Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-04-23
DEATH ON THE sCAFFoLD FOR
MURDEROUS "AUTOMATlC TRlO''
CONTINUED From Page l.,

tCOntlnQGQ from rage l.)
80, 1903 James B. Johnson, 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 accused as
principal He was convicted and sen
fenced to life Imprisonment.
Marx Causes undoing.
Apprehension of the trio in Indiana
was brought about through the boast
fitness of Marx, which also caused his
own undoing. While under the in
fluence of liquor he displayed a maya
zine revolver of the kind known tc
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 tired to shoot Blaul and escape,
but was wounded and captured.
duplicates His pals"
Several days later Marx, angered at
the failure of his companions to carry
out prearranged plan to dynamite the
police station in which he was con-
fined and secure his release, confess
ed to the murders at the street railway
barn and implicated Neidermier 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.
Located in Indiana.
On Thursday evening November &c,
less than week after the confession
of Marx, word was received that three
men, answering to the descriptions OF
the car barn bandits were in hiding
near Clark, Indiana. Seven policemen
were Immediately sent to the town, ar
irving there Friday morning. They
were met by Henry R. Riechers. who
had reported the clew and who had Sc
cretly traced the trio to "dugout" in
the sand dunes where they were liv-
ing.
With Riechers as a guide the police,
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 short distance from Clark.
Surrounding the abode, the officers
fnr fubf thnv
would follow, while Sheehan approach
ed and opened the door of the dug
out" One of the bandits who was i'm
mediately recognized as Roeski appear
ed and was ordered to surrender. In
stead, he darted back into the cave.
No sooner had he done SO than firing
began and yolley after volley aimed
at the officers came from the maya
zine guns of the bandits.
Concealing themselves behind trees
and bushes as best they could, the pc.
Lie Lee steadily returned the fire.
In this manner the fight continued
for short time. Suddenly two of the
outlaws jumped from the cave and es-
capped across the frozen prairie, keep
ing up fusillade as they ran.
t Death of Detective Drlscoll.
Detective Driscoll advanced to the
"dugout" and was firing at the fleeing
desperadoes, when Niedermier = the
police thought there had been but two
in the hollow = emerged, fatally shot
him in the back and joined his COM
panions, while the other policemen
were still engaging the outlaws A
moment later Detective thinner fell,
seriously wounded but neither side
yielded. Some minutes later, however,
the police being obliged to care for
the two wounded detectives, and find
ing their fire falling short, decided to
give up the fight temporarily and send
to Chicago for reinforcements The
bandits 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
bic. the men showed no signs of sub
mission They had not halted since
firing their last volley and arrived al
Tolliston exhausted but still determin
ed to avoid capture.
Brakeman sovia Murdered.
On side track at Tolliston, where
section men were working, stood al
engine and 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 thu
cab and confronted Fireman Franl
Coffey, the engineer being away at thu
time. At first Coffey did not notice
that they were armed. Brakeman Johl
Sovia did however. and crawled owe
the tender evidently to warn him. So
via attempted to take the revolve
from Nedermier while the other twt
bandits pointed their revolvers at Col
fey. The scuffle was short and Sovit
pitched headforemost out Of the cal
with a bullet in his brain, dying almos
instantly.
With their guns still pointed at Cot
fey's head, the trio ordered him hasti
ly to take the train out of the sidn,
and it started on wild run to Liver
pool.
Posse of Farmers Stops Flight.
In the woods a short distance ava,
were a number of armed farmers, VIII,
having heard of the escapade and es
cape of the outlaws, had started to In
farcant them Tho DpSSo ron oboG rro1