San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-02-26

The exeiteaent here was intense.
Numbers Of citizens volunteered their
assistance % the authorities 10 so 20
the scene Of the escape and capture
the desperadoes-
A special train, conveying about
200 San Ant0nians, left 81 OPP. m
30 Join Captain Lee Hal, Joe Shelley
and fifteen others 10 the search, the
latter having left Austin for that pur
pose.
We append some further references
from the report Of the San Antonio
Express:
Col VIII. Lambert, who was on
the train, after stating that Gosling
gave the prisoners good supper be
fore starting, and assured Pitts that
his wife should sit BY him all the
ways, thus describes the tragedy:
! / was looking out OF the window;
/ heard a noise, / don't know what,
and turning, saw Pitts pistol elevated
in his right hand in the act OF bringing
it down on Gosling. / touched the
doomed man hurriedly; had no time
10 do more, and the ball began. The
marshal had half risen from his seat
and was reaching for his pistol, when
two reports rang out and he sank
dead on the cushioned seat He
never knew what struck him. He
fell as q man falls whose every drop
of life is spilled at once. l saw Yea
ger with q pistol in his left hand and
both be and Pitts were working them
for life. l saw Manning rise from
his seat coolly, pistol in readiness,
and the two deputies took hand. |
The light was dim IN the car, the re-
ports were incessant and the smoke
soon blurred the sight so that it was
impossible to distinguish features or
forms. The flashes could be seen
and figures of men and women settl-
ing on the floor, but all identity OF
slayers or slain was lost. / went to
the door of the car and shortly after
escaping saw the indomitable prison.
ers still menacled; their faces powder
burned and their pistols still clench-
ed, break through the wild scene Of
confusion and leap from the train.
As they struck the ground rassen-
ger to me unknown fired, and says
lie struck one Of them They rose
and disappeared.
Gosling owes his death today to
the same kindly spirit, the same big
heart that made him beloved by all
who know him, the admired OF his
equals, the idol Of his family, the re-
spected of all.
DIR. Amos Graves, who examined
Gosling's dead body, says one of the
assassin bullets took effect in Cos
lings head, just back of and a little
above the left ear. The second ball
entered the back between the shouI- |
der blades, short distance to the
left, ranging downward, and SKATER
ing the spinal column. Either would
have been fatal.
The shooting was done with sraall
SO calibre pistols, which seemed to be
new.
The prisoners were being removed
to the San Antonio jail for the pur-
pose of safe-keeping, as threats had
been made by friends in Austin that
they would be liberated. 1t is even
said that before leaving Austin Cos
ling was warned to be careful, and
that one man had declared that if
either of the prisoners was n brother
of his there would be music in the air
before reaching San Antonio.
Both of the murderers were raised
in West Texas, and are said to be
O pair of the worst Williams that ever
went unhung. A few months ago
Pitts was arrestedby Deputy Sheriff
Robert Alexander for horse stealing
and lodged in our Jail. 1t afterwards
TRANSFERRED that he was a stage robber
and schoolhouse burner, and United
States officials asked that he be turn
ed over to them for trial in the Fed
eral court, so that he could be sent
up for life, which request was COM
piled with. Very little is known Of
Yeager beyond the fact that he was
Pitts confederate in crime and
bold, blood thirsty characters
Conductor e. o. Towle, who is the
same conductor who participated in
the capture of the tramps who MUIR
dered Conductor Frazier recently, was
in charge of the train. He says he
was covered by pistol held by one
of the women, and that he shot her in
the stomach. This woman was the
grandmother of Pitts. When the
two men jumped from the train,
Towle was near the platform and
jumped off after them, when he dis
covered that all of the loads were out
of his pistol He was shot in the side
of the head but the bullet glanced.
His head is powder burned.
LATER.
The dead body of Pitts was found
about 200 yards from where he jump
ed from the train. There were sever
al fatal wounds on his person. Yea
ger got loose by beating with stone
the shackels which bound him to the
dead man. He was pursued and
captured about eight miles from
where he started, and returned to
New Braunfels Jail, where the other
parties implicated are also confined.
Mrs- Drnwns died of her wounds.