El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-14
Fred Hans, the
Bandit Hunter
an of Nerve whose Life is pent In Securing Black Hills
His Busine is Protect Trains Carrying Treasure
from Great Mines-Costly for Gang to Rob Train


express treasure and passengers car
ried by the railroads have been so ac-
tive of late that the managers OF prop
critics in Nebraska are making extra
efforts to outwit the robbers. The sue
cess OF Messenger Baxter in killing a
road agent on the Burlington near
Omaha a few weeks ago has put new
life into the railroad people. me IN
ion Pacific the Burlington. the ROCK
Island and the Northwestern people
out of Omaha are armins their mes
sensers anew with Winchester pump
guns. having new shells with sixteen
buckshot each loaded for them. and
in other ways preparing TO extermin-
ate the first road agent band that at
tempts to hold up one of their trains.
Every large railroad operating out
of Omaha. employs from one to doZ-
en- men whose exclusive duty it is to
protect their trains from the bandit
raids trail the robbers after they hold
up the train. and chase them into
fastness of the mountain and kill or
capture them OF all the famous
western characters who have made
the bandit hunting a business. none is
better known than Frederick Hans OF
Omaha. who is chief of the Northwest
ern badit hunters. For years it has
been the business of Frederick Hans
to protect the treasure trains or that
company operating through the Black
Hills.
From Deadwood to Omaha the
Northwestern carries the treasure OF
the great Homestake mines. During
Some months this company ships over
500 600 in treasure over this road.
The lines of the company are operated
for many miles through a wild and
desoTate section after leaving Dead
wood IL is a most inviting spot for
the work of road agents. The fact
that these treasure trains escape the
raids of bandits is undoubtedly due to
their fear of the mar who is the head
Of the force of bandit hunters the
company employs.
Fred Hans is mild hammered fell
low. with blue eyes and OF most az
fable address. AS he saunterS along
the streets of Omaha be is about the
last man in the world one would pick
out for desperate work with rifle and
revolver Yet this same pleasant ap-
bearing fellow. with his careless smile
has been in more desperate ARRAYS
with road agents. killed more outlaws
and sent more to penitentiarleS tnan
any man in the west today Fred,
as ne is known TIC nine-tenths or the
people of Omaha. is constantly on the
move He has wife and three babies
in Omaha that he gets a chance to see
time is spent ''up in the hills" circu-
lating among the element that Is most
likely to engage in hold-ups.
Tt is his business to locate all these
characters the moment a train is held
ND in his territory. Thus he can very
nearly place the responsibility for a
train robbery in the northwest the lay
after it occurs. Incidentally. it may
be said that Fred Hans carries con-
siderable number of bullet noles on
his person. slight testimonials of his
many desperate fights.
1t was Fred Hans who went into the
-'Hcle in the Wall" after tShacknasty
Jim" and his outlaw band and killed
the leader and two of his companions
before he returned. Again Fred Hans
met five members of the Robbers
Roost' gang one bright morning on the
Running Water III South Dakota. He
had but shortly before that been in
strumental in plotting a posse of Gus
ter citizens to the lair of the band,
where nine of them had been killed
and they thought to get even The
Eve road agents waited until Hans |
rode close to the sand hill behind |
which they were hiding then rode |
down on him. firing their rifles as they
gaiIoped. A fortunate shot passed |
through the heart of the horse that |
Hans was riding. Using the animal |
for shield. the railroad bandit hunt |
er got out his heavy pistols and began !
business right there. He only shot !
four times. The first bullet he fired !
passed through the heart of the nearest /,
bandit the next one struck one Of the |
horses of the oncoming gang and kill !
ed it. the third passed through the |
head of another bandit. killing him in |
stantIy. and the fourth passed through ]
the body of one of the gang and he |
died later. The two remaining mem |
bers of the band surrendered and were !
taken into Custer by Hans. The men |
he killed on the spot were known as !
Texas Fleet Foot" and Mountain /
Pete The other two Long Tom |
and Skinny. were sent to the peni-
Tertiary for life.
This is the kind of man who guards !.
the Northwestern treasure trains |
through the territory west of the Miss !
issIppI rivers. He is probably the I
quickest and deadliest shot with a re- |
voiver in the west He carries two |
enormous "45s" of the Colt pattern of |
~ years ago The fact that the guns |
are Inc vintage of another generation |
does not worry Fred Hans. He has
been presented by different people with |
a number of handsome modern pistols. |
but he says he can't shoot them like
he can his old irons /
Discussing bandit hunting and the
method of road agents in holding I'm
trains few days ago Fred Hans said.
1T requires man of very desperate
courage to undertake to handle a rail-
road train crowded with passengers
OF course you find men every day who
are willing to take the chances inycIy-
ed in spite of the fact that few of
them escape the consequences long
enough TO enjoy whatever they have