Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-23
From Tuesdays Daily.

FROM tuesdays Daily.
Two men shot and seriously wound
ed and their woman companion injur-
ed tells the story of the speedy ending
of an attempt at outlawry last even
ing at Eddyville The trouble occur
red when VIM. st. John, Harvey Pea,
and woman whom Pea claims is his
wife, refused to leave town when they
were ordered to do so. and when st.
John backed his refusal by leyeling a
gun at Marshal A. e. McGaugh. The
marshal Immediately got a Winchester
shot gun and returning he and st.
John fired simultaneously, the former
being shot in the right hand and st.
John receiving load of shot in his left
forearm, which will probably cause it's
amputation. The outlaws drove away,
were followed by small posse and in
"a fight which followed Pea was shot
through the left shoulder, the ball pen
etrating through his body above the
lungs.
The men were arrested and brought
to this city last night. AS yet no
charges have been made against them
by Marshal McGaugh, Of Eddyville.
st. John is the same man who was
arrested at Eddyville last September
and brought to this city on the charge
of abducting little 13-year-old Jane
Dohne, of this city. He was bound ov-
er to the grand jury and was released
after jail sentence. Pea is known to
the police here and has the reputation
of being a bad character.
In Ottunwa Saturday
The prisoners whose attempt at out
1awry almost cost them their lives are
travelling junk sellers They were
driving a covered wagon and buggy
and had several head of horses. Sat
urday the gang was in this city and
sold q load of junk to local dealer.
Sunday they camped west of the city
and yesterday went to Eddyville, ar
irving before noon.
Threatened Marshal in Saloon.
The men were drinking in the differ
ent saloons of the town and st. John
was heard several times during the
day to make threats against Marshal
Il McGaugh, who had arrested him last
tall Tor the alleged abduction of the lit
tie Dohne girl. The men became boiss
ferrous during the afternoon and many
quarrelS with them We're narrowly
averted by residents of the place. 1t
was about 4:3O p. M, that
the trouble occurred. The men were
then riding around the town in the wa.
gon and the woman was ahead in the
buggy. The men were noisy and bois-
ferrous and were heard several times to
assert that there were not enough Off
GERS in the town to take them.
How the Shooting Occurred.
Marshal McGaugh stopped the men
and told them to leave town or he would
arrest them. Then, according to the
story told by number of eye witness
es of the affair, ST. John jumped from
the wagon with rifle and repeated
his assertions that there were not
enough marshals in the town
to arrest him. McGaugh was I'M
armed and he Immediately hur-
ried after his gun. A Winchester
shotgun was the first he was
able to procure and he returned to the
place where he had just left st. John
who was still in the street with the gun
in his arms.
Desperate Seriously Wounded.
When the marshal was about twenty
feet OF the desperate the latter opened
fire the marshal firing almost stimuli
taneously. st. Johns left forearm was
almost torn Off from the discharge of
shot while the marshal was hit on the
right hand sustaining painful but not
dangerous wound.
Attacks Crowd With Ak.
Pea the other desperate, had been
standing in the wagon during the af-
fair and as soon as he saw st. John
Injured he grabbed an ak from the
wagon and jumped to the ground,
making a dash into the crowd which
had collected. The crowd scattered
and the two men jumped into the
wagon and wildly drove down the
street. st. John lying in the bottom
Of the wagon bleeding profusely from
his wound.
Residents Terrorized.
The men drove into the country,
preceded by the woman in the buggy.
AS they drove along Pea let the lines
fall and he stood in the wagon point
ing a gun at the people who were
reused from their homes by the noise
and the shooting. Women were ter
rorized by the desperate as he drove
along and excitement reached fever
heat among the residents of the town
and surrounding country.
Posse Organized.
Talk of organizing posse to go
after the men was at once heard and
the first men to act on the suggestion
We're Deputy Marshal Mart Emanuel,
Constable j. G. Beamer and R. M.
Beamer The desperadoes We're over
taken about three miles west Of the
town and We're ordered to stop. Pea
/ stopped the team and then ran to the
buggy ahead his intent being either
to get gun or make his escape in the
light vehicle. He was fired on by the
members of the posse while running
to the buggy ahead and was shot
through the left shoulder, the rifle ball
breaking the clavicle and emerging
{ above the left lung. The woman be-
7 came alarmed when the shot was fired
and jumped from the buggy. She fell
( and dislocated the knee cap.
Brought to This Place.
4 The three prisoners We're taken to
y Eddyville and DR.. q. L. Day dressed
the wounds. St. Johns arm was
7 more trouble than did that Of the other