St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-02-23
A DESPERATE ENCOUNTER.
Two Texas Desperadoes Make Bold At
tempt to Escape.
And After Killing the Officer in Charge are
Both Mortally Wounded and Die

GALVESTON, Tex, Feb. 22.-No.hing ex-
cept the meager details Of the killing Of
United States Marshal Hal Gosling were re-
ceived until too late to be available last
| night. A San Antonio special gives the
following details of the tragedy: Marshal
Gosling, accom- panied by two of his trusted
| deputies, }. F. Manning and J. L. Loving,
were conveying two United States
tonic for safe keeping. The prisoners
were James Pitts and Charles Yeggar, who
have won notoriety in Campasas and Burnet
counties as highwaymen and postofice rob
bers. The officers and their prisoners occu-
pied seats in the smoking car on opposite
sides of the coach. The prisoners were Sc
curelg handcuffed together They were es-
corted by Mrs. E. A. Drum, grandmother
| of Pitts, and Miss Rosa Yeagyer.
sister of one of the prisoners. The women
| occupied seats in front of the prisoners, who
| in turn were escorted By four men occupy
ing seats removed from them. The smok-
| ing car was well filed with passengers.
among whom were several cattle men in
flow of spirits. When the train pulled out
OF San Maries the two women left the smoker,
carrying with them a leather valise, into the
| first second class coach adjoining. After
short absence they returned to the smoker
and occupied the same seats immediately in
| front of the prisoners. This manGuter
| attracted the attention of Marshal Goslng
and deputies, who eyed the prisoners closely
until they became satisfied that
all was well. The prisoners and
women were quite afSectionate in
their demonstrations but no more SO than
they had been before the maneuver men
/ finna6 Tho fret int timafiOu that dpvfhiDU
wrong was going on was the
SHARP REPORT OF A PISTOL.
This was followed by rapid discharge Of
shots, which filed the coach with a dense
smoke, in the riffs Of which tue prisoners
were noticed to be moving toward the opposite
seats occupied By G0slng and his deputies. The
! first shot evidently missed the marshal He
was in the act Of drawing q pistol, and while
| rising to his feet, another shot rent the air
/ and simultaneously with the crack of the
gun the gallant marshal fell forward with his
| head into the aisle and his weapon drawn,
pinioning Deputy Manning for time to
the seat Before the deputy could
free himself from the body of his chief, he
received ball in the neck and one in the
shoulder. Clearing the seat nning took q
position in front of the door, to prevent the
1
he had fred every shot in his pistol he de-
liberately drew pencil and began to remove
the exploded shells from his six-shooter,
while tie prisoners were
| PEPPERINe AWAY AT HIM.
Deputy Loring backed to the rear door Of
the car, firing whenever glimpse of the
prisoners was to be had through the
srnoke. The prisoners pushed lion
to the rear, forcing Loving to
the platform OF the sleeper, where the
deputy fired the last shot as the despera-
does
JUMPED FROM THE TRAIN
while it was in full motion. As they struck
the ground, Col. Mayaeld of Helena, earns
county, who was in the frst-class coach,
fired a wel-ldirected shot at the prisoners as
did Conductor George A. Fowler.
who WAS attracted by the
smoke 10 the firing. The prisoners
made off u n northerly direction up the lane
four miles north of Brownfels. Pitts was
presumed to be wounded, as Yeagger was
almost dragging him when they we're last
seen in the lane. The train, after delay of
three or four seconds, was stopped. All was
confusion. The coach was filed with the
stencil of blood and powder fumes.
| An investigation revealed that Marshal
Gosling was dead, lying on bis face on the
seat occupied by him before the firing. The
fatal ball took effect IL the rear of his head,
buryng Itself iu the brain just back of tho
forehead. Mrs. Z. A. Drown, grandm other
of Pitts, was lying near almost dead. The
marshals shot her in the stomach
and she was in great agony. Miss
Rosa Geager, sister Of the prisoner,
was found IN an unconscious state In the
seat recently occupied by the prisoners, shot
through the leg below the knee. Deputy
| Marshal Manning was powder burnt In the
face and shot in the neck and shoulder.
Two shots bad gone through the frsi-class
coach, one OF which grazed the head of q
lady, who was thrown into swoon. The
rear Of the smoker was
RIDDLED WIFE BULLETS.
J The train stopped within 400 yards Of O
lane through which the prisoners were fee
ing. The deputy marshals had reloaded their
six shooters by this time, when Loving was
called TO the assistance of Conductor Fowler,
who had the four men mentioned
| above under arrest, while Manning
started in pursuit Of the desperadoes.
His strength, however, failed him from the
loss Of blood and ne was taken aboard the
train, which pulled out for New Brownfes,
where the wour ded women aud few prison.
ers were disem barlsed aud lodged in jail.
| The remains Of Marshal Gosliug. accom- pa
MED by Deputy aiming, we're taken TO San
Antonio and removed 10 the resi-
dence Of Mrs. W. r. Wallace, his
sister, whore they were viewed by hundreds Of
friends. The wounds of Manning are serf-
Gus but not necessarily fatal Posses left
Austin and San Antonio for the scene Of the
tragedy TO all In the capture Of the despera-
does, while Deputy Loving organized posse
at New Brownfels last night and instantly
started in pursuit. Tney found the
DEAD BODY OF PITTS
short distance up the line from the
scene Of the tragedy, and came upon
Yeager eight miles distaut, who gave
/ fight and was pierced by three balls fred By
\ the posse. He was taken 10 New BrownfeIs
| where he died. Tne four men under arrest
are confederates OF the dead desperadoes.
4 The excitement over the Killing Of Gosling
I IS intense. Mrs. Dreun, motber-iD-lsw Of
I Pitts, died at 2 q. N. in the jail 1T New
| BrOsnfels IN great agony. Pitts was wounded
/ 10 four different places, three VI which we're
/ mortal
Loss Of the Adams Express.
Special to the Globe.
l NEW YORK, Feb. 22.--Tbe Adams Express
company lose over s25O.00g by the recent
I accideut on the Virginia Midland railroad
near the fve rnne run. Their money safes