The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-17
Dodged Bullets Fired by a Pas
senger Named Hunt.
SHERIFF IS INJURED.
After Emptying His Weapon
Into the Car
The Insane Man Jumps From
the Train and Is Hurt.
Now in a Topeka Hospital with
a Broken Shoulder.

For n half hour this morning maniac
with flashing eyes had possession Oh the
smoking car on the Rock Island tram
which arrives in Topeka from the west
at o'clock He stood at the door VIII
a. his, revolver in his hand shooting into
the car until he had fired all the loauS
in the weapon. Then he jumped IIOIh ~
the train and was severely injured me
passengers lodged behind seats an IL
anvthing that offered shield LOT the
bullets and it is almost nilrat t,e,iff
no one was seriously hurt. SneFiL TIL
LOurand of Mankato was cut ABOUT tne
face by flying glass but the other pas
sengers escaped injury.
The conductor and porter OF the tram
had been having trouble with young
man by the name of William Hunt WIo
held a ticket from San Francisco to 81;
Louis He acted very strangely dliu
the conductor telegraphed for Sheriff
Durand of MankatO to meet the tram
The sheriff boarded the train and the
conductor pointed toward Hunt ana
explained that he was crazy The sherll5
sat down beside the young man anu
told him that if he would give MN ms
revolver he would not arrest hlln' @ @hunc
handed him his revolver. The sherlH
took the five loads out of it and handed
it back to the man.
The sheriff and the passengers in the
car were lounging in the seats reading
and paving little attention to Hunt
when the sheriff saw him step out on
the front platform of the car ana close
the door. Sheriff Durand motloned
him to come back and the man notion
ed the sheriff to stay where he was
The sheriff got up and started for the
door. The man on the platform notion
ed him to go back and suddenly drew
his revolver and pointed it at the sheriff
with the glass door between them.
The sheriff had taken the loads out
of the revolver and paid no heed to 1t
and kept on. Hunt kept the sheriff COW
cred and when Durand was within five
feet of the door he pulled the trigger
He had reloaded the revolver and the
bullet crashed through the heavy plate
glass in the door, graZed the sherinS
cheek, passed through the brim of his
hat and imbedded itself in the side of
the car.
The man kept on shooting and the
sheriff jumped to one side. The people
in the car made a wild scramble to get
out of the way. The second shot Hunt
fired struck in the side of the car just
above G. NJ. Stratton of Clay Center,
deputy internal revenue collector. STRAIT
ton got down behind a seat.
Everybody in the car was intent on
getting out or behind some barrier. One
man who weighed over 25O pounds tried
to squeeze himself between the backs
of two seats. He got half way in and
could go no further.
Sheriff Durand stood in the aisle for
the reason that he could not get away
He had a revolver in his pocket but did
not want to shoot Hunt.
The conductor and porter were close
to Hunt while he was shooting, with
nothing but the thin partition in the
front end of the car to shield them from
the bullets.
Some of the passengers tried to get
out of the windows but most of them
sought refuge between the seats.
The third shot struck close to where
Frank Bush of Belleville was sitting
and he lost no time in getting out of the
way.
Many in the car tried to escape by
way of the rear door. George Root, a
travelling man from Clay Center heard
the fourth bullet strike in the top of the
car as he went through the door He
afterwards found the bullet, flattened
and twisted, in his coat pocket
The fifth bullet struck the back of
the seat where a man was sitting. The
bullet missed his ear about two inches.
After emptying his revolver Hunt
opened the door and threw the empty
weapon at the sheriff. 1t fell on the
floor beside StrattOn.
The train was running about 40 miles
an hour but the maddened man jumped
from the steps after throwing the re-
volver and rolled down the embank-
ment.
None of the bullets had struck anyone
but Sheriff Durands face and neck were
bleeding from the cuts made by the
flying glass.
The conductor stopped the train and
went back for the man expecting to
hnd him dead. A search was made and
he was tracked through a barb wire
fence into a plowed field. The search
ers found him lying in the center of
the field. He got up and went back to
the train with them but would allow no
one to touch his shoulder. After get
ting back on the train he seemed per
fectly rational but gave no reason for
the shooting and would say nothing
He was brought to Topeka and met by
an ambulance and taken to StOrmOnt
hospital.