Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-03-01
ATTACK SUPERINTENDENT All
cENTENviLLE AND iNFLIcT
SERIOUS INJURIES.
CONFESS THEIR. GUILT
Roy Roland and Paul st. Clair, Aged
IS and II Years Respectively, Shot
and Nearly Killed Joba Jones to Sc.
cure $1,000.

ahd Nearly Killed Joba Jones to Sc.
cure $1,000.
Centerville, Feb. 90. = Especially -
Like the heroes of the dime novels
which have formed great part of his
reading UP to the present time, Roy
Roland, boy bandit, sat calmly and ap-
parently untroubled through a cross
examination by the county officers
this morning and told Of his
blood.thirsty attack upon Superintend-
ent Joba Jones of the Anchor Coal Co.,
Oh Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, in
the hospital few blocks distant, SUR
geons and nurses with anxious faces
were exerting every power given them
by scientific study and application to
save the life of the stricken superin-
tendent. Mr.. Jones life is still hang
ing as by hair and no one can say
whether he will survive the injury in
fiicted by young Roland.
Waylaid and Shot.
Young Roland, who is Is years old
and his cousin, Paul st. Clair, lad
two years older, were arrested late
Saturday evening on the charge Of hav.
ing attempted to murder Superintend-
ent Jones while the latter was driv-
ing from Centerville to the Shawville
mines, a distance Of less than three
miles. Mr.. Jones is superintendent OF
the mines there and had been to Cen
terville, as was his custom to secure
money with which to pay his employees.
When the man was about half a mile
i,.frcm his destination the Roland boy
lsprang from behind a tree, and into the
sssbGggy, pressed me nitfzzIe of a revol-
yer against the suDarintendent,s back
and fired. Before the 5saa.k6uld sefza'
the little telescope containing the ST.
800 for which he had attempted MUIR
der, the horse Mr.. Jones was driving
took fright at the noise and ran away.
The youthful criminal dropped from
the buggy and made his escape, only
to be captured few hours later and
identified by his stiu conscious victim.
Shooting Excites Miners.
The frightened horse was stopped
at the Shawville offices and the injur.
ed man was taken from his buggy. The
news spread like wild fire among the
miners and within an hour scores Of
the employees. neglecting to discard
their pit clothes for more comfortable
garb, were securing the country for
the would-be assassin Of their superin.
tsndent, who is very popular among
the men. Mr.. Jones had been able to
tell something Of the attack and had
mentioned the name of the Roland boy
who was employed at the mine.
Arrests Made.
Late in the evening officers went to
the farm where young st. Clair lives
with his widowed mother and placed
the boys under arrest. They were taxi
en- to Centerville and Roland was con-
Quoted to the hospital and before Mr..
Jones, who positively identified him as
his assailant of the afternoon.
Shows His Nerve.
| Even then the youthful bandit did
! not quail.
why. the man must be out of his
mind" he told the officers. HE
knows me. worked at his mine. He
wouldn't talk like that IL he was in
his right mind"
l
cept that 1t made the officers the more
determined to prove him guilty. They
required him to tell them all he had
done during the day and he told them
an apparently straight story of quit
| ting work at the mine at 1870 o'clock
going to the st. Clair home and COM
ing to Centerville with the ST. Clair
boy. Here, he said, they became sep-
arated, and went home by different
routes. st. Clair was questioned, told
different story. saying he had NOT
seen Roland until he came to Center
vile and met him, and that they went
home together from this city.
st. Clair confesses.
After much questioning the st.
Clair boy broke down and told the
story Of the shooting. He said Roland
came to his mothers house early in
the afternoon and told him of his in
tentions to waylay the superintendent
when he was nearly to the Shawville
mines, shoot him and take the money
from him. and then make his escape.
He asked the st. Clair boy to help him
1 in the crime and the two went to Gal
leyyille. a mining camp owned by the
Anchor Coal Co.. and located halfway
between Centerville and Shawville.
Hld7in Coal Cars.
Here. the st. Clair boy said, they.
hid in coal cars until they saw Mr..
Jones coming. Then the Roland boy
started down the road toward Shaw
vile and after he had been gone some