Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1892-03-19
FIGHT WITH ROBBERS
Officers Have a Desperate Bat
tie ON a'Train Near Dover.
ONE BURGLAR KILLED.
After u Dozen Shots Were EN-
changed In n Passenger Car,
Three Burglars Leaped
from the Train and
Escaped.

DOVER, Del, March 15.-An exciting
and fatal fight between -four burglars and
three officers occurred ON II T., w. n B.
express train between here and Whining
ton early this morning, One OF the rob
bcrs was MORALLY wounded and fell OF
the car platform, and his three desperate
companions lraped from the rushing train
in the darkness and escaped.
While dozen or more bullets wen,
whIzzing through the coach, the fright
cncd passengers croLched down between
the seats 10 escape the leaden missiles
One of the officers was shot through the
hand and wounded in the cheek.
To-day young man giving his name
ms James Burns, baseball player of
Wilmington was found hiding in a hay
stack near the railroad track He WAS
shot through The abdomen, aud his leg
WAS broken He was only half conscious.
and u pistol lay by his side lie was the
man who was shot leapng from the train.
lie died tonight at . o'clock after the
bu' let had been removed
4 Jesse JAMES GANG.
1t was between midnight and daylight
of yesterday morning that the Milford
burglari-s were committed. The burg
lars had blown open and robbed the safes
at the Delaware. Maryland and Virginia
Railroad station and at four stores in the
town. making their biggest haul, 500 At
j. T.. Hollands store They had also
broken into several other places includ-
Ing blacksmith shop and carriage tacto-
~, getting away with about $1,000 in all.
As soon rs their operations became
known along the line OF the raiiroad'
every neighhoring town was alarmed and
on the look out.
The suspected men first showed up at
Wyoming last evening and took supper
at the private boarding house of William
Whcatlcy Their iigerish hunger first
aroused suspicion. After supper they
went across To the Barber FOUGHT and
got their whlskers and mustaches shay
ed of When this became known ii still
more aroused the suspicion of the town
people The four men then started afnot
along the Philadelphia, Wilmington aud
| Baltimore Railroad track toward Dover
The robbers had hardly lief, town he.
| fore kilograms were sent To neighboring
places warning them to be ON the lookout
3 a Ill Wrnn1fnn "a
BILE. started in pursuit of the fusitives up
the railroad track The robbers reached
this place first and the posse was advised
by Officers lockcrman and Smith to re-
turn to Wyoming.
The officers were then Joined 10y detec-
tive VI f. IIutchinS, of the 7. W. X B.
Railroad lie has been ON the watch for
the Jesse James gang for some time.
They determined To watch for the Nor
folk express, due at 3 \ NJ The idea
was that the suspects would board the
train going north. Just before train time
the four strangers walked quietly into
the station The officers allowed them io
board the train. The plan Tor the capture
WAS hastily arranged Officers Locker
man guarded the from, door while Smith
aud lIuichins planted themselves AT the
end OF the car The coach Was filled
with passengers for Philadelphia and
New York
THE PISTOLS CRACKED.
Detective IIu;chins describing the en-
counter in the car said to-day Two OF
the robbers were seated in the rear por-
tion and two in the forward part OF the
car. About halfway between Dover and
Clayton placed the two former under
arrest and ordered them to join the other
forward. which order they obcyed.
This had no sooner been accomplish
ed than the first occupants of the for
ward part of the AR opened fire. We
replied at short range, aud can't say
whether our shots were effective or not
The passengers were terribly fright
ened, aud thought no doubt. that the
men on BOARD were train robbers. Men
and women crouched behind their seats
and not II head was shown until the firing
had all ceased Three women. it is said,
tainted
During the fusiade. one of the desper-
ADDE'S went TO the toilet room. leaned out
the window there and fired through car
window at us repeatedly. One OF his
bullets grazed Smiths cheek another
pierced his right hand, and third passed
through the right shoulder of his over
coat.
LOOKED DOWN PISTOL BARRELS
Matters were growing desperate. The
other three burglars had each of us coy
cred with "A pair of wickedlooking re-
volvers. Ono of them backed out of the
car door To the platform | could see
down the barrels of his shiny pistols.
told Smith aud lockerman that was
gong out 10 kill the burglar With drawn
pistol. | opened the forward door of the
smoking ear and was confronted with a
pair of cleaning barrels in the hands OF
the robber. We fired simultaneously |
Immediately fired again and the man
tumbed over the platform and disappear
ed, The train was running b mites an
hour
Then the wounded mans companions
also leaped off the the train and expect
ed that all of them would he killed
The officers went on up TO Wilmington.
They prey that they had SO neatly trap
ped in the car had rs neatly escaped them
This afternoon Town Bailiif Boggs. of
Clayton, found wounded man hiding in
stack of hay and fodder in Wright's
brickyard His wounds were dressed nf
kr he had been removed, but he died
without telling much more than his
maine He said he had lain along the
railroad until daylight aud then crawled Ia