Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-11-28

Assistant Chief of Police Scnuettler
and so officers, armed with rifles, We're
on the way to Millers. The ofnclals
of the Pennsylvania Railroad also rose
! to the emergency.
Capt. Briggs of the detective service
CT that railroad, was given Il Speclal
train as soon as the news of the muir
der of Brakeman Sovea was known
and With orders to take no chances,
spare no expense and get the three
men dead or alive he and his men were
off toward Liverpool. The entire sys-
TEN Of the Pennsylvania Road was
; placed temporarily under orders OF
! Chief Briggs.
! The news of the fight ut the dugout mad
spread with great rapidly through the
country and by the time the two painting
men rushed UP to the locomotive, hum
! dycd farmers and railroad laborers were
after them These ware left behind with
f,r Smiego detertivcs b a''noush ot one ne
hlS work as the train started away;
! Catching sight of Van Dine as ne poh.d
I his lace through the cab window, ne
! tyrned loose both barrels. A number Of
shots struck Van Dire il the head and
, face and one hit him i'll the throat, cltis-
/ ing him trouble.
When they left the train rain bo pot, me u
| We're nearly exhausted ana unable 70
travel. The country at that place is
rough and sandy, and cut up by gravel
! pits. 1t is ground to travel over when
would soon exhaust Il vigorous man, ana
/ the Two desperados made SLOW progress
| The farmers, railroads laborers ana ON
GERS OF the Pennsylvania railroad were
coming up fast and soon were close on the
| fu2itlNeS heels. 1t was easy to track
| them in the new fallen snow and the
! hunt was speedily closed. The men Wec
| seen as they lodged about in the sand
| Guns and the farmers; most q "hom
| We're armed with double Darreled shot
| guns, opened fire on them. Niedermcier
| received charge fun in the head and the
! blood stream4d down his face and into
! his eyes. binding him so that he could
/ hardly see.
\ shot grazed Van Dimes head. carrying
Off some OF his hair and his wounded leg
was weakening. The posse was closing
in on all sides. There was no escape ana
it was evident 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 before
| they lost their own, but, as Van Dine
said, tonight, in discussing his surrender:
! There would have been no Sood i'll
| that, as we have not shot anybody unless
fellows would not have let me off. The
| JIG was mp for us, 10 matter how many
| We killed. ] says to Pete: We'll. what
do you tiiink?' He nodded his head and
| tioplcu HIS GcllS ttlltN tii>tt ilOh tIiSS
Sot US
Van Dine. who has served in the army
in the Philippines, and shows his military
training in many ways, was full of scorn
| fer the men who had taken him.
| Il could have killed no end of them
| he said. They came walking along like
drove of quail and could have covered
| the ground with 'cm. had plenty Of
shoot at. It would have done me no good.
though, and l don't shoot unless il is
| necessary
The men were at once handcuffed plac-
ed upon q train and hurried to Chicago,
| and the city police officers was not a
minute in rushing them over the line in
to Illinois in order to avoid possible con
tIict with the Indiana police, who might
| have demanded the men, On account OF
the murder of Sovea. This fear was not
| justified, as Gov. Dorbin of Indiana, las
| said he approved of their action. The
bandits were taken from the train at the
| Archer Avenue crossing and in Il patrol
wagon were hurried to City hall. They
| We're taken into the Office OF Chief of Po-
Mayor Harrison and throng Of officers,
| they discussed the events of the day as
calmly as though It had been nothing I'M
| usual for thcm.
| None OF the prisoners showed any bra
| vado and did not boast. They showed not
| the slightest hesitation in confessing to
| their crimes. Their dcneanor was mere
| that of boys who had been caught pilfrr-
ing. Van Dine sat upright. talsed freely.
| showing in word and bearing the courage
! lie has revealed throughout. NicdeTmc:cr
sat with his head il: his hands. His large
brown eyes Were lent on the floor and he
did no talking except to corrobolate some
statement made by Van Dine
When Van Dine heard that Mayor liar
! ri$0n was coming into the room, he
| Strengthened up, tried TO smooth down
| Niedermcier's hair, which was stiff with
| matted blood. and taking a small mirror
| from 4 pocket, tried to scrapc the blood
hi
Both men admitted that Marx had told
| essentially the truth i'll connecting them
| with the various crimes charged up
| against them, and said that they did the
I'VE We're planning some big robbcr-
| les here said Van Dine, and we would
| have got away with a lot Of money soon
but for Marx squealing on Us. ia like
to get him and put him where Driscoll
When told that the police wanted to
take his picture, Van Dine replied: Well
| you cont get il until my face is washed.
| I'll have no picture looking like this
| Chief Of Polica O'NeH took q damp
| towel and wiped the faces Of the Two
snow from the scene OF The capture of,
Niedermeier and Van Dine. Fred Miller,
Louis Miller. John Dillon, Charles Ham
| ilton and Hugo Kemp, residents of East
TollcStcn, Ind. captured Emil lIoe*ki.
sitting on a bench in the Wabash station.
at Aetna, md. a town four miles north
east of Liverpool Ind.
The arrest was made at 4.iJ o'clock.
shortly after Roeslii had missed train
to Chicago. He was unGrlncd The ban
dit was identified by Hugo Kemp. a hunt
er. who engaged the desperate in q fight
for life at a sand pit in East Tollestnn.
when III" fIgitiVeS pressed = locomotive
into service to escape the police
The record of the trio captured. today
together with that of Gustav Marx. their
companion in crime, whose confession
led 10 their arrest, is eight murders end
many attempts at murder. None Of the
four despcradocs is over u years old but
besides the robbery of the Chicago City
Railroad, when two OF the railroad en-
ployoS Were shot and killed without warn
ing and $50 was carried OIL By the ban
dts. the youthful murderers We're con
Ccincd in many other robbcTics in winch
six persons were killed and five were
seriously wounded
These crimes nctted tho hi@hWaNmen
S9Fio Fmbcd"ncd by the success of
their dcpredations and their apparent
immunity from detection, outlaWry on Il
wider scale had been planned by the four
dcsperadoes Tho holding un of railroad
trains III Chicago was decided on. Dyna.
mite being difficult to buy in Illinois ana
being easily trac"ab BILE. they made spec
ial trip to Cripple Creek, Col, to secure
the explosive.
The scheme to hold up train on the
Chicago &; Northwestern road was ABORT
ed because the engineer did not stop AT
their signal. Shortly afterwards. MalT