Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1904-04-22

Peter Neidemeier, Gustav Marx an
Harvey Van Dine. the car barn bandit
passed a sleepless night. 1t was tn
first intention to hang all three on tn
same scaffold, but on account of tn
weakness of Neidemeier it wa
thought advisable to hang him alone
The latter rejected all spiritual ad
vice, but Marx and Van Dine who re
Gently joined the Catholic faith spen
their last hours reading, writing ant
praying, several nuns and priests be
ing with them constantly
| The death warrant was read tt
Neidemeier and shortly after II
O'Clock the march to the scaffold be
gan. Neidemeier was hanged a
10:35. He was carried to the gallows
handcuffed and strapped He wa:
placed in a chair on the drop and fel
with the chair He was strangled
Later the physicians declared thai
Nedemeier's neck was broken in the
drop. Marx was next led to the scat
fold. He was accompanied by two
priests. He appeared weak but met
death bravely. The drop fell at 11:17
Van Dine was hanged at 11:35, the
hanging was without particular Incl
dent.
Story of the Crime.
The hanging of the youthful cal
barn bandits followed closely a per
iod of crime of less than six months
In that time eight murders were com
mitted, all attendant upon robberies
or efforts to escape arrest
1t was during an attempt to escape
on stolen train after an extra, 'r7i
nary battle in the swamps of northern
Indiana, just east of Chicago, that or
November 27 of last year the capture
of the gang was completed by the ar
rest of Neidemeier, Van Dine and
Emil Roeski, their associate, Marx
having already been placed behind
the bars to await trial.
The specific offence for which Van
Dine, Neidemeier and Marx were tried
and sentenced was the murder OF
Frank Stewart, a clerk in the Chicago
City Railway car barns, during rob-
berry there on the morning of August
80, 1908. James B. Johnson, a motor
man, was also killed, and two persons
were wounded. The bandits escaped
after having secured $2,240 ROeSki
was not concerned in this crime, but,
after the conviction of his companions,
was tried separately for one of the
murders in which he was the principal,
convicted and sentenced to life impris-
onment
Apprehension of the trio in Indiana
was brought about through the boast
fulness of Marx, which also caused his
own undoing. While under the in
huence of liquor, he displayed maya
zine revolver of the kind known to
have been used by the car barn MUIR
derers. He asserted that the police
would never take him alive.
This came to the notice of Captain
Schuettler. Detectives Quinn and
Blaul were detailed to arrest Marx.
They found him November 20 in sa-
loon. When about to take him into
custody Marx shot and killed Quinn
and tried to shoot Blaul and escape,
but was wounded and captured.
Several days later Marx, angered at
the failure of his companions to carry
out a prearranged plan to dynamite
the police station in which he was con-
fined and secure his release, confessed
to the murders at the street railway
barn and implicated Neidemeier and
Van Dine. Marx told of other desper-
ate crimes they had committed, and in
volved Roeski. Until this admission,
identity of the perpetrators had re-
mained mystery.
On Thursday evening November 26,
less than week after the confession
of Marx, word was received that three
men, answering the description of the
car barn bandits, were in hiding near
Clark, Indiana. Seven policemen were
Immediately sent to the town, arriving
there Friday morning. They were met
by Henry F. Richards, who had re-
ported the clew, and who had secretly
traced the trio to dugout in the sand
dunes where they were living.
With Richards as a guide, the po-
lice, armed with rifles and revolvers
and led by Detective John H. Sheehan
waited till daybreak and then started
for the snow covered cave near the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad tracks at
Wilson's a short distance fror, Clarl,
Surrounding the abode, the officers
prepared for the fight they expected
would follow, while Sheehan approach
ed and opened the door Of the dugout.
One of the bandits who was immedi-
ately recognized as Roeski appeared
and was ordered to surrender. In
stead he darted back into the cave. No