Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-03-21
A RANDIT,S BLOODY WORK.

lhiS place. oaluio'S
Warden John Mcdonald was IN the room
talking with James &. Madden, the shop
keener. when Rande crept steaithily up be-
hind him. holding in his hand a heavy iron
oolSer which he had taken from the coal-boS.
Without q word of warning he dealt Mcl)on-
Md n terrible blow OF the back OF the head,
KNOCKING him senseless. He aimed another
blow at the PROSTATE deputy, but this was
received on the arm of Madden, who crap
nlrd with the murdcrOus wretch and trled
to secure the poker. Both men fell to the
floor. Rande on the top, but Madden got
the poker away, uron which Rande drew a
knife and stabbed Madden in the Urn. Then
William Raab, a life-cOnvict, knocked the
knife from Rande's hands and seized hin by
tie throat, Madden meantime regaining
his feet. Two more c%onvicts seized Rande's
hands and held him helpless, While Raab
squeezed his throat until the villain was
nearly strangled. Deputy Garvin and 9TH
ers arrived and carried away the wounded
officer, after which Rande, now black in the
face, was released and ordered TO march
ahead to the solitary cell, Garvin following.
AS they neared the door Rande attempted to
get hold of another knife, but was prevented
by MCGEE, the Methodist minister. serving q
fourteen-year term for poisoning his wife.
Selling a hammer, Rande threw it at
Mcdhee, but missed, and GaFvin then struck
the Infatuated murderer Oh the head with a
of the cane, when Garvin drew a single
shot derringer and fired, the bullet striking
Rande on a rib in his left side,
but glancing off without doing Sc
rious harm. The convict made
a rush at Garvin, but the latter got hold Of
the cane and prevented its use. Edward
Mcdonald, a brother of the wounded dep
uty, then placed a revolver at Rande's face
and told him to let go, but he refused, and
Mcdonald fired. The bullet entered the
desperado's ear, and with a scream ne
dropped to the floor.
Meantime physicians had been attending
Mcdonald, whose skull was badly fractured
and the bloou-vessels exposed, some cut
open so that the pulsations of the blood
could be seen and the outer covering of the
brain picked in one or two places. The
surgeons removed two pieces of the skull as
large as half-dOllars and several smaller
pieces. When Rande was examined some
lime afterward he was found to be still
alive. While the hospital steward was
making the examination Rande regained
enough of his senses to recognize those
uDOul Alilll, anu Wllcl dohCu Nuht CduSC IC
had for his attempt, replied that Mcdonald
had put him in punishment and kept him
there for fifteen days, part of which time
he was forced to stand chained to the iron
floor. He also said in an incoherent way
that lie had been commissioned by God to
kill the deputy; that he, Rande, had power
to save all men, and could prove it from
Scripture.
Tit condition of Deputy Mcdonald is bad,
but hopes are entertained that his strong
constitution will enable him to recover. All
Indications OF the wounds are favorable, but
his system received such a severe shock
from the fearful blow inflicted by Rande
that it will be some days before the physi-
clans can feel sure OF his recovery. He is
wholly conscious of the situation, and his
mind seems clear. Rande is also likely to re-
cover. The bullet will not be extracted
until to-day. He is still defiant, and eX-
presses regret that he did not kill Mcdonald,
still insisting that he was ''impelled" to the
crime. 1t is believed that the recent trial of
Mooney for the murder of his cell-mate sug-
gested to Rande the idea of playing insane
in the hope of securing another trial. In
Rande's clothing We're found, among other
articles, a shoe knife, very sharp, and an
ugly weapon made Of steel, some six inches
long, known among saddlery-makers as a
~'cOck-eye unch."
Rande, whose real name is Charles C.
Scott, was born in Pennsylvania in 1889, his
father being a blacksmith. The family
moved to Fairfield, la, thirty years ago,
and the old man is still there. Charles
was at one time a teacher and was married
Mt the age Of twenty-three, his wife diving
in a few months. Sixteen years ago he
committed his first recorded crime, a
burglary, for which he was sentenced to
seven years Imprisonment. but ESCAPED.
In 1872 he was sentenced to five
years under all assumed name for bur-
glary at Michigan City, and during his SEN
tence was a source OF continual trouble to
the prison authorities. Maya, 1877, he was
discharged, and Friday, August 3, he broke
INTO a gunsmith's store at Elmwood, Peoria
County, ILL.,, and stole a number Of revoly-
ers. Two days later the house of Wood
ford Pearce, hear Gibson, Knox County, was
robbed OF S75 and a quantity of clothing
While the family were at church. The rob-
Der was followed by his tracks, and
discovered in a corn-tield. In the attempt
to capture him Charles Belden was killed,
a man named Mckown shot through the
lungs, aud two other men and a boy wound.
ed. All efforts to secure the rutlian were
unaValllng. ADOutG month arterward he
robbed a house at st. Elmo, Dillingham;
County. The citizens turned out in pursuit
OF the robber, came upon him in the timber
ana commanded him to surrender. The
only answer received was a murderous
voiley from the Villains revolvers. and in n
lew minutes Messrs. John Scales, Frank
Wseman and Frank Barnes, citizens Of tho
town, lay dea: upon the field, while their
murderer escaped in spite of the efforts of
the whole people 10 detain him. He then
lied to indianapolis, where he took up his
abode among a number Of low white and
colored people. One day he DESTROYED a
wheelbarrow belonging to an old colored
man, and the police were called in. Officer
durham arrested the criminal, who, after
gong a few yards, quietly drew the in.
eVlt'ple revolver and fired. \ struggle
followed, and Rande broke away. and
"heh the officer pursued brought him down
with a bullet in his leg, and succeeded in
getting clear once more.
On November 1G, 1877, Isande was dis.
covered in ST. Louis, and his capture Of.
iected after a desperate fight, in which tile
desperate shot a policeman, who afterward
uled. When the case was called for trial
three days were spent i'll obtaining a iurv-
Inc lrlal lasted fifteen days. the defeusn
Delng insanity and the Illegally of the ar
fest. The country was greatly astonishcJ
ana justly indignant when a verdict w,s
returned sentencing him to IMPRISONMENT