Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-11-28
A PITCHED BATTLE
Between Three Desperadoes
and Posse Of Citizens.
Wanted for Murders at Chicago and
at Other Points.
Neither Over Fl, but Boastful Of Their
Career.


| wrist. their hair matted with dried
blood. their clothing covered with dust
! and dirt, two beardless boys, Peter Me
dermeir and Harvey Van Dine, sat- to-
night, in the presence of Mayor Hlrti-
son and Chief of Police O'Neil. calmly
! coufessing to their share in Il three
months career of crime which has in
! Guided nine murders, the wounding OF
five other men and a long series OF rob
| berries. The two young bandits, neither
| 70 whom is over 81 years Of age, to-
gethcr with their companion, Eni! Roe
ski, who is no older, We're captured near
Liverpool Ind. today, after a fight in
which they battled against policemen,
railroad detectives, railroad ,ahorerS
and farmers. One man was killed, an
other fatally wounded and all three of
the young bandits were wounded, bat
not seriously.
The dead:
i. J. Sovea brakeman on the Penn
sylvania railroad.
Wounded:
| Joseph Driscoll, detective on the Chi
caSo police force, shot through the alb
domen and can live only Il short time.
| Matthew thinner, detective on the
| Chicago police force, shot in head and
| arm.
Niedermeir was wounded in the hand
| by hirdshot: Van Dine was similarly
injured and sustained in addition q
flesh wound in the left thigh. Roeski
vas shot in the right hip. His wound
| is the most serious Of any inflicted
upon the three men.
| The three men were wanted by TIE
police for completely in the murders at
the car barns of the Chicago City Rail-
road Co., Aug. so. when two men were
killed, a third badly wounded and S225)
stolen from the company. GuStaVc
Marx. who, last Saturday night, muir
dered Officer John Quinn. when the po-
liceman endeavored to place him under
arrest, confessed after his capture that
he in company with the three men, had
| committed the crimes at the car barns
| The hunt for Van Dine, Nicdermeir and
| Poeski has been hot ever since. Al
| though they knew that the entire police
| force was looking for them, the three
men remained in the city until WedlIes-
| Gay morning.
| I'VE We're laying for q fellow that
WAS Il witness against Marx said Van
| Dine. on Wednesday. they iett Chi
caSo going to q dug-out made by rail-
| road lah0rers near the tracks Of the
! Michigan Central Railroad, near Mil
lers, Ind. Last night they spent in an
| other dug-Out near Mller's Station,
Ind, and there they were surprised by
the police, this morning.
Word was brought to the police, last
| oio.ht Inv ~ < Rpirhnrc u Gp>no tnorl
ers near Clark Station, Ind, that three
men answering the description of those
wanted for the car barn murders were
living i'll the dug-out. Other stories.
last night, placed the men near Wait
kegan, H., and the police, placing 10
great reliance in any of the rumorS,
| sent only eight men. Detectives Zin-
mcr, Doche. Qu2ley, Gleason, Sheel;an,
Driscol Banner and Hughes, to III
diana, Sheehan being placed in charge
| of the squad.
The men reached the dug-out at about
s o'clock, guided by Rechers. AS soon
as they We're in sight of the police, the
| officers advanced in a circle upon the
dug-out where the three robbers We're
supposed to be concealed.
| Dliscoll, who was walking in closer
| than the others. picked up Il chunk Of
wood and hurled it at the dug-out. IN
stantly there was q flash, a report, and
Driscoll fell in Il heap, shot through the
| abdomen. one of his fellow officers
stopped to raise him and the other six
| opened fire on the dug-out, firm which
| the shots Were now coming thick and
fast. While the fire was at its hottest
Van Dine and Rocski rushed out, fol-
lowed Il few minutes later by Nieder-
meier. The latter ran to the tracks OF
| the Michigan Central railroad, and
| throwing himself fiat on the roadbed,
steadicd mis- arm on the rail rs he kept
up Il rapid fire with three revoivers.
| Roeski ran for the brush, but Van
Dine retreated slowly. although the air
around him was filled with bullets and
the snow at his feet was kicked up by
them. lie is a splendid marksman and,
catching sight of Detective thinner,
who was behind tree. he fired. Zim
mer went down with n bullet in the
head. As he fell Van Dine fired again
and the second bullet tore through Zim-
mer'S arm.
After his arrest Van Dine said: His
| head and his arm We're all could see.
| | hit all there was OF him.
| Eoeski had by this time disappeared
and Van Dine and Niedermeier, plac
! ing their revolvers in their pockets,
made a run for freedom. The detectiv-
es fired constantly, but the bandits es-
| capped. After running about Il mile
across country they came to the tracks
| of the Pennsylvania Railroad. y switch
engine with a train Of cars was close
at hand and, hurrying up to it, the
men ordered Brakeman Sovea to UNI
couple the train from the locomotive.
/ He refused and attempted to take
| Nie1ermeier'S revolver from him. The
| latter instantly sent a bullet through
| the brakeman's brain, laying him dead
| in the snow. Springing past Sovea's
| body the bandits mounted the locomo-
! tive with reviewers in hand and order
| ed the engineer to move out in a hurry
which he did going in the direction Of
| Liverpool, Ind. After two miles had
| been covered the men ordered the en-
gineer to SLOW down. and leaping to the
ground disappeared in the woods
After the train had carried Van Dine