The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-05-14
TOLD BY A DOCTOR.
His First Meeting with the Man
Whose Skull Adorned His Mantle
piece-A Thrilling Story of From
80 ;rp1,

Ills IIiSI meeIluS WILL IAS AA'AA
Whose Skull Adorned His Mantle
piece-A Thrilling Story of From
tier Life-A Bandits Last Fight.
From the Chicago Tribune.
This is a story without a moral.
Professor G. Frank Lydston, Of the
medical department of the University
of Illinois. tells it. 1mpelled by it's
truth. It's dates are nebulous, its
place is Minnesota only and the
names of the chief characters are re-
pressed. But it's tragic elements are
all there.
About ten years ago DR.. Lydston
was visiting a friend in the northern
part of Minnesota. The friend was a
practicing physician of more than
middle age. with iron gray hair and
beard. and distinguished by Il snow
white band of hair that ran from his
right temple half way around his
head. DR.. Lydston never had re-
marked this popularity. and the
friend, in the three years DR.. Lydston
had known him, had never referred
to it.
But on the occasion Of DR.. Lydston $
visit the Minnesota physician had Il
peculiar skull on the mantel in his
study. 1t had been beautifully pol
ished, showing to striking advantage
the strong, white bulldog-like teeth of
the man who had found his being in
the long. narrow. arching Uranium.
what would you say of the former
owner of it ?" asked the friend, MOTTO
ing that DR.. Lydston was eycing 1t
critically.
The doctor remarked several cranial
Irregularities and made general OBJ
ServatiOn
THAT is the skull of murderer
who was hanged" continued the host
DO you see this" he continued
brushing his fingers through the
white streak at the right side of the
head. THE owner of the skull did
that, too
Then the physician told the story.
Ten years before when the North
west was still trouble with the wan
dering Sioux and by still more law
less white men, the physician hac
gone from Bellevue hospital to a
town near Red Wing, Most of his
work was in the probing for bullets
and sewing up knife cuts; but the at
mosphere of the great Northwest was
pleasing to him, and he stayed.
One night he had n call by telegraph
To go to a small station thirty miles
down the railroad. 1t was is degrees
below zero, dark, and a binding
snow storm was blowing. Wrapping
up, the doctor went down to the lit
tie railroad station to wait for train
was almost due.
Just as the physician reached the
station platform two young country
men were getting out of buggy and
saying goodbye to the man who had
driven them into the little village.
The three reached the waiting room
door, to find it locked on the inside.
They pounded at it for several min
utes, until finally it was flung open,
and they We're looking into the muz-
zles of two revolvors.
Come in here" was the order, and
the unarmed doctor and the two
Countrym"n went in, only to find tho
station agent bound and gagged and
lying on the floor The two men wore
black masks, and it was evident that
they meant TO hold up the train, then
almost due.
Go through 'cm, Pete" was the
remark OF the man of the skull; "Ill
cover 'em."
Pete made a satisfactory haul from
the pockets of the two countrymen.
but the doctor had only a silver watch
and 81 in silver. Pete made a parti-
cularly ugly remark In the doctor.
and when the doctor resented it the
robber gave him Il kick.
The contemptuous kick WAS the
straw that broke the patience of the
physician. Forgetting the revolvtrs,
the doctor swung his fist, striking the
fellow in the face. At that instant
the fellows companion fired and tho
doctor dropped in his tracks.
Seeing the fight ON the two country
men closed in on the deSperadoes, but
when the shooting was done both lay
dead on the floor. The robbers were
frightened, however, and gave up the
attack ON the train.
Within half AN hour posse was on
their track. At daylight, i'm "A run
ming light, Pete was shot and killed.
His companion was shot through the
shoulder and WAS forced to surrender
y legal execution followed after n
few weeks. and the body of the bandit
found its way into medical school
in Minneapolis. Later the skull of
the criminal was sent to the living
victim of the hold mn for i'm tho moan