mrs. Theo. Rahm, Dr. C.H. Kring, John Bub, Miss Rose Bray, Mrs. Albert Furtwaengler, Mrs. William Struck and E.E. Godfrey.

The money which the thieves secured was to have been used to meet the payroll for the men at No. 2 mine of the Mt. Olive & Staunton Coal Co. Plans were to make the payment a day earlier than usnal, due to the fact that the 30th was Decoration Day. A new supply of money was secured and the men were paid Tuesday afternoon. Special precautions were taken in the transfering of this money to our city. All of the loot secured by the bandits was in $20, $10 and $5 bills. This is the second time the Mt Olive & Staunton payroll has been stolen, H.O. Panhorst, paymaster for the company, having been held up in his office at the mine about three years ago. At this time between $15,000 and $20,000 was secured. The thieves were never apprehended.

Word was received in our city Sunday that the machine used by the gang Saturday had been recovered in Chouteau Slough, near Mitchell, and it is probable that the thieves separated there, probably using another machine or two in getting across the river. Police at St. Louis are working on the case and orders have been issued to arrest all known gunmen. U.S. Postal authorities are also lending their assistance in apprehending the culprits and a strong effort will be made to apprehend the guilty parties.

Postmaster Roberts stated that two of the thieves appeared to be genial fellows, while the other three were hard boiled roughnecks. On the ride to Edwardsville Roberts "kidded" the bandits, deploring the damage done to his coupe, and one of them told him to forget it, that they would send him the price of a new one. Up to the present George hasn't received a check.

The thieves were mighty well armed, having two .45 calibre revolvers apiece and in addition to this carried two high powered rifles. On the ride to Edwardsville a number of machines were met, but the bandits had each one of these "covered," and had there been any officers in these cars, bent on intercepting the thieves, chances are there would have been bloodshed.

Mr. Roberts and Mr. Kuehnen both had a hair-raising experience and a very narrow escape, as they were in with a bunch of very bad men, and the Star-Times unites with their many friends in rejoicing that they came through without injury. Mr. Roberts says that he wouldn't take $500 for the experience and woudn't repeat it for ten times that amount.