Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-12-03
FIERCE BATTLE
WITH MURDERERs
Bandits Shoot Police and
Kill Brakeman in Effort
to Escape.
BL0oDTHIRSTy GANG GIVES UP


Barns Are Traced to Indiana, Where
They Engage In Desperate Fight
With Officers and Farmers.
Chicago, Nov. 30.-The still wet
blood OF their seventh victim upon
their heads, their own clothes damp
and sticky with blood flowing from
wounds indicted by pistol, rife and
shotgun in the hands of their pur-
suers, with the lives of ten men abso-
lutely In their hands, Harvey Van
Dein and Peter Niedermeier lost the
blood lust Friday afternoon.
For six months they, with Gustave
Marx and Emil Roesk, had killed with
as little regard for life as that ex-
hibited by hunger crazed animals. No
fear of the law ever caused them to
stay their trigger fingers. II the wip-
Ing out of one or more human lives
was necessary to their securing few
dollars and cents or essential to their
escape from peril, out went the life or
lives as rapidly as a candle Is snuffed
by an expert shot.
Battle With Farmers.
Yet after an all morning battle with
officers of the law, standing at bay on
the edge Of the frozen Tolleston
marsh. with birdshot loaded guns Of
| the farmers pointed at them, they
hesltated for Just one moment and
staid their slaughtering hands.
Earlier in the day they would not
have hesitated. They would have shot
down the farmers like SO many dogs.
Their wounds had not impaired their
almost supernatural craftsmanship.
| Each carried 100 rounds of ammuni-
| ton. They stood behind rude bar
ricade of cornstalks. The frozen
marsh. with its tangled reeds. and
branches. and scrub. furnished at least
a temporarily safe retreat The farm.
er3 we're not dangerous. Their bird
shot stung, but it did not seriously
wound.
Shoot Down OFFICERS.
Policemen were creeping on them
from corn shock to corn shock. and
from scrub pine to scrub oak. But
the young bandits were not sur
rounded, and had a fair chance for at
least fcw hours more, IL not ulti.
mate liberty.
In the morning when they fought
their way from the dugout on the sand
dune shore of Lake Michigan through
Gordon of Chicago detectives who
thought they had shared them like rats
| in trap, they swore to die fighting and
| killing till the last. With their fiend-
ish accuracy Of aim they had shot
down Detectives Driscoll and Zimmer.
aud although hit themselves. with
Emil Roeski, their pal. had made their
escape.
Kin Brakeman.
For six miles they plowed their way,
leaving bloody trails. across sand
dune, dwarfed forest, and over ice
| coated marsh. They wanted an en-
| CINE to aid them in escaping. A brake
man stood between them and the OBJ
| ject of their desire. With smile and
scurvy Jest Niedemeier killed him. The
blood lust was still upon them.
But standing behind their feeble de-
| lenses Of frozen stalk they looked one
another In the eye. In that moment
something put that which they had
never known-fear--into their hearts,
| their thirst for blood was quenched.
and their career as man killers ended.
Without an instant's hesitation each
I nan threw up his hands and sur
rendered to the farmers and to certain
Death on the gallows.
Give Up Four REVIEWERS.
II thought 1t was no use fighting
any longer" said Van Dein. "We
could have killed every farmer in
front of us, but what would have
been the use! We would have been
got before night, and somehow |
didn't want to do any shooting"
Van Dein was the first to throw up
his hands and call out that he sur
one blued revolver and one pearl
handled weapon were taken from the
pair.
Emil Roeski, their pal. left the two
soon after they broke from the dug
out, and despite a severe bullet
wound in the hip. walked eight miles
across the country to Aetna, sta
ton Of the Wabash railroad. In the
toilet room he washed his hands and
cleared the traces of blood from his
clothing. Then he bought ticket
to Chicago. and. exhausted. lay down
on a bench to sleep until the train
should arrive. He awoke to gaze into
the barrel of a revolver aimed at his
head by Detective Falkland.
II guess I'm it," he said quietly.
Confess to Crimes.
Not tone Of regret. not q trace
OF sorrow appeared In the voices or
faces of Van Dein and Neidermeier,
as in the gathering twilight. nursing
their bullet and shot wounds, they
sat In Chief O'Neill's office and con.
fessed, in the presence of Mayor Har-
rison, to every crime Of which they
had been accused by their captured
partner. Marx, the slayer Of Detective
Quinn.
Nonchalantly and glibly they admit
ted the responsibility of the quartet
for seven murders and the wounding
Of seven other men. They told of the
money they secured from the rob-
berries Of which the murders-to them
were such insignificant and unim-
s-~.~~S~~~~@~~SS~-~~ ~-<~~S~~~S><se
Elliott is Sent to Asylum.
Minneapolis. Mimi. dispatch: Peter
o. Elliott, the man arrested In Wash