Free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1888-1908, 1899-01-21
Train ROBBER IDENTIFIED.
Jennings" and Evans Are the
Old Outlaw Bill Ryan.
BOUND OVER WITHOUT BAIL.

MANSFIELD, Mo-, Jan. ID 'Jen-
nings," the leader in the Memphis
train robbery at Macomb; Evans
the leader of the Leeds bandits 1T the
time of the robbery of the Missouri
Pacific express ear and Bill Ryan, who
has planned more train robberies than
he has fingers and toes, have been
identified as the same individual
Wing Keshlear and George Bryant.
Kansas City detectives, identified Jen-
nings as Ryan, and W. w. Lowe, the
c7nfessing participant in the Leeds
robbery, is positive that he is Evans
Engineer Slocumb and Fireman Yves
ton Of the Missouri Pacific train,
robbed at Leeds, later identified the
prisoner as the leader of the gang and
further convincing evidence was Sc
cured by stripping Ryan. In his con-
fession to the detectives in Kansas
City, Lowe had stated that Jack Ken
nedy had sent Evans to his house
prior to the robbery and was told that
if he had any doubt as to his visitor
being the right party to examine his
# arm and breast for bullet wounds.
When Ryan was stripped the telItaIe
DoLRSL WOuHOS were There, ana again
the now impotent outlaw gritted his
few remaining teeth in his rage and
cursed Lowe.
The preliminary hearing of Ryan
and Joseph Shepard, alias Dutch
Weber, resulted in their being bound
over for the action of the grand jury
without bail. They were taken at
once to the Springfield Jail. The court
room was packed to suffocation, and
thousands of people were unable to
obtain admittance.
The preliminary hearing of John
Kennedy, on a charge of holding up
the Memphis train at Macomb, on the
night of January 3, was continued for
ten days, Kennedy going to the Spring
field Jail without bond. G. E. Blair of
Kansas City, attorney for Kennedy,
| together with Colonies Musick and
Neider, associate counsel, could not
| get ready in time, and asked the con-
| tinuance. They have many witnesses
to bring from Kansas City and Texas,
and they also have dispositions to take
Jake Fagley was arraigned at the
same time, but waived the preliminary
examination and was held for the &C
ton of the grand jury, which convenes
| in March.
MANSFIELD, Mo-, Jan. 12.-John
Kennedy was positively identified here
yesterday as the leader of the gang that
held up the Kansas City, Fort Scott &c
Memphis train near Macomb, Mo-,
January 3. Three meu-Elmer Byrum,
Louis Nye and Oscar Ray-have con-
fessed that they were in the holdup,
and all three have identified Kennedy
as their leader.
Kennedy has been twice tried for
robbing trains at Blue Cut, near Kan
sas City, and suspected of every train
robbery that has occurred in that vi
cinity during the last three yeans, but
has never been convicted. He is also
under indictment for numbering wo-
man. He is out on S1O, 900 bail on the
murder charge.
On the witness stand at the prelim-
mary hearing, Byrum, who is a farmer
residing near Mansfield, told the en-
tire story of the robbery. He rode to
the scene of tho robbery, he said, with
Jennings" who is now thought to be
Bill Ryan, the noted outlaw, and
Kennedy, who was going under the
name of Wright. Kennedy, accord
ing TO his story, handled the engine,
while Ryan held revolver to the en-
| gineer's head. It was Kennedy also
who placed the dynamite on the safe,
he said. The money was taken to a
vacant house near by and divided, all
the mutilated money going to the
share of Byrum and Nye and all the
rest of it going to Kennedy and Ryan,
or Jennings" Byrums story was
absolutely substantiated by the find
| ing of the mutilated money just where
he said it had been hidden. When
Jennings was searched, $3.50. partly
burned and mutilated. was found
sewed into the lining of his clothes.
It was the mutilated money that led
to the detection of the robbers. Oscar
Ray, who is also farmer, gave Nor
| wood stOrekeeper a SIS bill scorched
about the edges. As it was only few
days since the robbery, the merchants
suspicious were aroused He showed
the burnt bill to II. 2. Ball, the county
prosecutor. Ball set about to discover
where the money came from. Devel-
opments followed rapidly.
Mutilated money was also put into
circulation by Mrs Byrum, wife of
Elmer Byrum and daughter of Louis
Nye. When Constable Woodward, of
Norwood, went to Louis Nye's house
with warrants for the arrest Of Nye.
Byrum and Ray, he found Jennings
and Shepard there.
Yesterday E. E. Davis, clerk in a
hardware store, identified Kennedy as
the party he sold dynamite to day or
SO before the Macomb robbery. He
was introduced by Byrum as Mr..
Wright. and Byrum in his confession
made the same statement.
Ten days prior to the robbery a
stranger calling himself Davis Wis
tied Ava, six miles from here, and
represented himself to be a prospective
real estate buyer. Citizens of Ava
have identified Kennedy as Davis"