Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-11-28
Broadway Umbrella and Trunk Stol

UNe11 asKlng rlat men be sent out with rifles. The message met with prompt response, and in short time ! Assistant Chief of Police Schuettler and fifty officers, armed with rifles, were on the way to Millers. The off, cials of the Pennsylvania railroad also rose to the emergency. Captain Briggs of the detective service of that railroad was given a special train as soon as the news of the murder of Brakeman Sovea was known, and with orders to take nc chances, spare no expense and get the 1 three men dead or alive he and his men were off toward Liverpool. The entire system of the Pennsylvania road was placed temporarily under orders of Captain Briggs.
 The news of the fight at the dugout had spread with great rapidity through the country, and by the time the two i panting men rushed up to the locomo- tive a hundred farmers and railroad | laborers were after them. These were left behind with the Chicago detectives, l although one farmer armed with a shotgun got in his work as the train started away. Catching sight of Van 1 Dine as he pOked his face through the cab window, he turned loose with both barrels. A number of shot struck Van Dine in the head and face, and one hit him in the throat, causing him trouble.
 When they left the train both men were nearly exhausted and unable to travel. The country at that place is rough, sandy and cut up by gravel pits. 1t is ground to travel over which i would soon exhaust a vigorous man, and the two desperadoes made slow progress. The farmers, railroad labor CTS and officers of the Pennsylvania road were coming mp fast and soon were close on the fugitives' heels. It was easy to track them in the new fallen snow, and the hunt was speedt- ly closed. The men were seen as they lodged about in the sand dunes, and the farmers, most of whom were armed with double barreled shotguns, opened fire on them. Niedermeier received a charge full in the head, and the blood streamed down his face and into his eyes, binding him so that he could hardly see. A shot graZed Van Dine's head carrying off some of his hair, and his wounded leg was weakening. The posse was closing i'll on all sides. There was no escape, and it was evi- dent to both men that the time had come either to surrender or to fight to the death. Both men were heavily armed and able to take more lives be- fore they lost their own, but as Van Dine said in discussing his surrender:
 'There would have been no good in that, as we have not shot anybody un- less we have had to, and killing any of those fellows would have not have let me off, The jig was up for us, no matter how many we killed. l says to Pete:
 "'Well what do you thinkT He nod ded his head and dropped his gun, and that's how they got us.'
 Van Dine, who has served in the army in the Philippines and shows his military training in many ways, was full of scorn for the men who had taken him.
 ''I could have killed no end of them, he said. "They came walking along like a drove of quail, and l could have covered the ground with 'em. l had plenty of cartridges, and I generally hit what I shoot at It wouldn't done me any good, though, and I don't shoot unless it is necessary"
 None of the prisoners showed any bravado and did no boosting. They showed not the slightest hesitation in confessing to their crime. Their de meanor was more that of boys who had been caught pilfering. Van Dine sat upright, talked freely, showing in word and bearing the courage that he has re- vealed throughout. Neidermeier sat with his head on his hands. His large brown eyes were bent on the floor, and he did no talking except to corroborate some statement made by Van Dine When Van Dine said
 "Pete, here, shot Driscoll," Neider' meier looked up, smiled slightly and re marked:
 .'Yes, I shot Driscoll and the brake man." and then sank back to listen te | Eor, Y;ya