Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-12-08
HOW GANG KILLED AND ROBBED.
Many Desperate Crimes Crowded In
to S&>Srt Space of Time.

Many Desperate Crimes Crowded In.
to Short Space of Time.
Never before in Chicago, and perhaps
never in all the country, have so many
desperate crimes been crowded into so
short = time us is the case with Van
Dine, Niedermeer, Roeski and Marx
| Previous to the battle of Friday, the four
youths had a criminal history extending
over less than five months, with the ex
ception of small offenses of larceny.
In that time they killed seven men,
wounded several others, robbed five sa-
looms railroad ticket office, the car
barns at Sixty-6rst and State street, and
attempted to dynamite a train. Five of
the murders were committed within two
months.
the confessions of the men, the first
crime of note committed by them was
the robbery of the Clybourn Junction sta
ton of the Northwestern Railway July
3. Niedermeier and Roeski carried out
this robbery T. w. Lathrop, the ticket
agent, aud Martin Daugherty, a tele-
graph operator, were in the station when
the men pointed a revolver through the
lattice work and demanded the money in
the drawer. Lathrop reached for a re-
volver and was shot through the body,
but not MORALLY hurt. Daugherty gave
up and the robbers secured $40 There
was nothing by which to identify the rob-
bers, except the long, slender hand that
reached for the money. On this clew
George Dole was arrested and held to
the criminal court.
Less than week later, July 8, Van
Dine, Roeski and Marx robbed the sa-
loon of Ernest Spires, 1920 North Ash
land avenue. Roeski went in the front
door and ordered glass Of beer. Marx
and Van Dine appeared at the side door
and commanded all inside to hold up
their hands. Otto Bauder, 10 years old,
started to run, and Roeski shot him to
death. Roeski then went behind the bar
and robbed the cash till, while his COM
panions guarded the men lined against
the bar.
The following night, July 10, Van Dine
end Roeski went to Greenberg's saloon,
ia1 Addison avenue. Louis Cohen, the
bartender, was alone, and the men had
little trouble in securing sos. Cohen was
locked in the ice box. 1t was in this
saloon that Marx later shot Detective
John Quinn.
Van Dine and Roeski held up the sa-
loon of Charles Alvin on July u. There
were five men besides the bartender in
the place when the youths entered with
handkerchiefs over their faces. One hun
dred dollars was taken from the cash
register
Roeski and Van Dine on July 20 found
l. I,o
Milwaukee avenue. When confronted
by the robbers the saloonkeeper crouched
behind the bar and reached for a revol-
ver Before he could secure it four shots
had been fred at him, one of the bullets
striking him in the head Cork was
conscious, but gave no sign of it, and
could hear the robbers say in a matter
of-fact way as they opened the cash
drawer "He is dead" Cork recovered.
The murder of Benjamin @. La Gross
and Adolph Jensen on Aug. l in the for
m.ar's saloon Mt 2120 West North avenue
came next. The saloonkeeper and Jen-
sen were playing cards when the robbers
entered. La Gross and his customer held
up their hands when ordered to do so,
but both were shot, La Gross dying at
once and Jensen day later There was
S64 in the till.
The most desperate crime of the men
was the car barn robbery on Aug. 80.
Roeski and Marx arranged the details,
but Roeski was not an active party to
the robbery. Two men were killed and
81, $50 was taken. The responsibility for
the murders is the one point on which
the other prisoners say that Marx did
not tell the truth in his confession.
Marx, Van Dine and Niedermeier in
vaded the barns at o'clock in the
morning and began shooting without
warning Francis w. Stewart, a student
at the Armour Institute, at work ut a
desk in the cashiers office, was shot
through the body and died soon after
ward William B. Edmond, receiving
cashier, also was shot, but not mortally.
James b. Johnson, a motorman, was
killed as he rose from bench on which
he had been sleeping.
The men made a muss of their plan
for dynamiting the limited train Of the
Chicago and Northwestern Railway. Az
ter the car barn murders two members
OF the gang went to Cripple Greek to buy
dynamite for the purpose. Van Dine
learned when a large sum of money was
to be carried, and on that night Roesh
tagged the train between Jefferson and
Des PLANES The engineer did not stop,
but slowed up. As the locomotive pass
ed Roeski fred a shot, the bullet wound
ing the fireman in the thigh. When the
train was brought to a stop it had pass
ed the point where the dynamite had
been concealed, and the robbers hurried
away.
The robbery of the Devon avenue
street car barns was planned by the des-
peradoes, but before accurate informa-
ton had been gathered Marx was ar
rested Assistant Chief Schuettler had
instructed his men TO capture Marx, and
Detectives Quinn and Blaul found him
in Greenberg's saloon. AS Quinn spoke
to him Marx turned and shot him to
death.