The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-12-03
LIKE A dime NOVEL.
Many Crimes Of Three Desperate
Young Bandits.
PITCHED BATTLE WITH POLICE.
They Were Wanted for Participation
Ia Chicago Murder Cases-Two
Arrested.

Chicago, Specla.-Cnadheo Uilot "
wrist. their hair matted with blood,
their clothing with dust and dirt, two
beapdless boys, Peter Neidermeiar
and Harvey Van Dine, sat in the pres
ence of Mayor Harrison and Chief OF
Police O'Neu calmly confessing to
their share In q three months career
Of crime, which has included eight
murders, the wounding Of five other
men and q long series OF robberies.
The two young bandits, neither OF
whom is over 81 years Of age. together
with their companion, Emil Rosskie.
who Is no older. were captured near
Liverpool. Ind, after a fight In which
they battled against policemen. rail-
road detectives, railroad laborsrs and
farmers. One man was killed, another
fatally injured and all three Of the
young bandits were wounded, but not
seriously. The dead man is T. j.
Sovea, brakeman on the Pennsyl.
yania Railroad; wounded. Joseph Dris.
coll, detective on Chicago police force.
shot through the abdomen. and can
live but a short time; Matthew Zim-
mer, detective on Chicago police force.
shot In head and arm.
Niedermier was wounded In the
hand by bird shot; Van Dine was shot
and slightly injured, and sustained
in addition a flesh wound in the left
thigh. Roeskie was shot in the right
hip.
The three men were wanted BY the
police for completely In the murders at
the car barns OF the Chicago City
Railroad Company on August 80, when
two men were killed, a third badly
wounded and $3.50 stolen. Gustave
Marx, who last Saturday night MUIR
dered Oficer John Quinn when the
policeman endeavored to place him un-
der 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.
Niedermier and Roeskie has been hot
ever since. Although ley knew that
the entire police force was looking for
them, the three men remained in the
city until Wednesday morning.
@We were laying for fellow that
was witness against Marx" said
Van Dine.
On Wednesday they left Chicago,
going to a dugout made near Miller's
Station, Ind, where they were sur
prised by the police. Both parties
opened fire and Driscoll fell. Van Dine
and Roeskie rushed out, followed
few minutes later by Niedermier. The
latter ran to the tracks fthe Michi-
gan Central Railroad and, throwing
himself fat on the roadbed steadied
his arm on the rail as he kept up
rapid fire with three revolvers. Roeskie
ran for the brush, but Van Dine re-
treated slowly. although the air around
him was filled with bullets and the
snow at his feet was kicked up by
them. He Is splendid marksman and,
catching sight Of Detective thinner,
who was behind tree, he fired. Zim-
mer went down with a bullet in the
head. AS he fell. Van Dine fired again
and the second bullet tore through
Zimmer's arm.
The detectives fired constantly, but
the bandits escaped. After running
about a mile across country, they came
to the tracks Of the Pennsylvania Rail-
road. switch engine with a train OF
cars was close at hand and, hurrying
up to it. the men ordered Brakeman
Sovea to uncouple the train from the
locomotive. He refused and attempted
to take Niedermier's revolver from
him. The later sent a bullet through
the brakeman's head. killing him in
stantly. Springing past Sovea's body
the bandits mounted the locomotive
with revolvers in hand and ordered
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. Az
ter the train had carried Van Dine and
Neidermeyer away. Detective Sheehan
hurried to the nearest telegraph sta
ton and wired Chief OF Police ONeill
asking that men be sent out with
rifles. The message met with a
prompt RESPONSE. and in short time.
Assistant Chief of Police Schuettler
and so officers armed with rifles were
on the way to Miler's by special train.
Can't Briggs. Of the detective service Of
the Pennsylvania Railway, was given
orders to get the three men dead or
alive. He and his men were off toward
Liverpool.
When the bandits left the train they
were nearly exhausted and unable to
travel. It was easy to trace them down
in the snow and the hunt was speedily
ended. The men were seen and the
farmers. most OF whom were armed
with double-barrelled shot-guns. open
ed fire on them. Neidermier received a
full charge in the head. and the blood
streamed down his face and into his
eyes. binding him so that he could
hardly see. A shot g-azed Van Dimes
I"'J', AID his wounded leg was weak
enl..! The posse was closing in on all
sides. There was no escape and 1t was
evident to both men that the time had
come either to surrender or to fight II
to the death. Van Dine said In discus
sing his surrender:
"The Jig was no for us no matter
how many we killed. I says to Pete:
We'll. wha: do you think? He nodded
i:s head and dropped his guns and
that's how they got us"