Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-27
rsrrc1,I rrnreRAn TO THE DISPATCH.

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPArcH.l
BIRMINGHAM, October 26.-Rube Bur-
rows, the noted Alabama train robber, muir
derer and outlaw, has again defeated a
Sherif's posse and added two men to his
long list of victims.
Late yesterday afternoon, Burrows and
one member OF his gang. supposed to have
been Ben Thornton, were surrounded near
Brooksville, Blount county, by Sheriff Nor
ris and a posse of 40 men. The outlaws
opened fire, and at the first voliey, Deputy
Sheriffs Henry Anderson and Penwood
Warp fell dead, the former shot through the
head and the latter through the breast. The
officers returned the fire, and over 100 shots
were exchanged. The posse were armed
only with shotguns and pistols, and as they
were 200 yards from the outlaws they were
at great disadvantage, as the latter were
armed with repeating rifles OF large caliber.
James Heron, of the posse, was dangerous
" wounded, and five others, whose names
could not be learned, received slight flesh
wounds. The outlaws fired only at one
point in the surrounding line and cutting
q gap in it, they made rush for liberty ana
escaped, no pursuit being made by the
posse, who remained to care for the dead
and wounded.
Sheriff Morris came to this city to-day
after help and repeating rifles for his depu-
ties His story of the battle and the first
discovery of The outlaws in Blount is that
Rube Burrows and a partner were at the
house of Bud Ashworth, five miles south of
Brooksville. He got three or four men and
started down TO Ashworth's s at once. They
rode up to the gate of the Ashworth yard
and, leveling their guns at the door, called
TO the inmates, notifying them that they
had come after Burrows and his pal, and
ordering them to come out.
A WOMAN AS A SHIELD.
In response to this Rube appeared at the
door with a woman in front OF him, serving
as a shield between him and the officers
guns, and replied defantly that he would
die before he would surrender The officers
would not shoot for fear of hitting the
woman. Seeing that the officers hesitated
to shoot the two desperadoes came out of
the door, and still keeping the woman be-
tween them and the Sheriffs posse, retreated
slowly, facing the officers with their guns
leveled on them. Neither party took down
their guns, and neither fired
while the slow retreat under cover
of the woman was going on until the out
laws got some distance from the officers and
near little skirt of wood, when Rube and
his pal fired into the sheriffss posse and
dashed off into the timber, where they were
soon out of sight. They only fired one shot
each, and didn't hit any one As soon as
they got out of range of The woman the fire
was returned, but without effect.
The officers followed the outlaws for a
while, but soon realized that chase through
the woods after such skilled bushwhackers
gave II up and returned to Oneonta, the
seat of Blount county. The officers did not
reach ODeonta till late at night, and of
course could do nothing till the next morn
ing, which was yesterday. Early Yesterday
morning Deputy Sheriff Morris began or
ganizing another and larger posse for the
purpose of renewing the chase after the
desperadoes. Shortly before noon he had
summoned 40 men armed with pistols and
few with shotguns, and with these he started
for the Ashworth neighborhood, which is
about seven miles rom Oneonta. They
reached the Ashworth farm about P. NJ.
Scattering out they surrounded it and then
began to close up. examining every thicket
and clump of bushes as they went This
operation was kept up till about o'clock.
CLOSING IN ON THE OUTLAWS.
BY that time the circle had grown so
small that tne securing party were IN speak
ing distance of one another, and the chase
was growing exciting The men were moy-
ing cautiously and with bated breath, when
there came puff of smoke from clump OF
bushes almost in the center of the circle, fol- |
lowed by the crack of rife, and at the |
same instant young Henry Anderson fell |
dead with bullet in his forehead. Baugl |
bangi bangl came the shots in quick success |
sion. In second more two others of the |
posse, one on each side of young Anderson. |
fell, and the hunted desperadoeS dashed out |
of the bushes and made their escape through |
the gap in the line that had been made by |
their well-directed shooting. They had evi- |
dently calculated to do with their fire lust
what they did-cut the lire, and the result
shows how well they had reckoned and
how well they had executed. AS
the two men ran through the
broken line from one cover to another
they continued to fire at every man they
saw and succeeded in wounding six Others.
Their fire was warmly returned and IO0
shots or more were fired at the rapidIv re-
treating figures, but without apy apnarent
effect. The fusIlade LASTED about a minnie
when the bushmen disappeared from sight
in the dense forest growth.
Gathering up their killed and wounded
the posse returned to Oneonta, the county
seat, to await assistance and better arms
Sheriff Morris secured no help here and
said he would make no further attempt To
capture Burrows with the arms at his COM
mand.