San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-02-26
THE MURDER on u. \. MARSHAL
6OsLIs6.
Fall Particulars.

/ winch Occurcd on tnc ihsihAlOiiA'
near New Braunfels, on SaturdA.
night
j. w. Brown, OF the Galveston
News. who was on the train, Furnishes
the following details:
Marshal Gosling, accompanied b.
two Of his trusted deputies, j. i
Manning AM L. J. Loring, were con
yeying two United States prisoner
from Austin 10 San Antonio for safe
keeping. The prisoners were jane
Pitts and Charles Yeager, who have
won notoriety in Lampasas and Bur
net al bighwaymen and post offic'
robbers. The officers and then
prisoners occupied seats in the smok
ing car, on opposite sides Of the coach
The prisoners were securely hand
cuffed together They were escorted
by Mrs 4. A. Drown, grandmother
OF Pitts. and Miss Rosa Yeager
sister OF one Of the prisoners. The
women occupied seats Immediately in
front OF the prisoners, who, in turn
were escorted by four men occupying
seats removed from them. The
smoking car was well filed with
passengers, among whom were sever
al cattlemen in high flow Of spirits.
Shortly after the train pulled out
Of San Marcos the two women left
the smoker, carrying with them a
leather valise into the first class
coach adjoining. After a short alb.
sence, they returned to the smoker,
and occupied the seats originally filed
by them, Immediately in front of the
prisoners. This maneuver attracted
the attention OF Marshal Gosling and
his deputies, who eyed the prisoners
closely until they became satisfied
that all was well. The prisoners and
women were quite affectionate in their
demonstrations, but no more 80 than
they had been before the maneuver
occurred.
The first intimation that anything
wrong was going on was the sharp
report of pistol and the rising o.
the prisoners 10 their feet. This
was followed by rapid discharge of
shots, which filed the coach with a
dense smoke, in the riffs of which
the prisoners were noticed TO be NOV.
ing toward the opposite seats, oc.
cupied by Gosling and his deputies.
The first shot evidently missed the
marshal. As he was in the act OF
drawing his pistol, and while rising
TO his feet, second shot rent the
air, and simultaneously with the crack
of the gun the gallant marshal fell for
ward, with his head into the aisle
and his weapon drawn, pinioning
Deputy Manning for a time in his
seat.
Before the deputy could free him
self from the body of his chief, he re.
ceived wound in the neck and one
in tho shoulder. Clearing the seat,
Manning took a position in front of
the door to prevent the escape of the
prisoners by that exit. After he had
fired every shot in his pistol, he de
liberately drew pencil to remove the
shells from his six shooter,
while the prisoners were peppering
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 smoke
The prisoners pushed on to the rear,
forcing Loring to the platform of the
sleeper, where the deputy fired his
last shot as the desperadoes jumped
from the train as it was in full motion.
AS they struck the ground, Colonel
Mays6eld, of Helena, KarAes county,
who was in the rear end of the first
class coach, fired well directed shot
at the prisoners, us did Conductor
George A. Fowler, who was attracted
to the smoker by the firing. The
prisoners made off in O northerly
direction up lane four miles north
OF New Braunfels. Pitts is presumed
to be wounded, as Yeager was almost
dragging him when they were 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.
Investigation revealed that Marshal
Gosling was dead, lying on his face
on the seat occupied by him before
the firing. The fatal ball took effect
in the rear of the head, burying itself
in the brain just back of the fore
head.
Mrs. Il. A. Drown, the grandmoth-
er of Pitts, was lying near the dead
marshal, shot in the stomach and in
great agony.
Miss Rosa Yeager, sister of the
prisoner, was found in an Unconscious
state i'll the seat recently occupied by
the prisoners, shot through the leg
above the knee.
Deputy Marshal Manning was
powder burnt in the face, and shot in
the neck and shoulder. Two shots
had gone through the first class
coach, one of which had grazed the
head of lady, who was thrown into
a swoon. The rear of the smoker
was riddled with bullets.
When the prisoners jumped from
the smoker the bell rope was pulled
by the representative of the News,
and the train stopped within 400yards
Of the lane through which the
prisoners were fleeing.
The deputy marshals had reloaded
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