The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-03
WOMAN HOLDS CAR.
Drives Everybody Away by Firing a
Revolver.

Kansas City, Dec Mrs. Ina
Berry, an insane woman, armed with
a a, revolver, caused the. passengers on
the outbound Meteor" train from
Kansas. City on the st. Louis & San
Francisco railroad last night to va
cate car. The car was detached
from the train at Girard, kan. and
sldetracked, where al noon today the
woman was stiIl successfully defying
officials to arrest her
The train left Kansas City at sos
O'Clock last night. There are conflict
ing reports as to where the woman
boarded the train, one report being
IhaI she got on at Kansas City, and
another at Fort Scott, ninety-nine
miles from Kansas City. About 1870
o'clock, as, the train was approaching
the woman locked herself In the WO-
mans closet. The train stopped at
Ihe depot and I. Q. Sturgeon, night
pollcerlsa at GiRard, was called.
WhiIe the. train porter unlocked the
closeE 0oor sturgeon attempted to en-
ter. AS the door opened the woman
nred her revolver The bullet struck
a button on the overcOat worn by
sturgeon, which DETECTED it from its
course. a second attempt to seize the
woman was made by J. z. Bunnei1,
passenger on the train, assisted by J.
E. Walsh, sheriff of Montgomery
county While Bunnen had his hand
on the door knob the woman pointed
- 4 ~ eAh u AA4A OlSl the lLduEQIll
above the door. She pointed the re
volVer downward from this position
and fired. The bullet made three holes
through Bunnells hat and, striking
his right wrist, made flesh wound.
Bunnell and Walsh then retreated.
Passengers Fled.
The passengers left the car in a panic
and the car was sidetracked The train
left, after a delay of an hour and fifteen
minutes, leaving the woman in full pos
session Of the car. At noon today all
efforts to Gislodge the woman without
doing her injury has proved unavailing.
Detective Monhan, in the employ of the
Frisco, reinforced the other officials on
the scene early this morning
The woman gave warning last night
of her purpose to secrete Herself by
shouting "They are after me. They are
going to murder me. There are a dozen
of them and they want my blood"
The startled passengers in the car
saw the woman flying down the aisle OF
the car. She reached the closet, Slam
med the door shut and those near heard
the snap o., the spring when she locked
tn door. Will inside she screamed con-
tinuously.
After the attempt of BunneH and
Sheriff Walsh to take the woman no
further effort to disturb her was made
until Daylight The woman screamed
almost continuously. Most of the time
her utterances were incoherent. but at
daylight she became more rational.
"They want to kill me" she yelled again
and again. But I'll get five or six of
them before they get me"
Wells from Window.
At one time she gave instructions out
through the window of the car to notify
James Bailey of Tulsa, I. T., that she
had been murdered.
When the woman ran into the closet
she left her valise on the seat she had
been occupying. In the valise were found
five 3S-caliber revolver shells wrapped
in a handkerchief.
While the watchers stood about the
car IA the gray dawn of the early MORN
ing they were startled to see the woman
suddenly appear on the rear platform
of the car. She carried her revolver in
her hand, however, and no effort was
made to take her. Early this morning
A w Parker, city marshal of Girard.
found a gold ring lying at the end of
the car which she had probably taken
off her finger and thrown away. Il had
blood on it. Some time during the night
the woman had broken the one window
in the closet. When the police went
around to the side of the car at daylight
they found that she had taken off her
colset and hung it over the broken win
dow.
The woman had a ticket reading from
washington, D. c.. to Tulsa I. T. A
dispatch from Tulsa says that the wO-
man is not known at that place.