Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-02-14
OTTUMWAN FAMOUS
United States Marshal Frank A..
Hadsell, District of Wyoming.
He DISCOURAGES TRAIN ROBBERS
Has Done Good Work Among the Out
laws in Wyoming-Some of His Ad-
ventures Related = The Robbers
Hiding Places Among Mountains.


Hiding Places Among Mountains.
A Chicago paper yesterday contain
ed an account of the work done by
United States Marshal Frank A. Had
SELL of Cheyenne, Wyoming, whose
work as discourager of train robbers
has won him fame thruout the state of
Wyoming. Mr. Hadsell is we'll known
in Ottumwa, and his family resides in
this city, at 312 North Marion street.
He visits in Ottumwa occasionally,
when his duties will allow his absence
from his territory. His last visit here
was made last winter. The article
published in the Chicago paper fol-
lows:
The Robbers Dens.
Robbers Roost, Jackson Lake, Jack
son Hole and the northwest mountain
Businesses of Wyoming have given the
officials of the Union Pacific railroad
a great deal of trouble during the last
few years. These are the regions in
which the train robbers OF the state
have their hiding places, and from
which they sally forth to plumber the
express trains of the railroad compa-
ny. Now the officials of the company
are said to have perfected new plan
for Kidding themselves Of the bandits.
They have engaged fearless men to go
to the Jackson Lake country as would
be settlers, ingratiate themselves with
the robbers, master their secrets, and
when the proper time comes cause
wholesale arrests. The plan may
work if the desperadoes do not receive
a warning as to the character of their
new companions. If they do it will be
fight for life on the part of the de-
| tectives.
The Robbers Enemy.
The one man in Wyoming whom the
train robbers do not like is Frank A.
Hadsell, United States marshal for the
state. The government is niggardly
with it's expense accounts, and always
has been, but if it were not there Is
/ little question that Hadsell would have
had Robbers Roost cleaned out long
ago. 1t is only recently that Hadsell
completed 250-mile ride across the
Red Desert, and the mountain wilds of
western Wyoming, in chase after the
robbers. He killed his horses, one or
two robbers, arrested others, and gave
4 the band a fright that will last it for
! SOulo lllle. lu6y Iuel ulul Will TO
calibre Colts, but he was just
las rapid with his gun as they, and
he did not know the meaning of the
word fear. After his encounter with
them he returned to Cheyenne and
gently remarked to friend:
"Well, when the boys get settled
down and rested I'm going out again
and have little talk with them-see
iii l can't argue little bit of common
sense into them"
A Little Brush.
Marshal Hadsell on first sight does
not appear to weigh over 1875 or 14O
pounds. He is small-boned, clean
limbed, reserved in speech, with an
eye like a woman's and a laugh that
spreads over his face like ripple on
the surface of a pool. The story is
told of him that on one of his chases
after bandits into the Jackson Hole
country he and his horses angled
round jutting pile of rock to find
themselves facing the gun of one OF
the pursued, who, having lost his
horse, stopped, determined to fight
Fortunately for the marshal the ban.
dit did not fire on sight, but called
out Halt" The marshal promptly
stopped. The second command was
to dismount. This was obeyed, but
when the marshal struck the ground
he had both his guns out and was
shooting He was SO marvelously
quick that he took the robber of
! guard and sent him to kingdom come
before he realized what was happen
ing. Then Hadsell rode on.
Did Not Argue the Point.
He disarmed dad man" one day
and kept his weapons. Later he gave
, one Of the pistols to a friend with the
comment:
"The fellow that owned this frs
! had it three days, and then needed
it. He didn't argue the point"
1t is matter of dispute as to how
much money the Robbers Roost bant
had taken from the Union Pacific
trains during the last three years. The
/ general public of Wyoming believes i
: aggregates $4,000 while the official:
, of the company have never admitted
: that it amounted to more
r than few hundred dollars
: But the fact that extraordi
: nary efforts are now being made t.
: capture the plunderers would indicat,
! that the losses had been heavy ant
2 that a repetition of them was not de
: sired. Marshal Hadsell has volun
!. teered to drive the band out of tn
8 state if the government will bear tn
e expense bill, but the government i
e slow upon such propositions. That h
I would succeed in doing so if given fire
0 rein there is no question.
No Railroads.
No railroads penetrate the jackson
!, Hole country, the trails are few. Hunt
:, ers and adventurous tourists to Ye
y lowstone Park enter the region, bu
! are careful not to come in contac
= with the lawless men who have thei
= hiding places where only hounds coul
:, run them down. 1t was in this regio
; that Robert Ray Hamilton lost his life
!, and the man who is supposed to hav
= killed him still lives there, stunned b
nearly all the bona fide settlers of tn
land. The bandits have come fror
the ranks of lawless men in the cite
e and small towns Who finding polio