Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1909-10-29
Accused Men Vince as Juveniles Tell
Their straightforward Stories.
BOYS STATEMENTS UNsHAKEN
Stories of Eventful Night Agree in
Every Detail Of the Occurrences.
FEDERAL CASE STRENGTHENED
witnesses Tell of Arrest of Woods,
TorEenson and GrIEware at the
Robbers Den and of Escape
of Fourth Man.
The mills Of the gods grind slowly.
Rlt IhpV nrind eXcnnnInn fine

The mills Of the gods grind slowly.
But they grind exceeding fine,
Never has this aphorism been more com
pletely proven than In the trial Of the al
legged bandits now being conducted In the
United States district court in Omaha, who
nave life sentences facing them for robbing
the Overland Limited train on the Union
Pacific should they be convicted Of the
crime charged against them.
Slowly, but reentlessly, the government
is weaving a net about the five men from
which there seems to be but little possibll-
ity of escape The accused men seem to re-
alize this themselves and watch with keen
interest every item of evidence against
them, winciug now and then when the un-
shaken testimony OF the school children of
Brown Park school forges more securely
the links in the chain OF evidence.
The testimony of Thursday afternoon was
even stronger than that OF the morning
and cross-examinatons seemed only to
| strengthen direct testimony
Graphic story of Arrests.
The gist Of the evidence of the afternoon
was the story OF the arrest OF Woods,
Torgenson and Grigware at the Brown
Park school house, and the positive assur-
ance that fourth, and probably fifth,
man was, was engaged in the search for
| the arms, masks and other equipment
which the bandits had hidden In the hol-
low near the school house. Their plunder,
however, was discovered several hours
earlier by schoolbOys,
! Frank Kudrna was recalled at the open
ing of the afternoon session OF court and
told Of seeing four men prowlng about
the school house searching in the hollow
for their plunder II was he who gave
the first intelligence of Woods coming to
l,ssa La NFlI
of the arrest of Woods at II o'clock that
night, and of the subsequent apprehension
Of Grgware and Torgenson Kudrna and
John Beek another youth, held guard over
Woods at, The school house until Officer
/ Furnquest eame.td the rescue.1s,il-
Little ChiIdren on Guard.
Four little children who kept all-night
watch with these young men were equally
alert, and it was through them that Grig-
ware (Gordon) ana Torgenson were trapped
and taken into custody by South Omaha
police. Then the courageous little fellows
kept up the slecpless watch until o'clock
the next morning for the fourth man, but
he had escaped.
! Other witnesses Of the afternoon were
John Swobodka, 10 years old, who found
revelvore and handkerchief fun of cart
ridges near the point whea the other
weapons and flashight had been found.
Joseph Tesnohildek, l5 years old, told Of
seeing three strange men walking up the
gully near the school houss and noticed the
leading one CWoods), moving ong in
STOPPING position, beckoning to the others.
whom he recognized as Woods, TorgensCn
and Grigware.
John Belek, 10 years old, corrCborat I'd
the testimony of Frank Kudrna in every
particular He saw four men and identl-
fled three OF them as Woods, TorGenson
and Grlgware.
James Belek saw four men AMI Witnessed
the arrest of three and saw the fourth
man ESCAPE and disappear toward Abi ight.
He recognized Woods, Torgenson and Grig-
ware in the court room the three men
arrested
Important Testimony Given.
Anton Kubat, II years old, gave an inn
portant bit Of testimony In sitting that
he saw Woods, TorgeEson, Grigware and
Shelton and fifth man passing through
a small park near the river sunday after
noon, the day following the robbery. His
attention was called 10 the five strange
men by Harry Carter, one Of his con-
panions.
In cross examination young K ibat said
that he recognized the five men and was
positive in his Identification )f Grigware
Shelton, Woods and T)"gsnSon. lie was
not asked to identify or describe the fifth
man.
There was a perceptible fluttering Of in
terest when the name Of Stanley Per.na,
the firstgof the Brown Park school boys
was called. He gave his age as II years.
He was first asked If he knew the penalty
Of any untruth told under oath
Eyes, I will go TO JAIL" he replied.
|, He told OF playing in the hollow near
the school house about noon OF the 26th OF
May and finding a brown strap protruding
, from under a telephone pole lying in the
. hollow, and, in pulling it out found it to
be attached TO a bundle, the wrapping Of
which was a blue handkerchief and slouch
hat, and on examining the bundle found It
to contain an automatic pistol with =
number Of cartridges, loose and in metal
magazines Young John Krolik wac with
him. Both were schoolmates, and they In
formed their teacher Miss Hays Of their
, find He identified the pistol, cartridges
and hat shown as government exhibits as
the same that he had found.
Describes Woods as the Man.
Under a redirect examination ne was
asked II he had seen any one about the
school house later in the evening. lie re.
piled that he had seen four men there. one
Of whom lie described as Woods. and
| whom he had previously identified in the
, preliminary hearing before United states
Commissioner Anderson In June.
His further Identification OF he four
, men win be left until a later stage in the
, trial.
John KroIik aged p years. another uf
the school boys, was with Perina when he
! first find was made and eorroborated MIN
IN every detail
Krollk was one OF the six boys who
camped that night on the rear porch OF the