Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-04
FOOTPADS KILL TWO
Paymaster and Driver Shot to
Death on Road.
HIGHWAYMEN GET $1,000
Make Their Escape After Hold Up
and Police Are Mystifed.
PROBABLY FIVE IN PARTY
Employe of Brick Company Had Just
Drawn Money From New
burg, N. r, Bank.

HUDSON, n. Y, September 3.-Masked
men sprang out OF the bushes along
side a lonely lane this afternoon. held
UP Dent Fowler, paymaster Of the Atlas
Brick Company, and his negro driver,
shot the driver dead. wounded Fowler
mortally and made off with a chest of
pay envelopes containing $1,000. George
Ragsdale, the driver. died instantly. half
of the side of his head being torn away
by two .44-caliber revolver bullets. He
was sixty years old and a trusted en-
ploye. Fowler was wounded over the
heart, and died without ever regaining
full consciousness. He was twenty-one
years old and son of Everett Fowler of
Haverstraw, n. Y. The robbers es-
capped.
Saturday is pay day at the yards of
the Atlas Brick Company. and. accord
ing to custom, young Fowler called at
Newburg bank for his pay money,
sorted il out into the proper amounts.
ticketed the envelopes and took tran
to this town. where he was met at the
station and started TO drive oack 10 the
yards, half a mile out of this town, on
the banks of the Hudson river. He
went armed, as paymasters do, and for
further protection took with him Rags
dale, who was stable boss at the yards.
IL was raining, and they rode with the
buggy top up, the boot we'll raised in
front, and their heads far back in the
hood. That made it easy for the robbers.
Particulars Not Known.
Just what happened when the hold-up
came will never be known until the
murderers are caught and confess. Fowler
died before he could mutter more than a
few unintelligible words. 1t could be
seen that he was struggling to aid the
police. but his vitality was fast ebbing
on a tide of internal hemorrhages and he
sank into final unconsciousness without
making himself understood
Although the shooting was done within
500 yards of the state firemen's home and
within sight of the yards themselves, il
was neither seen nor heard. The police
have to piece together a theory of the
crime from bullet holes and footprints.
Five shots were fired. Two of them tore
away the side of Ragsdale's head. A
third struck the paymaster above the
heart The fourth and - fifth passed
From the size OF the holes II would APP
pear thft the robbers used regulation
army .44-caliber reyolvers. From the
footprints. there seem to have been 1--WE
In the band.
Grabbed Horses Bride.
The hoId-up and the shooting must have
followed each other almost with the rap
idity of the shots themselves. 1t is
known that somebody grabbed the horses
bride. II demand for the paymasters
box was made. he. never had time to re-
fuse or comply. There is no evidence
that he attempted to defend himself. His
revolver Is still clean. Huddled in the
buggy top. muflled in the boot, he must
have been shot down like a trapped ami
NAL.
From this unreasoning haste the police
deduce that the robbers were desperately
II was thought at first that
they might have been laborers at the
brick yards. but the supposition is not
verified and the police incline TO believe
II professional job. The robbers car
fied with them the small pay chest. 1t
has not been recovered and may have
been weighted down and thrown into the
river.
Five sets of tracks led northward from
the scene of the murder. At short dis
tance from the roadside New York Cen
trail railroad detectives and the Hudson
police found where the trails separated,
but they have no other clue and no de-
scription.
1t was variously reported here this
afternoon that the murderers got $4,000
and $500. but advices from Newburg,
where the money was drawn, place the
at 5000.