Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-04-23
wards Van Dine abandoned the fight.
Roeski,s Escape and Capture.

were giving themselves up, Roeski fed
| to the woods beyond Liverpool. The
posse found him later in railroad sta
| ton at Aetna. waiting for train to
| Chicago. He made no resistance,was
| disarmed and brought to the city with
the two other bandits.
Detective Driscoll, who was shot by
Neidermier, died four days later.
Neidermier Boasts of Crimes.
| While in Jail Neidermier smiling
boasted of having killed twenty-three
men. Marx asserted that he had muir
dered five. Investigation proved that
the statements were untrue. 1t de
veloped that these Confessions" had
been made to obtain notoriety, or for
as small consideration as. chew OF
tobacco. OF the eight known victims
of the bandits. four are thought to
have been killed by Neidermier alone
Trial and Conviction.
On January 6. the trial of Niedermi.
indicted the day after the capture, be-
gan. But little testimony favorable
to them was offered No defense at all
was made for Neidermier.
In the case of Van Dine evidence
was introduced to show that he had
been since birth afflicted with a form
of epilepsy, which had made him ire
sponsible. The state introduced ex-
pert testimony to the effect that Van
Dine was mentally responsible when
he took part in the deliberately plan
ned crimes
A plea for clemency was made for
Marx on the ground that his confess
sion had led to the capture of his COM
panions.
The case went to the jury March II,
and the next day Marx, Neidermier
and Van Dine were found guilty.
the jury.
The aged mothers. of Marx, Neider-
mier and Van Dine were in court dur
ing the progress of the trial as were
the widows of some of the men who
had been slain, and there were a num-
Der Of Impressive incidents connected
with the hearing of the case. None
of the bandits had yet reached the age
of twenty-five years.
Following are the names of persons
they are known to have murdered:
Bauder. Otto, in saloon of Ernest
Spires, July 8. 1903.
LaGross. Benjamin c., in his saloon
August 1.
Johnson, Adolph, in saloon of Benja-
min LaGless, August 1.
Johnson, j. B.. motorman, in robbery
of Chicago City Railway car barns
August 80.
Stewart, Frank, clerk, in robbery of
Chicago City Railway barns, August
80.
Quinn, John, detective, while trying
to arrest Marx. November Il.
Driscoll J. D., detective, wounded by
Neidermier in fight at "dugout' No.
vember 81, died December /.
Sovia. John, brakeman, when ban.
dts stole train in Indiana, November
~.
Neidermier Attempts Suicide.
A few days ago Neidermier made
two attempts to commit suicide, while
under guard in the Cook county Jail
and hospital. His life was saved al.
though he ate the heads of 100 sulphur
matches and cut an artery in his arm
in an attempt to cheat the gallows. He
had sworn that he would not die by
the hangman's moose and came near to
making good his oath. His execution
today however. came in time to pre-
vent his death by his own hand
Hopes Lost Yesterday.
Yesterday was filled with sensation
al incidents. First came the story that
Judge Kersten had been threatened
and that he would be shot by some
ally of the bandits.
Mrs. Van Dimes Efforts Vain.
Then came an attempt to save the
corpus was asked and denied. And all
the while Mrs. Van Dine was making a
futile effort to locate Governor Yates
and have him intercede for her son.
"If l could only have five minutes
with the governor" walled the woman
81 could save my boy, for a time, al
! least"
But it was not to be, and when she
returned to Chicago it was with the
knowledge that she would have no sor
when another day had passed.
Wanted Nedermier to Live.
Attorneys Short and Horgan went tc
the rescue of Niedermier. They were
not particularly interested in the ban
1 dit, but they were the attorneys fol
Sammons, Lynch and Reilly, also con
victed OF murder, and Niedermier once
4 confessed that the three men were be
i ing punished for a crime that he com
!, mitted. Sammons and Lynch have
been condemned to death and Reilly tt
life Imprisonment for the murder O
/ Saloon-Keeper Barrett. The attorney:
were anxious to secure a stay unit
their clients could secure new trial
They expected to prove that Nieder
mier, not their clients, was guilty. TIL,
attorneys applied for writ in Judg'
Clifford's court. The judge declined
to hear the argument. Then the at
torneys notified the states attorne,
that they would attempt to secure tn
writ in another court. So far the,
4 have been unsuccessful. Then the,
tried the plan of securing confession
from Niedermier. Their efforts wer,
blocked
l $1oC-Dr. e. Detchon's Afiti-Diureti
may be worth to you more than $40
If you have a child who soils beddin
from ;ncOntinence of water dllrin