Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1904-10-27
INTO DEATHS JAWS.
Detectives Met Terrible Fusillade
While Attempting Arrests.
EIGHT MEN -ENPTIED REvOLERS.
In q House In 81. Louis Omiccrs and
Desperadoes Shot with Deadly
Eject, Not One EscapiDg
Death or Injury.

st. Louis, Oct. 22.-In a desperate
battle here between five detectives
and three suspects who they were en-
deavoring to arrest, Detective Shea
was killed and Detectives Dwyer and
triotism cover their real oppressive
McClusky MORALLY wounded, one OF
the suspects was killed and two Others
badly wounded. Detective Dwyer
died soon after being taken to the
hospital.
The fight occurred In the front room
of a house on Pine street, and the
men who the detectives sought to ar
rest are suspected of being implicated
In q train robbery at Centralia, ILL.,, a
few weeks ago. The house had been
under police surveillance for several
days, but yesterday was the first time
that any Of the suspects were seen to
enter or leave. A few minutes before
the fighting occurred Harry Vaughn,
suspect, left the house and started
to walk down Pine street. The de-
tectives closed in on him and after he
had gone some distance from the
house he was arrested. Accompanied
by their prisoner, the detectives re-
turned and entered the house. Shea,
McCluskey and Dwyer were leading;
Boyle and James were behind with
the prisoner. Hardly had the detect
ives entered the room In which sus-
poets Rose and Blair were seated.
when they were met with volley Of
shots from heavy caliber revolvers.
Shea sank to the floor on the first shot
and Dwyer followed almost instantly.
BY that time the detectives had drawn
their revolvers and there was a deafen>
ing exchange of shots for several sec
onds, each man pulling the trigger Of
his weapon as rapidly as possible.
During the excitement Vaughn at
tempted to escape from his captors and
assist Rose and Blair. Boyle and
James, however, dubbed their revolv-
ers and beat their prisoner over the
head until he was unconscious and
then they went to the aid of Shea.
Dwyer and McClusky, the latter hav-
ing In the meantime sank to the floor
with a critical wound in the stomach.
One of the unwolmded detectives.
summoned an ambulance and the
wounded officers and suspects were
taken to the city hospital.
AS soon as word Of the shooting
reached Chief of Detectives Desmond,
he Immediately pressed buggy which
happened to be standing In front OF
headquarters and drove at gallop to
the hospital. There, after brief con-
sultation with his wounded men, he
confined himself to Blair, the wound
ed suspect. Blair made the statement
That he. Rose and others had been
seated In the room when the door was
opened and the detectives entered.
Blair, noting the fact that Detective
Shea had his revolver drawn, pulled
his own gun and emptied 1t into the
faces of the invaders. He shot six
lines without a pause. There were no
and so close were the sus-
poets and detectives that the powder |
from Blair's gun burnt their clothes.
Chief Desmond was greatly affected |
by the death of Shea and the wound
ing of the others. He said the affair
was the most serious in the history
If the department.
Police records show that each of the
hree men had served terms in the
penitentiary at Jefferson
Jity, in Ohio and in other state peni-
entiaries. Morris Is train robber.
With Harry Vaughn he held up a
Pacific freight train at Ne
ada, Mo-, in 1897 and robbed the
conductor and crew. Both admitted
his to Chief Desmond last night.
They also admitted that they had met
lere and were planning several train
ohhoriac fo faka n1ana naYh month |