The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-08-24
MURDERERS' BOLD H0LD-UP
Wound Paymaster of Puritan al
Mines and Kill Driver.
SECURE $4,000 AND ESCAPE

Wounded Man Now in Hospital While
D,speradoes Are Surrounded In q
swamp - Whole Countryside Is
Aroused-An Army of Eight Hundred
on tho Hunt.
Johnstown, Pa.-Charles Hayes, a
driver, employed by the Puritan Coal
company, is dead, and Patrick Camp
bell, the %company's paymaster, lies
perhaps fatally wounded at the Al
toona Hospital, as the result of a hold
I'D and murder on the township road
leading from Portage, this county, to
the mining town of Puritan.
The two men were in a buggy taking
a satchel containing about $4,000 with
which to pay the coal company's en-
ployes at Puritan, from the Adams
Express Office at Portage, to the coal
town. When at a point about three
quarters Of a mile out of Portage they
were suddenly fired upon by three men
armed with shotguns.
Hayes fell to the bottom of the buggy,
pierced by thirty-seven bucEshot
wounds in his neck and breast. n
died about half an hour later. Camp
bell was hit in the shoulder and fell
from the buggy. The highwaymen
came out from their places Of hiding
in the woods to the right of the road,
secured the satchel of money, and es-
capped.
According to their usual custom, on
the Saturday nearest the first Of the
month Campbell and Hayes started
fer Portage about 8 o'clock in the
morning. Some time later William
Heisel, a farmer, who lives four miles
from Portage, was going home in a
spring wagon over the anne road
which the paymaster and his driver
had taken. Three-quarters of a mile
from town, where the road is fanked
by woods, he suddenly came upon the
body of a man, writing in agony in
the middle of the road. Leaving his
wagon, Heisel discovered Campbell.
The paymaster vas drenched with
blood. which was flowing from a
wound in the right shoulder. Although
in agony, he was still conscious, and
managed to whisper to Heisel that he
and Hayes, his driver, had been fired
upon by the robbers, and that, dizzy
from his wound. he had fallen from
the buggy, which had gone on.
Heisel staunched CamphelTs wounds
as best lie could with a handkerchief
and a bit of linen ripped from his coat,
lifted him into the wagon, and started
on out the road in search Of the team
and driver. He had not gone fifty
yards when he came upon the paymas-
ter's buggy, standing at the side of the
road, the horse, unframed, nibbling
grass.
When opposite the vehicle he dis
covered the seemingly lifeless form of
the driver, huddled in the bottom of the
buggy. He tried to lift the man into
his wagon with Campbell, but could
not. Hayes weighed 100 pounds. There
was no help at hand, and nothing to
do but turn back to Portage for help.
When Portage was reached, Camp
bell, who was by that time uncon-
scisus, was placed in charge of DR.. J.
A. Schofeld, and Heisel. securing as
%sistance, went back fer Hayes.
The body of the driver was taken to
Portage. where physicians discovered
that although Hayes was unconscious,
life was not quite extinct. He was
wounded beyond recovery, however,
and died within ten minutes after be-
ing brought into the office.
After his wounds had been temper
arily dressed, Campbell was conveyed
BY train to Altoona, where he was adj
United to the City Hospital.
News of the tragedy spread like
wildfre through Portage, and in a
quarter of ar hour hundreds eff people
were streaming over the road toward
the scene Of the murder armed with
guns and revolvers.
The search fer the muraerers had
been made unremittingly since the
crime had been reported. and the posse
was working in Randall when Justice
of the Peace Mccartney, Of Beaver
dale, about six miles south Of Portage,
reported to them he had seen three
men running acrosS the road toward
the swamp.
The fugitives had Just reached the
edge Of the swamp when the first VOL
ley rang out. One of the murderers
fell.
His companions held the posse back
with drawn guns, and the wounded
q managed to set out of sight in the
dense underground with the assistance
Of his companions.
The search of the swamp was con-
tinued all night, and it was expected
the three murderers would soon be
dead or in custody.
DESPERADOES STOP TRAIN.