The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-04-27
They Paid the Penalty.

young men were deprived Of their
lives by due process Of law because OF
their many crimes. Never before
possibly have so many desperate
crimes been crowded into so short
time as was the case Of Harvey Van
Dine, Peter Niedemeier: Gustav
Marx, the three young men alluded to
above. These young men committed
all their crimes within a period Of
about five months, with the exception
Of small ofenses Of larceny. In that
time they killed seven men, wounded
several Others, robbed dozen saloons,
railroad ticket office, the Chicago
car barns, and attempted to dynamite
a train. Five of the murders were
committed within two months. Emil
Roeski was member Of the band,
but he secured a separate trial from
the other three, and is now confined
in the Chicago jail, where bis three
partners were hung on Friday.
So far as is told by police reports
and the confessions Of the men, the
first crime Of note committed by them
was the robbery Of the Clybourn juno,
tion station Of the Northwestern rail
way July last. Niedermier and Roe
ski carried out this robbery. The
ticket agent and telegraph operator
were in the station when the men
pointed revolver through the lattice
work and demanded the money In the
drawer. The ticket agent reached
for a revolver and was shot through
the body, but not mortally hurt. The
robbers secured SO. Loss than a
week letter Van Dine, Roeski and
Marx robbed a saloon in Ashland
avenue, lining up the customers be-
fore the bar and shooting and killing
a young man named Otto Bauder who
started to run. The following night,
July 10, Van Dine and Roeski went
to saloon in Addison avenue. L2u:s
CoheD, the bartender, was alone,
and the men had little trouble in
securing s25. 1t was in this saloon
that Marx later shot detective John
Quinn. Two nights later Van Dine
and Roeski held up the saloon OF
Charles Alvin. There were FIVE men
besides the bartender in tie place
when the youths entered with hard
kerchief over their faces. One hun
dred dollars was taken from the cash
register.
Roeski and Van Dine on July 20,
found Peter Cork alone in his saloon
in milwaukee avenue. When con-
fronted by the robbers the saloon
keeper crouched behind the bar anc
reached for revolver. Before be
could secure it four shots had been
fired at him, one Of the bullets strik-
ing him in the head. The murder
Of Benjamin c. LaGross and Adolph
Jensen on Aug. l in the formers
saloon in West North avenue came
next. The Saloon-keeper anG Jensen
were playing cards when the robbers
entered. LaCross and bis customer
held up their hands when ordered to
do so, but both were shot LaCross
dying at once and Jensen day later.
There was s64 in the till.
The most desperate crime Of the
youths was the car barn robbery on
Aug. 80. Marx and Roeski arranged
the details, but Roeski was not an ac-
tive party in the robbery. Two men
were killed and $3.50 was taken.
Marx, Van Dine and Niedermeier in
vaded the barn at 3 o'clock in the
morning and began shooting without
warning. Francis W. Stewart, a stu
dent at the Armour Institute, at work
at a desk in the cashiers Office was
shot through the body and died soon
afterward. William B. Edmond re
ceiving cashier, also was shot, but not
mortally. James B. Johnson, a motor
man, was killed as be rose from a
bench on which be had been sleeping.
The men made failure Of their
plan for dynamiting the limited train
of the Chicago and Northwestern rail
way. After the car barn murders two
Of the gang went to cripple Creek to
buy dynamite for the purpose. Van
Dine learned when large sum Of
money was to be carried, and on that
night Roeski tagged the train be-
tween Jefferson and Des PLANES. The
engineer did not stop, but slowed up,
AS the locomotive passed RoeSki fred
shot, the bullet wounding the fire.
man in the thigh. When the train
was brought to a stop it had passed
the point where the dynamite had
been concealed and the robbers hur-
ried away. Soon after this the police
became bot on the trial Of the young
bandits.
In an attempted capture Detective
Quinn was shot and killed by Marx.
The desperadoes then fed from the
city and a few days later were brought
to bay in dugout just across the
Indiana state line. A desperate en-
counter followed in which the youths
were slightly wounded and two Of the
pursuing posse killed. Their trial, con-
viction. and execution has set new
record for speed in the Cook county
courts. The total cost Of the trial is
estimated at 100000, the most ex-
pensive, with the exception of the
EsLuetgert trial, ever held in Chicago.
Nit dermeier was hanged first. He
fought desperately against the guards
and had to be shackled before be could
be banged. The others did net give
nuch trouble. Neidemeler, when asked
if be had any dying wish said: Let
me swing so can get to hell first and
kick that souealer Marx in the face
when he gets three" :" In the trial
Marx confessed the whole thing, and
that is why Neidemeier wanted to
kick him in the face. Tue parents OF
these young men had tried to bring
them up right, but they wandered
away, and finally ended their young
lives on the gallows. No doubt they
started their downward career at the
gaming table. The fate Of these young
men should be warning to all young