Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-08-07
Remains of Dead Robber are Still
Unidentified.
ONE IMPORTANT ARREST is MADE
Camper and His Wife Saw the Drama
Enacted and Knew That Hold-up
Was in Progress, but Were Power
less to Prevent 1t.

Savanna, H., Aug. 1.-THE bandits
who held up the Burlington limited
near Marcus at midnight Tuesday
night are believed to be hiding in the
denseiy wooded bottom lands along the
Mississippi, and residents of Savan-
ma are generally of the opinion that
their discovery and capture is feat
so difficult as to be practically impos-
sible. The bottoms are described as
being wide in extent, closely covered
with trees and bushes, and unlnhaD-
tied.
Dead Man Skill Unidentified.
The body of the robber killed dur
ing the fight is still unidentified.
One Man Arrested.
One arrest has been made. When
the Burlington train from the north
pulled in at 1920 o'clock yesterday
afternoon the passengers pointed out
a stranger whose actions they said
(. had been suspicious. He was taken
into custody and examined. He gave
his name as Burt Q. Dell and said he
was a clammer He does not look
like train robber and his capture
is not regarded as being significant.
Camper Sees Cars Cut Off
An actual witness of the train rob-
berry has been found. Barney Miller
of Sabula. Ia, just across the river
from Savanna. was, camping with his
p wife half mile from the scene of the
holdup Mrs. Miller saw the train
come to stop and watched 1T, for she
knew it to be an unusual occurrence.
Then she saw the engine and two cars
leave the Others and proceed up tne
track, and a g'3ort time afterward
came the explosions. She awakened
her husband and they watched closely,
realizing that a train robbery was 60
ing on under their eyes which they
We're unable to stop.
After the explosions the Millers saw
the engine uncoupled and run up tho
track to the bridge over Apple river.
which flows directly into the Missis-
sippi. There it was stopped and a
r'oment later started on again. 1t was
afterward found six miles from Apple
river with the steam run down At
the point where the train was robbed
the railroad is fully three miles from
the river and the intervening country
Is rough and sandy bottom lands. The
railroad is on the high bluff so that
the movements of the train We're plain
1y visible from the opposite shore.
Are Thought to Have Boats.
Ample river is navigable for small
boats and widely accredited theory
is that the robbers had hidden skiffs
in the bushes near the bridge and will
their aid had reached hiding place
on the banks of the Mississippi. From
the neighboring bottom lands they cal
proceed either way at night and even
tually reach a place of safety mile!
from the scene of the crime.
This theory is borne out by th'
statement of man named Garrow
who keeps a row boat livery near th'
Burlington depot He looked at thu
face of the dead robber and then salt
that the man had attempted to hire ;
boat from him last Sunday, sayinl
that he wanted to go fishing near Maj
Gus. Garrow refused him the boat
for he did not want his property takel
SO far by stranger.
How Robber Met His Death.
@ According to the testimony of En-
gineer John e. Mooney the robber wa
not. shot and killed by William Byle
the express messenger, but by the az
cidental discharge of revolver i
the hands of one of his confederates
After the specie had been take
from the safe in the express car fou
Of the robbers started to climb in t
board the engine to join the two VIII
held revolvers at the heads OF the e1
gineer and fireman.
Suddenly there was shot in thei
midst and one of them cried out
'.What in the did you shoot m
for?" as he fell to the ground. H
was raised up and dumped onto tn
tender, where he lay groaning. Thi
was the last seen of him by the eng
neer until his body was found alonl
side of the tracks, a mile from tn
scene.
There were three bullet holes. Or
was through the body, entering tt
chest. A second had passed throue
the head, entering the eye. Both wei
from a revolver of large caliber.
third wound from a small bullet We
found in the middle finger of the lie
hand. 1t is believed that this We
made by Byle's revolver, as it is sa
to be Of smaller caliber.
Made sure He Was Dead.
D. G. Smith, the local police magi