Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1896-12-17
BABE AS A SHIELD.
Bandit with a Child in His Arms
Keeps Mob Of Angry
Citizens at Bay.

Corning, Kas.. Dee. 12.-After a des-
perate battle in which mothers stolen
babe in the arms of safeblower kept
at bay a helpless. angry mob OF citizens,
two men were arrested and safely put
behind iron bars in the Seneca Jail. They
are held for safe-bowing at this place
Wednesday night. One is an old man
said to resemble George Taylor, the es-
capped murderer of the Meeks family in
Wisconsin, and the other is barely more
than youth. They steadfastly refuse
to disclose their identity.
A Safe is Blown open.
Wednesday night the safe in the office
of the Jackson Grain company at this
place was riled and the schoohouse
broken into and two muslin curtains
were torn down and carried away. The
first clue to the perpetrators was brought
here yesterday by country school children,
who reported having seen two tramps
along the railroad west of town.
Deputy Sheriff Charles Andrews and
City Marshal Bensing at once took a
buggy and went i'll pursuit, overtaking
the pair about five miles out. The men
were accosted but made no reply. The
officers asked them to wait a moment,
when both whipped out revolvers, COW
cred their pursuers and hastily re-
treated to the timber. The officers hu7-
red to a near by schoolhouse and with
the aid of the children soon got the in
habtants up in arms.
Two Cornhuskers Tackle Them.
Meanwhile two Jealous cornhuskers es-
pied the robbers in their corntield and
with shotgun and rifle commanded them
to surrender. The pair meekly submit
ted until the farm lads, confident of
I,.,sx -, Il jJIS l.
AIDE of shots from the revolvers of the
bescged made the former the victors
and the farmers the prisoners.
The owner of the farm drove up with
his wagon to carry off the outlaws, only
to himself be made captive. AT the
farmers house the robbers were CON
fronted by the officers. But the law
fortified behind the three husky farm
ers' bodies. After considerable parley-
ing and shifting for advantage, the
younger robber became separated from
his companion and quickly became the
victim of Sheriff Andrews.
Behind IA Living Fort.
The elder robber compelled his living
fort to retreat to the house and enter.
There he marched the trio upstairs and
made them lie face down on the floor
threatening death to the first who should
try to see what was going on. AS they
were marching up the stairs at the point
of revolvers the robbers stopped over the
cradle in the room below and snatched q
5-months-old babe. telling the terrorized
mother to hasten to get him some supper,
and as she loved her child to tell no one
that he was in the house.
Farmhouse is Surrounded.
With one man safely in their power
the officers took the prisoner to Corning
and took back Il large posse. By Z
o'clock the farmhouse was surrounded
by 800 or 400 men armed with Win
chesters. shotguns and revolvers. The
outlaw. in the face of all this demonstra
ton. ordered Il light to he put on the
stairs so that he might see the crowd
and eat his supper. With three citizens
and the baby in his clutches, his orders
were obeycd. One of the posse requested
him to surrender. He replied that he
would if he be allowed to keep his guns.
After some consultation his proposition
was agreed to. and the older robber lies
safe in Jail with his young confederate.
Several sets of burglars tools, Il camping
outfit and eight gold watches were some
of the booty secured.