The Springfield herald., 1898-08-19
TRAGEDY AT KOKOMO.
OFFICERS AND ROBBERS KILLED.
Party of HoId.ups From Breckenridge XIII
E1-sherin Conrad and sumner Whit
ney Who Tried to Arrest Them

Sheriff NJ. Il. Conrad of Summit coun-
ty was killed and Sumner Whitney, n
prominent business man of KokomO
was probably fatally injured. Dick
Bryan, one of the robbers, was killed
and Dick Manley, another. was NOR
tdlly 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 Il long
s0ties of crimes committed in Victor,
Cripple Creek, Goldiield, breckenridge
and other mining camps Of the district
hereabouts, for all of which 1t is be
lieyed the gang now dead or in GUS
tody wns 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.
with plans already formulated for the
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 mt least two
murders since its organization, in ad-
dition to the murder of Officer Conrad
to-day and the mortal wounding of
Sumner Whitney. These two murders
occurred in the Cripple Greek district
during the commission of robberies.
One of the victims was IL Victor sal
loonkeeper.
According to facts CLEANED here to-
night from the confession of Manley
and from other sources, it appears that
Manley, Dick Bryan, Pug Ryan and
Fred Wilson went into the Denver sa-
loon Mt 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
IL shotgun accidentally discharged his
weapon rs lie stepped inside the door
of the saloon. The charge took effect
in the ceiling. doing no more harm
than to frighten the people i'll the place.
Seeing that they had alarmed their
victims. the robbers got down to work
with great speed. While two members
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 ut the
time, and through the pockets of the
saloons inmates. In their haste they
overlooked the safe and cash register,
in which Il 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. II. w. Foote,
the proprietor of the Denver, offered
n reward of 500 for the capture of the
robbers. Among those 10 whom the Of
fer of n reward was made was NJ. Il.
Conrad, formerly sheriff of the coun-
ty, and lately n member of the Rocky
Mountain Detective Association of
Denver, of which General Dave Cook
is the chief.
Early this morning Conrad, who car
ried deputy sheriffs star, boarded n
train for Ilokomo. in the direction of
which town he learned the robbers had
proceeded. He arrived here about noon
and called on Sumner Whitney, n
wellknown business man, to whom
he impaired the secret of his mission.
Whitney, who has always borne the
reputation of being II law-abidinS.
fearless man, at once volunteered his
services in helping to capture the out
laws in the event that they were To-
Gated.
Conrad had not been long in Koko-
mo before he learned that party COLI
sisting of four men. all strangers, was
camped in an abandoned miners cab
in, near the cemetery, n 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 n conversation with the men,
who said they We're prospectors. This
statement appeared credible to Conrad
and Whitney. who arose and left the
4, tIn int nj
to town.
, Once outside. however. ConradS SuS-
pcions of the men returned. and he
said to Whitney he believed he would
go back and make a further investiga-
tion. 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 n shot through the
head. Whitney fell. his left thigh
shattered. his left leg broken below
the knee and n part of his ear shot
away.
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. MORALLY wounding
Dick Manley, who received several
bullets, the mortal wound being Il
shot through the right kidney. which
entered the abdominal cavity, severinG
the intestincs.
Despite these wounds, Manlcy ran
several hundred yards.
Pug Ryan, well known in most min
ing camps of the state as n tough
character. had been using his gun
very freely and after Conrad and one
OF the robbers had fallen and Whitney
had been disabled. he escaped from
the cabin and followed Mnnley. When
lie reached Manley. who had fallen to
the ground, he took the plunder pro-
cured in Breckenridge last night, with
his siX-shootcr, and continued on over
the mountains.
John Barrett of Lcadvillc, while
awaiting the arrival of the ID. & X. G.
train. heard the firing. and, having