The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-24
ROBBERS CAUGHT.
Hemmed in on an Island They
Surrender.
Bloody Trail of Wounded Bandit
Leads to Capture.
AN EXCITING CHASE.
Burton People Turned Out in
Force in the Hunt.
Men Offered No Resistance When
Surrounded.
NO MONEY is FOUND.
Believed That the Cash Has
Been Buried.
Five Men in the Gang Now in
Jail.
Crippled RObber Was Leader of
the Safe Crackers.
% MONEY is FOUND.
Crippled RObber Was Leader of
the Safe Crackers.

Burton, Kan. Oct. 24.-The five
bandits who looted the bank at this
point early Friday morning were cap
tured last evening about 5 o'clock on an
island in the Arkansas river, ana are
now lodged in the Jail at Newton. One
of the men was badly wounded. They
give their names as James Bell, 25 years
old, George Olson. % years, E. H Jonn-
ston, 50 years, Thomas White, "a years,
and Frank Harwood. 26. They stoutIy
deny having robbed the bank and claim
that they are Kansas City and eastern
iron workers cutting across country to
the Missouri Pacific to beat their way
to Pueblo
When captured they had but $1S in
their possession,
During the fight of Friday morning
between two Burton men and three of
the bandits Harry Westmacot, former
ly student at ST. Johns Military acad-
emy, a pursuer, firing a double bar
relied shotgun filled E H. Johnston's
head, breast, arms and face with No.
shot. At this point Johnston dropped
his revolver and the bandits moved on
and the pursuers retired
About o'clock Friday afternoon $50
determined men from Burton and vi
cinity heavily armed went to the scene
bloody revolver and a trail OF blood.
They took up the trail and followed 1t
across a field of ploughed ground. They
were aided by occasionally finding
bloody rag which the bandits were evil
IDENTIFY using to staunch the wounds.
The trail led south and west towards
the Arkansas river at Wichita. In
many places it was guesswork to follow
it, but tracks of the bandits were al
ways found further on. and the indi-
cations were that one of the robbers
To- -sv--~ L~1sr- -srk1
along. About 8 o'clock the path of the
dynamiters ended at the river bank op-
posite a good sized island in the Ar
kansas. Detachments were at once
sent out, completely surrounding the is
land. After conference of the pur-
suers thirty of them, led by E. E. Shive.
assistant cashier of the bank. armed
with Winchesters, started to wade
across to the island upon which no sign
of life appeared. The rest of the posse
distributed themselves along the bank.
covering the island with loaded guns.
With the near approach of the pur-
suers to the island the robbers shouted
that they would give up, and the sur
render followed
One of the five robbers who gave his
name as E. H. Johnston was suffering
severely from the wounds inflicted by
Harry Westmacott in the battle on Fri
day morning He is the oldest man in
the party and appears to be the leader
of the gang and though the bandits
would have made much better time had
they not been hampered by their
wounded leader they refused to desert
him. even when they knew they were
about to be captured. The men were
seen fr quently during the nine-mile
chase and the posse was so well organ
lzed that escape was impossible.
Today searching parties are going
over the route trying to discover the
money where the robbers have undoubt-
edly buried it or sunk it in the sands
Of the Arkansas river 1t is suggested
that the prisoners are the same men
that held up the Mcfarland eating
house couple of months ago. In many
respects the descriptions of the parties
tally.
identity of the men though they stoutIy
declare their innocence. W. 1. Daily
saw the men in Burton on Friday
evening when they came into his Store
and bought some fruit. They were also
seen loafng about town by others in
the evening and iIr. Daily and Cthers
have fully idenrinad the men.
The men We're kent under guard here
until noon when they We're taken to
Newton where chey were placed III lail
Johnston, the wounded robber, may be
fatally hurt.
The looted bank resumed business al
noon Friday as if nothing had hap
pened. and the depostors are being
paid and loans made as usual.
The bank usually carried something
like 50. 500 or $4,000 on hand, the re-
Inainder of their deposits being with the
State Exchange bank at Hutchinson
and banks at Kansas City and other
places They had about $1,000 less than
this amount when dynamited as the
State Exchange bank had sent that
amount by registered mail on the late
night train and it had not yet arrived
at the bank at the time Of the robbery
The money should have been sent
Thursday morning. but the request for
It was delayed and the money was sent
Thursday night instead.
j. ShSEa Il
Welch. of Burton. the vice president
and J. T. Shive. cashier. The capital
IS $4,000. and there are about s120 0OC
IN deposits. Most of the deposits are
with the State Exchange bank and
with other correspondents. Not over
$4,000 was kept at any time and or
account of the money from Hutchinson
not being sent the total loss was 81. .00(
less than this amount
stabley Is Reelected.