The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-11-04
sheriff Whites story,

Sheriff Whites Story.
knowing that the robbers were com
ing, a Statesman representative wen
south last evening on the newspaper
| train, which met the north bound traiI
at New Braunfels. Boarding the trair
he was greeted by Sheriff White an(
was permitted to take in the robbers a
his pleasure. Before proceeding to tall
to the robbers brief conversation was
had with Sheriff White, in which hi
stated that there was not the slightest
doubt about the three men under arrest
being the men wanted for the Mcneil
train robbery; that their arrest was due
entirely to accident, but that it had for
tunately turned out all right, and the
| right men were now incuStody with one
still missing. Sheriff White said that
the arrest of the men in question was
due entirely to n row that they had with
a man named DuBoise, who owned a
| farm that Fisher, the elder train rob-
Der, was occupying. The row, which
came near ending in a shooting and flu
neral, led to the arrest of Fischer and
his pal, Felix Wolf, and while they were
| under arrest in company with young
boy. Arthur Fischer, the suggestion was
made that they might possibly be the
| Mcneil train robbers, and accordingly
when the trial on the shooting row came
| up they were bound over and put in Jail
| in default of bond, while the theory as
| to their being robbers was investigated.
That one of the officers down there
| rode twenty miles for paper contain
| ing description of the men wanted,
and that upon comparing the men I'M
der arrest with the description it was
| seen to suit, and then Il telegram was
sent to Austin to Sheriff White to send
man down here to identify the two
! men. On returning to San Antonio the
colored porter on the train that was
held up identified the men. as did the
engineer and other members of the train
crew. Several of the passengers on the
train also identified the men, so that
Sheriff White has no doubt about them
being the men wanted. When arrested
they had on breast plates made out of
old shovels, and were armed with for
midable winchesters. When they. were
arrested 1t was suggested by some of
the officers of that section that possibly
they might be the men wanted for the
Mcneil train robbery and the investiga-
ton that led to their detention for that
crime was set on foot at once. Sheriff
White is confident that he has the right
men now. and says that the evidence
that he has on hand will certainly con-
Wet them. He attributes their arrest
to pure accident, but it was neverthe-
less fortunate one. He says that the
robbers live in Refugio county and came
direct from there to this county, ar
irving in the woods near Duval on the
evening of October Is and spending the
night there. On Tuesday morning. the
18th inst, Fischer and Wolf went to
Mcneil. leaving the boy Arthur and
the other man in the woods at the pros
positive "hold-up" place. He says that
the robbers say that their fight on the
conductor was made prematurely and
they thought they were at the appoint
That no ran ,wav AMY t uom :" e Gli nm.
him. making the wound in he arm tb at
he received. They had nothing at all
aU "a" ~ "o"ut tne ac.1oh OF the mssen-
Va. %nst iinS VI 'iie hihu.
III w., ie"'i nS Tue scene OF the rob
,,ar ;' 81 tn ~, 'H,iie .nrouSn the eastern
haci, u, ou ud's ri's anout clock on horse
thn ,;' "' p ~. vi south crossed
tho, Nv ,h . Iuout l'lle oelo" Austin;
hnme 'i in p .ntm proseueu ut once to their
ho,,n h ,n 1890 ,h rouhts ana might stu
nrra,, oe on ~, ,ierT opt lor the accidental
70 thor "" ' tne DunoiSe row that led
lie saws that thn mon III TINS robbery.
fa, r"ih;n ,m" ~ ant men give as reason
nor io tho Inc 1raih mat they were so
hThnv Ioc;d .h'; y, l,, h 10 no ~ or starve.
unSo;i In w. -, ~ iTu the Tram AT or near
.a,,,' IT,, n. .neIl nome lol that purpose;
,han 80, u,.'I " ',le scene OF uction ana
as tho WI. J'oh noiii' ~ az direct me
th ny E;. nhu come, ohellH White says
;mda;,,,, frn,, - quie Il man OF travel
oImnst ,,or n. I,a o'ih tliut ne mas Deeh
;nfnr,no1 ' on wi nt a,, ,n tne "orlu ana Is
'"''' '''" VII "' supJec's'
The Robbers Talk.
Upon the conclusion of tb. tall with
Sbor;g whi.a 49, '"'A WV"
"''e she reporter went TO the
seat III front OF the robbers and engaged
them in conversation with view of
nscerto;niny ,bot thor hal VI
49,, ..''A NAT 'n's h"u 10 say ABOUT
'ii' matter AT the very outset they de-
MED any knowledge at all of the matter
saying that they could prove that thew
were not anywhere near the pIace at
the time of the robbery Wolf did most
OF the talking and he said that he,
Fischer and the boy Arthur were all on
his farm, down in the edge of Travis
county and adjoining Caldwell county,
near the small postotfice of Mendoza
1T the time. That they were there on
October 10, II. II and Is, and could
prove that fact by neighbor where
they watered their stock every day.
Wolf said that he had bought this farm
from DIR. lglehart of this city several
years ago, it being piece of the Doctors
farm, and that he and Fischer and his
hoy were there on the above nomnd dotos