The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-01-26
BILL RUDIFER.
THE DARING DESPERATE.
HIS CAPTURE AT LAST


HIS CAPTURE AT LAST.
THE CELEBRATED BURGLAR AND RoBBFR +,
CAPTURED AT scoTTsBURG IN SCOTT COUNTY
A STRANGE CHAPTER OF ExPERIENcR-
NARROW ESCAPES AND BOLD sUBTERFUGEs
HOW HIS LAST ESCAPE WAS EXPECTED.
1.he Louisville Courier-Journal of the osd
inst, gives very lengthy account OF the last
escape ano capture of the noted desperate.
Bill Rudifer, from which the following ex-
tracts are taken: "Rudifer is caught,n were
the words that greeted the citizens of Jeffsr-
sonville early yesterday morning. Ever since
the escape of that noted man, the people ON
the other side ofthe river have talked OF moth
ing else. Farmers out in the counties of
Clark and Floyd have never laid their weary
bones on bed to sleep Of nights before
they have securely locked their doors and
fastened up tightly all of the out-houses on
the farm. The name of Rudlfer was coupled
with all that was desperate and terrible,
and while the women admired the man for
his bravery, yet they would turn pale at the
bare mention of his name. Many of the
people over there wanted him To get away
for they thought that his bravery deserved
the reward of freedom. But the greater
portion of the male kind wanted to reap the
reward offered for his capture. Money is
the greatest incentive for action in the world,
and the five hundred dollars offered in fam
ing bill-heads to any man who would bring
the escaped convict in, stirred the entire
country. Many men from Jeffersonville and
New Albany went out in search, and
from every town, village, and cross road in
the neighboring counties swarms of men
hastily gather their revolvers and struck
out, to take in Rudifer if they could, and
the money offered for his capture. In fact,
the whole country was alarmed and aroused,
and the woods and thickets were closely
searched day and night; but still no Rudi-
fer. There was not one man in twenty be-
lieved the report Yesterday morning in JEFF
fersonville that Rudifer was captured, but il
was nevertheless true, for
THE RECKLESS BILL RUDIFER
was again in the clutches OF the law, and
was on his way down to Jefferssnville on
the early morning train. The train was
due at Jeffersonvills at 9 o'clock, and long
before that hour there were three or four
hundred people out at the depot awaiting its
arrival, SO as 20 get sight of the man who
had the last week taken up so much Of the
time and attention of the people. The train
came in on time, and sure enough the man
of iron nerves and brave daring William
Rudifer. was on board. The crowd rushed
up to the car, and, as Rudifer made his ap-
pearance on the platform, he was gaZed at
as If he were wild beast. He was closely
guarded by nine stalwart six-footers from
Scott county, each one having six-shooter
strapped to his healthy and ponderous
form. A hundred questions were asked,
but none were answered. snake way for
the prisonerr' cried out one of the guards
men, as the crowd gathered closely around
the captured man. The crowd gave way,
and Rudifer, followed by hundreds of men,
women and boys, was hurried off to his
old quarters at the state prison south. The
particulars of the capture of the noted man
are as follows: Since the escape of Rudiier,
THE PEOPLE OF sCorrsBURG,
the county seat of Scott county, small
place about thirty miles out on the jeff.
road, in Indiana, have, like those of all
other towns, been on = sharp lookout for
the escaped convict. They were becoming
discouraged, though, and had about given
up all hopes Of catching him when DIR. Gill
pin, the clerk, and two guards of the prison
came into town at 8 o'clock Thursday even
ing. They told one or two of the citizens
that they had been on the trail of Rudifer
for the last twentyfour hours, and that they
were satisfied he would not be far from that
place. This piece of interesting information
put the citizens again on their guard, and
they made up their minds to watch for
'sstrange men.s Thursday night, it will be
remembered, was dark and foggy-just such
a night as a man would take to commit a
robbery or other act of devilment, and they
thought that Rudifer might pay their town
a visit that night, and he did. About half
past IL O'Clock Thursday night, Mr.. Thad-
deus Terrell, who resides in Scottsburg, was
awakened by sone one trying to pull pair
of pants from the foot of his bed where he
lay sleeping. He jumped up, but whoever
the person was, got away before Mr..
Terrell could get sight of him. His
suspicious were aroused, however. He
said that he Thought at the time that it was
Rudifer. Now this Is not to be surprised at,
for we do not believe that any crime has
been committed on the other side of the
river since Rudifer's escape that he has net
been blamed for 1t. So old Terrell, think
ing that it was Rudifer who had tried to rob
him. got up, dressed himself and went to the
house of the deputy sheriff and told him what
had occurred and his suspicious. The deputy
sheriff being sick that night, directed Mr..
Terrell To Hubbard's Hotel. He went there
and told Mr.. Melvin Hubbard the same
story, who, thinking that there might be
boarders who had retired, and after armine
themselves, they all started out
To FIND THE BURGLAR.
They had not been out for more than hall
an hour before they discovered light
shining through the kitchen window of the
house of Mr.. William II. Pennington, the
telegraph operator of the JEFF. road al that
place. They thought that was strange, as
Mr.. Pennington and his family were not al
home that night, and they all walked over
to the house. The party at this time was
composed of the following citizens of Scots
burg: James Thompson, Thaddeus Terrell
Samuel Terrell, George W. Alexander,
Alexander Biggs, Melvin Hubbard and
DIR. III. W.'rth Bailey. The above
party Immediately surrounded the
house, two In front, one on each sside and
four back of the kitchen. One of the party
made a noise in tie front part OF the house,
loud enough to be heard by those inside.
They were certain by this time that some
one was in the kitchen, for they could hear
footballs and noise within, as il some per-
son was moving around. A minute after
the noise in front ofJhe house was made. the
back kitchen door opened, and the torn OF
man appeared in the doorway. He i'm
mediately stepped on. of the door into the
ar1 hr1fh had snnf fotr fhrrl