Omaha daily bee., 1893-08-20
MUTUAL MISTAKE.
Lively Experience OF IL. l.. ketchum nj
Several Others on Friday Night.

Lively Experience OF IL. l.. ketchum and
Several Others on Friday Night.
X. Ia. Ketchum, BEE reporter, was sud
denly called to Blair about IL o'clock Friday
night. As no trains were running at that
hour, MIR. Ketchum hired horse and buggy
at Stephenson's livery stable. Accompanied
by driver named Hansen, he at once
started on his journey over the dark and
lonely road.
About mile beyond Fort Omaha Ketchum
and the driver met four men, whom they, ut
that time and under the circumstances, re-
garded as highwaymen. Subsequent dcvel-
opments prove that the supposed highway
men were bicyclists on a ramble at rather
late hour.
Prompted by circumstances. mentioned
elsewhere, Ketchum fired at the men, and
the latter, not exactly understanding mat
ters clearly, resumed their journey to Omaha
on their wheels with mistaken idea of the
identity of the occupants of the buggy No
body was hurt. 1t was evidently mutual
mistake. Mr.. Ketchum proceeded to his
destination and the bicyclists reached the
city.
The affair was telephoned to the city Fri
day night and tho suppositon, at that time,
was that Ketchum had experienced brush
with road agents
Speaking of the matter yesterday, ,Ketchum
said: 1--WE were driving along at fair gait
when a man suddenly came out of the high
wecos which borders both sides of the road
and blew whistle. Three other men then
jumped out and as it looked to me, two
of them started for the heads of the horses.
There were two men on each side OF the
buggy, and thinking they were going to at
tempt to hold lis up, pulled my revolver
Before | could fire three of the men ran
back into the weeds. One of them stood his
ground and shot twice at him over the
drivers shoulders. The horses plunged and
then ran away. for at least half n mile of
road was covered before we could get the
animals under control. l met the superin-
tendent of the water works company, and as
still had long trip before me, he loaned
me another revolver and said that the place
where we had the experience was dan
geroug locality ana that he always goes
armed when he has to travel that rord at
night.
II was not frightened but was in Il great
hurry. When the men ATTEMPTED to stop us,
as thought, l concluded that it was time to
take prompt action and did so.
Il thought some Of that crowd fired at us.
l fired twice. The superintendent of the
| water works telcphoned tho affair to the
| police at my request and | Went on to Blair
| where was urgently called.
"None of these men hnd bicycles in sight
and they certainly made very foolish break
in monkeying the way they did at that hour
| of the night.
Mr. Hansen, who drove tho rig, corrobo-
rates MIR. Ketchnm's story in al particulars
| and is quite sure that several shots were
| fired by some one of the men on the road.
| Mr. Rhodes, 4 clerk at Union Pacific head
| quarters, SAID that he was one of
| the men who was shot at and that
he had a narrow escape from tho
| flying bullets He said that he and three
friends made trip to Calhoun and were re-
turning home on bicycles. They met buggy
| with two men in it, and he claims that one
| of the men fired five shots at them. They
| supposed that the men IN the buggy were
| grave robbers. He professed great indigna-
| zion over the affair and is alleged to have
| threatened to have MIR. Ketchum arrested.