The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-23

sAtS No q U060ut III lllS 1thtt0 uQltCe where they were living.
 With Richards 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 and Ohio Railroad tracks at Wilson's a short distance from Clark Surrounding the abode. the officers pie- , pared for the fight they expected would follow. while Sheehan approached and opened the Goor "dugout.' One of the bandits. who was immediately recognized as Roeshi. appeared and was ordered to surrender Instead. he darted back into the cave. No sooner had he done so than firing began, and volley after voliey aimed at the officers. came from the magazine gurs of the bandits.
 Battle With Police.
 Concealing themselves behind trees and bushes as best they could. the police steadily returned the fire.
 In this msnner the fight continued for a short time. Suddenly two of the out laws jumped from the cave and escaped across the frozen prairie. keeping up . fL silade as they ran.
 Detective Driscoll advanced to the ''dugout" and was firing at the fleeing when Neidemeier-the police tiOuGHt IHcTe nau Deen put TWO III tIe hollow-emerged. fatally. shot him In the back and joined his companions. while the other policemen were still en- gazing the outlaws. moment later De- tective Trimmer fell, 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. de- cided to give up the fight temporarily, and send to Chicago for endorsements The bandits continued their flight.
 A special train with fifty policemen armed with rifles was rushed to the scene. and the hunt renewed.
 Fought to the Last.
 Although escape was now impossible, the men showed no signs of submission They had not halted since firing their last volley, and arrived at Tolliston ex- hausted but still determined to avoid capture.
 On g side track at Toliiston. where sec ton men were working, stood an engine and a train of cars Then followed the execution of a quickly formed plan to seize the train and escape The three outlaws jumped into the cab and con fronted Fireman Frank Coffey, the en- gIneer being away at the time. At first Ccffey did not notice that they were oNdhcAAAnH oOSld NOW~ ever and crawled over the tender evil dently to warn him. Sovia attempted to take the revolver from Neidemeier while the other two bandits pointed their re- volvers at Coffey. The scuffle was short and Sovia pitched headforemost out of the cab with a bullet In his brain, dying almost instantly.
 With their guns still pointed at Golf feys head the trio ordered him hastily to take the train out of the siding, and 1: started on a wild run to Liverpool.
 Armed Farmers on Scene.
 In the woods short distance away were number of armed farmers, who. having heard of the escapade and escape. of the outlaws. had started to intercept them The posse reached Tolliston about 4oons tstat as the teair passed They rushed aeross the prairie to a point where the road curves and where there was a locked switch. Compelling Fireman cOfEey to stop. Ass
 The posse opened fire as the train stopped. and the trio fled to a cornfield, exchanging shots as they ran. Charges from the guns of the farmers, under the leadership of Charles Hamilton, struck Eeidermeier and Van Dine. but did not seriously wound either. The bandits, who had now made their last stand. were not
  their pursuers.
 Knowing they were surrounded and that further resistance would be useless, the criminals some minutes later decided to surrender, Neidermeier. the leader of the gang, who Marx had said never would be taken alive. being the first to do so A few minutes afterwards Van Dine aban- dcned the fight.
 The Flight of Roeslxi.
 While Van Dine and Neidermeier were giving themselves up. Roeski fled to the woods beyond Liverpool. The posse found him later in a railroad station at Aetna, waiting for train to Chicago. He made no resistance was. disarned, and brought to the city with the other two bandits.
 Detective Driscoll, who was shot by Neidermeier, died four days later
 While in jail Neidermeier smilingly boasted of having killed twenty-three men. Marx asserted that he had mur- dered five. Investigation proved the state ments to be untrue. It developed that these ''confessions'' had been made to obtain notoriety. or for as a small con- sideration as a chew of tobacco. Of the eight known victims of the bandits, four are thought to have been killed by Neil dermeier alone. 2 On January the trial of NeidermeIer, Van Dine and Marx. who had been in- dicted the day after the capture, began But little testimony favorable to them was offered. No defence at all was made for Neidermeier. 70 Van Dine's Epilepsy. Tn the case of Van Dine evidence was l to show that he had been since | birth afflicted with a form of epilepsy | which had made him irresponsible at | lines. The State introduced expert tes- 1 .imony to the effect that Van Dine was l mentally responsible when he took part | 7 the deliberately planned crimes. A plea for clemency for Marx on the | ground that his confession had led to the | capture of his companions. The case went to the jury March il, and l the next day Marx. Neidermeier and Van | Dine were found guilty. Hanging was | the punishment fixed by the jury.
 The aged mothers of Marx, Neider- meier 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 number 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 | were known to have murdered:
 List of Victims.
 Otto Bauder, in saloon of Ernest Spires, 1 July g, 1908
 Benjamin c. LaGross, in his saloon, August 1.
 Adolph Johnson, in saloon of Benjamin 2. LaGross. August 1.
 J. B. Johnson. motorman in robbery of Chicago City Railway car barns, Au- gust %.
 Frank Stewart. clerk. in robbery of