The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-05-26
TWO ROBBERS SHOT DEAD
THE DESPERADoES HEADED OFF
NEAR PALATKA.

A Command to Halt Answered with a
Shot-The Men on Guard the Better
Marksmeu and the Robbers Got the
Worst of It-One of the Trio Escapes.
Saunders Slayer Writes a Letter to
Georgia While Lying In the Swamp
Fatally Wounded.
| JACKSONVILLE, FLA, May 25.-A des-
perate fight occurred to-day between the
three fugitive express robbers and posse
| five miles below Palatka Two robbers
were killed and the third is still at large.
A Palatxa special says: At about 1890
o'clock to- day hatless negro staggered into
the court house and said, Come to Buffalo
| Bluff, robbers" Deputy Sheriff Dyson
aroused his posse and sprang for a train,
which left with them, At 11:3O o'clock
this morning George Wstz and W. II.
Wigg, a guard placed by the sherif's
posse at the Buffalo Bluff bridge. saw three
men coming from the south on the railroad
track As the first passed three feet
ahead OF the others the guards
called, Hands up" and the first one
obeyed. The second and third drew
| their revolvers and the guard knew that
the desperate robbers were facing them.
The firing was begun by the robbers, and a
| bullet grazed Wigg. Wurtz fired his shot
| gun, loaded with buckshot and Williams
fell. The men in advance then ran toward
| Palatka. The other man ran backward
and was shot IN the leg by Wurtz. An en~
gine load or young men composed the
| special aud among them was DR.. Benjamin
E. Morgan and Mr.. Willard of the express
company. This special soon arrived on
the scene.
SAUNDERS SLAYER KILLED.
The big man Of the robbers had taken to
the swamp. They pursued him and sud-
denly ball ripRd through DR..
| Morgan's vest He saw the robber
behind fallen tree and fred
a shotgun loaded with buckshot and Saun-
| ders' murderer had met his doom. Both
| bodies were laid on the bridge and after
ward brought into town on a passing
| freight train. In car lay the CHASTITY
bodies, accompanied by the guards who had
shot Williams aud by Supt. Myers, who ar
rived at the bridge about the time Of the
| shooting.
The big murderer's thoughts, as he heard
| the guards coming aud knew that he was
| about to die, are interesting. They were
written on the back Of u map as the culprit
lay behind the tree. He wrote:
DEAR MoTHER:-The time has come that you
| and shall part and / hope that you will not
| grieve after me, for have no fear. l would
| write more but have no time Kiss the chill.
| dren for me and tell them to do better than |
| have done and they will live longer than have.
Farewell, dear mother.
send this to Susan Bedgood, Arab Dooley
! county, Georgia. ! never expect to give up a
| thing aud ask you to send me home at Arab,
! Ga. So with this close for ever. Please send
| my body to Arab, Ga.
The face of the murderer of Saunders was
| covered with blood aud blackened with
| yrNvE Iar of ha ltd h. 81 I~...
| desperately wounded he shot himself In the
| mouth with his pistol.
| A posse with deer-hounds is pursuing the
! other men, and Supt. Myers aud party
are going on a special train to their assist
ance. Capture is almost certain.
The Buffalo Bluff bridge is on the st.
Johns river, five miles south of Palatka.
| ANOTHER VERSION OF THE FIGHT.
| ORLANDO, FLA, May % The train rob-
bers secreted a sklff near the bridge at Mon
| roe Junction, the scene of their raid, intend
| ing to use it to effect their escape after the
! crime was comrnitted. This was doubtless
the boat seen at Beresford and other points
| by the Jacksonville steamer and other boats
| passing up. Sheriff Kurtz and his posse
heard OF this boat aud guessed it was that II
the fleeing robbers, and although its occu-
pants had fully twenty>four hours start
they were followed from point
to point so closely and the pur-
suit became 30 hot that some
time Monday afternoon the robbers hid
their skif in a swamp about n mile below
| Beresford and took to the woods keeping
as near the margin Of the river as possible.
! Through the trackless wilds OF the St.
Johns, through marshes and by the shores
Of lsgoons, the chase was kept up. The
| sheriff Of Volusia county heard of his
| game from time to time and was believed
| to be only a half hours journey behind the
| fleeing men, who were on shore while the
pursuers were in boat.
A LONG CHASE.
Thus the chase went on for many weary
miles until Sheriff Kurtzs party neared
| Buffalo Bluff, where he surmised that the
robbers would make an effort to cross the
| draw bridge at that place. Reaching the
bluff in advance Of the robbers the sheriff
| posted some Of his men on the west side of
the bridge and patroled the east side with
his napntha launch. The chase OF the east
side Of the river proving too hot and close
for the criminals, they made break for
| liberty aud the drawbridge. Williams, Bob
and Henry were tho trio who dashed on the
| bridge. AS they were half way across the
| posse at the west end arose and shouted to
| the bandits to surrender"
THE ROBBERS OPEN FIRE.
The robbers answered by scattering and
firing at the sheriff's posse as they retreated,
| fortunately not hitting any of tho latter,
who promptly returned the fire, killing Bob
and wounding Henry. Williams and the
wounded man then fled back to the east
side Ur the river into the swamp, followed
| by the posse. The robbers were surrounded
In the swamp near the brawbridge. They
| we're followed into the swamp and Henry,
who is described as weighing 1S0 pounds,
died from the effects Of the wound received
on the bridge. The wound was In the head.
| The third robber in some manner escaped
| from tine posse surrounding him, and is now
| hotly pursued by 100 men with bloodhounds.
He is sure to be taken. The bodies of the
| two dead men are now in Palatka.
~ uIa~ffn1 aoV h1v