The silver lance., 1898-08-19
TRAGEDY AT KOKONlO.
OFFICERS AND ROBBERS KILLED.
Party OF Hold -ups From Brecxenridge Ahi
Ex.sherin Conrad and Summer Wh +
ney who Tried to Arrest Them


Denver. Aug. 13.-A special to the
Republican from kokomo last night
gives the following details of n trag-
edy near that place:
In a fight with a gang of hold-ups
near here early this afternoon ex-
Sheriff NJ E. Conrad of Summit coun-
ty was killed and Sumner Whitney.
prominent business man of kokomo
was probably fatally injured. Dick
BRYAN. one of the robbers, was Killed
and Dick Manley. another. was NOR
tally wounded. A man named Reilly.
who was with the robbers at the time
of the shooting, was captured and it is
not unlikely that he will be lynched
before morning
The battle between the officers and
hold-ups was the outcome of long
series of crimes committed in victor,
Cripple Greek, Goldfield. breckenridge
and other mining camps of the district
hereabouts. for all of which ii is be-
lieved the gang now dead or in Gus
tody was responsible.
The last in the series of robberies oc-
Cured at Breckenridge last night. The
next was to have occurred in Lead
vile. whittier the gang was headed,
holding-up and looting of the Pioneer
saloon. BY the confession of Manley.
one of the robbers. it is known that
the gang has committed at least two
murders since its organization. in ad-
dition to the murder of Officer Conrad
to-day and tine mortal wounding of
Sumner Whitney. These two murders
occurred in the Cripple Creek district
during the commission of robber1es.
One of the victims was Victor sa-
loonkeeper.
According to facts Cleaned here to-
night. from the confession OF Manley
and from other sources. it appears that
Maniey, Dick Bryan. Pug Ryan and
Fred Wilson went into the Denver sa-
loon at Breckenridge last night, mask
ed and armed with shotguns, Winches-
ter rifles and revolvers, for the purpose
of holding the place up, robbing the
gambling games and going through
the inmates. One of the men carrying
a shotgun accidentally discharged his
weapon as he stepped inside the door
of the saloon The charge took effect
in the ceiling, doing no more harm
than to frighten the people in the place.
Seeing that they had alarmed their
victims, the robbers got down TO work
of the gang covered the crowd with
their weapons. the other two went
| through the till of the faro bank.
| which was not in operation at the
| time and through the pockets of the
saloons inmates. In their haste they
| overlooked the safe and cash register.
| in which a large amount of money
was lying In all. they secured dia-
mond shirt stud. three gold watches
and $50 in money.
Then the hold-ups turned on their
heels and left the place, disappearing
| quickly in the darkness. X. w. FOote.
the proprietor of the Denver, offered
a reward of 500 for the capture of the
robbers. Among those to whom the of
| fer of reward was made was NJ. f.
| Conrad, formerly sheriff of the coun-
| ~. and lately member of the Rocky
Mountain Detective Association of
Denver. of which General Dave Cook
| is the chief.
Early this morning Conrad. who car
| ried a deputy sherff's star, boarded a
| train for Eokomo, in the direction of
which town he learned the robbers had
proceeded. He arrived here about noon
I and called ON Sumner Whitney, a
well-known business man. to whom
| he impaired the secret of his mission.
Whitney. who has always borne the
reputation of being a law-abiding.
| fearless man, at once volunteered his
services in helping to capture the out
| laws in the event that they were 10.
Gated.
Conrad had not been long in Koko-
| mo before he learned that party con-
sisting of four men. all strangers. was
camped in an abandoned miners cab
| in. near the cemetery, a mile from
town. He at once went to Whitney
and related his find. Whitney armed
| himself and the two started for the
| cabin.
On arriving there they found the
| four strangers lounging on hunks
about the cabin. They entered and
opened a conversation with the men.
who said they were prospectors. This
statement appeared credible to Conrad
and Whitney, who arose and left the
cabin. with the intention of returning
| TO town.
Once outside, however. Conrad's sus-
picions of the men returned. and he
said to Whitney he believed he would
go back and make further investiga-
ton. To this proposal Whitney agreed.
and the two returned to the cabin
On their return Conrad said:
Boys, we must see what you have
got under those blankets"
On the instant the four men leaped
to their feet and firing commenced.
Conrad fell at the first shot. was
killed instantly by shot through the
head Whitney fell. his left thigh
shattered. his left leg broken below
the knee and a part of his ear shot
away.
But Whitney continued firing. One
of the men. Dick Bryan. fell. mortally
wounded. and died after writhing in
agony for thirty minutes. Whitney.
though perhaps fatally wounded also.
continued firing. mortally woundiny
Dick Manley. who received several
bullets. the mortal wound being a