The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-02-01

a mile and a half. It is an ideal hiding place
for criminals.
Just befort the house is reached the trail
makes a sudden turn to the right and as.
in height. On reaching the crest the road
leaves the forest and the Rudolph house is
seen standing in the center of a clearing
about 100 yards in circumference.
The house itself Is a rambling old struct'
ure and is forbidding in appearance. 1t was
originally built for a miners boarding
house, but since that industry has beer
discontinued 1t has been occupied by the
! Rudolahs.
| There are four doors on the front and
! back of the house and the building is pro.
! vided with thirty-four windows. The front
| Of the building opens directly on the wagon
trail. but there is a picket fence forming
a back yard.
| There are seven rooms on the ground floor,
] all communicating. The second floor is divid-
| ed into twelve rooms and there Is a parti-
ton dividing them into two parts with no
J means of COMMUNICATION. Above this is an
unfinished attic.
FIGHT AT THE FARM HOUSE.
The cellar had been followed out OF the
| ground under the southeast corner of the
building and Is about seven feet square. The
depth is about six feet and the sides are
lined with rough stone.
SchuEa acher and the deputies approached
the house from the front. Vedder was lead
ing and no attempt was made to conceal the
purpose of their visit. Cromer and Tichenor
carried shotguns and Schumacher and We'd
der were armed with revolvers.
Vedder and Schumacher approached the
door Immediately to the left of the center of
the building. Tichenor was stationed at the
coLler commanding two sides Of the house
and Crorner was in front of a door between
Tichenor and Cromer.
Before Vedder could knock to attract the
attention of the inmates. the door on the
extreme righthand side of the house swung
open suddenly and a volley of shots rang
out.
Schumacher dropped where he stood and
Vedder and Cromer turned and ran for the
protection of the woods. When the timber
was reached Vedder was alone.
Cromer's flight was suddenly checked by
a wire clothes line that caught him under
the chin. He fell to the ground and the rob
bers thought he had been killed.
In the meantime Tichenor was standing
his ground and fighting the robbers single
handed. He was armed with a shotgun.
while his adversarieS were provided with
Winchesters and revolvers.
Tichenor fired more than twenty rounds
from his position behind the corner of the
house. Immediately after killing Schu-
macher the robbers stepped within the shell
ter of the door jam and turned their ut
tention to Tichenor; Many shots exchanged
on both sides.
WEAPON FAILED T1CHENoR.
Finally. while reloading his shotgun. Itch
enor damned a cartridge into the breach
and could not use the weapon. He retreat
ed along the full length of the house and
sought shelter in the woods near the rear
of the building.
He hid behind a tree and examined his
gun. Seeing a brick a short distance away
he left his breastwork, ran over and got the
brick and then returned to the tree.
With this crude tool he hammered the
cartridge out Of the breach and reloading
returned to a position near where he had
formerly stood and renewed the battle with
the robbers
He exposed himself several times and in
other ways tried to induce the men to fol-
low him into the forest. where he would
have a chance to capture them.
He failed to mi them from the shelter.
of the building and finding his ammunition
was nearly exhausted he retreated to the
shelter Of the woods and returned to STAN
ton.
The town was now thoroughly aroused.
The result of the posses visit to the Ru-
dolph house was t%elephoned to Union.
Sheriff Bruch hastily assembled a posse
and rode to st. Clair where the party Sc
cured a train to Stanton.
Before the arrival Of the Sheriff and the
men from Union there was the greatest con-
fusion. Every one was giving orders and
one obeying. Deputy Sheriff vedder was
unable to make any Roadway m forming a
pursuing party.
It was s o'clock before the Union con-