The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-22
STORY OF THEIR CRIME.
Eight Murders Were Committed With
in Period of Six Months.


Eight Murders We're Committed With
in Period of Six Months.
Hanging of the youthful car barn
bandits followed closely PERIOD OF
crime OF less than six months. In
that time eight murders were COM
mitted, all attendant upon robberies
or efforts to escape arrest
It was during an attempt to escape
on a stolen train after an extraordtn-
ary battle in the swamDs of northern
Indiana. just east OF chicago, that on
November 27 of last year the capt
ure of the gang was completed by the
arrest of Neidermei Van Dine and
Emil RoeslSi. their associate. Marx,
having already been placed behind
the bars to await trial
The specific offence for which Van
Dine, Neidermeier and Marx We're
tried and sentenced was the murder
of Frank Stewart. a clerk in the Chi
cago City Railway car barns, during
a robbery there on the morning Of
/ August 80, 1903. James B. Johnson.
a motormans was also killed and two
/ persons were wounded The bandits
/ escaped after having secured $Zs24O.
/ Roesld was not concerned in this
/ crime but, after the conviction of his
/ companfons was tried separately for
/ one of the murders in which ne was
/ convicted and sentenced to life i'm
1 prisonment
! Apprehension of the trio in Indiana
/ was brought about through the boast
/
his own undoing- While under the in
/ fluence of liquor he displayed a. mag
/ azine revolver of the kind known to
have been used by the car barn
/ murderers. He asserted that the po-
/ ice would never take him alive.
This came to the notice of Capt
/ Schuettler. Detectives Quinn and
! Blaul were detailed to arrest Marx
/ They found him November 20 in a 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 dyna-
4 mite the police station in which he
was confined and secure his release.
/ confessed to the murders at the street
! railway barn and implicated Neider-
4 meier and Van Dine. Marx told of
/ other desperate crimes they had COM
1 mftted, and involved Roesl1i. arUmtil
this admission, identity of the perpa-
/ traitors had remained a mystery.
On Thursday evening, November %,
/ less than a week after the confession
/ of Marx. word was received that three
men. answering the descriptions of
the car barn bandits. were in hiding
near Clark. Indiana Seven police
men were Immediately sent to the
! town, arriving there Friday morning.
! They We're met by Henry F. Richards.
| who had reported the clew, and who
! had secretly traced the trio to a dug
/ out" in the sand dunes where they
were living
1 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
1 Baltimore & Ohio railroad tracks at
| Wilson's, a short distance from Clark.
Surrounding the abode, the officers
prepared for the fight they expected
would follow, while Sheehan approach
ed and opened the door Of
bands who was Immediately
recognized as Roesld appeared and was
ordered to surrender. Instead, he dart
ed back into the cave. No sooner had
he done so than firing began. and vol
! ley after volley aimed at the officers.
came from the magazine guns of the
/ bandits.
/ Concealing themselves behind trees
and bushes as best they could, the po-
lice steadily returned the fire.
In this manner the fight continued for
short time, Suddenly two of the out
laws jumped from the cave and escap-
ed across the frozen prairie, keeping
UP a fusillade as they ran.
Detective Driscoll advanced to the
| -dugout' and was firing at the fleeing
| Idesperadoes, when Neidermeier-the po-
lice thought there had been but two
in the hoIlow-emerged fatally shot
him in the back and Joined his COM
panions, while the other policemen
were still engaging the outlaws. A
I moment later Detective thinner Tell,
was seriously wounded, but neither side
yielded Some minutes later, however,
the police. being obliged to care for the
two wounded detectives, and finding
their fire falling short, decided to give
up the fight temporarily, and send to
Chicago for reinforcements- The ban
dts continued their flight.
! A special train with fifty policemen
armed with rifles was rushed to the
scene and the hunt renewed.
Although escape was now impossi-
mission They had not halted since
firing their last volley, and arrived at
lTolliston exhausted but still deter
mined to avoid capture
On a Sidetrack at TOllistOn, where
section men were working, stood an
engine and a train of cars. Then fol-
lowed the execution Of a quickly form
ed plan to seize the train and escape
The three outlaws jumped into the cab
; and confronted Fireman Frank Cof-
fey, the engineer being away at the
time. At first Coffey did not notice
that they were armed. Brakeman john
SOvia did, however. and crawled over
the tender evidently to warn him.
Sovia attempted TO take the revolver
from Neiderneier while the other two
bandits pointed their revolvers at COT
fey. The scuffle was short and Sovia
pitched headforemost out Of the cat
with a bullet in his brain, dying al
most instantly
feys head the trio ordered him hastily
to take the train out of the siding, anc
it started on a wild run to Liverpool
In the woods. a short distance away
were a mum Der of armed farmers, who
having heard of the escapade ans
escape of the outlaws, had started tC
l intercept them. The posse reached
ToIliston about noon, just as the trair
passed. They rushed across the prairie
to a point where the road curves anc
where there was a locked switch com
pelling Fireman Coffey to stop