Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-09-04
THUGS ESCAPE WITH
$4,000 IN ENVSL0PES
While Official Of Company and Negro
Empioye Are Driving Along Lonely
Death in Their Buggy and Make OF
With the Cash Chest.
tBy Associated Press.)

tBy Associated Press.D
HUDSON, n. Y. Sept. 3.-Masked
men sprang out of the bushes along
side lonely lane this afternoon, held
up Dent FOw r. paymaster of the Az
las BIG. Company and his negro
driver. shot the driver dead, wounded
Fowler MORALLY, and made of with a
chest OF pay envelopes containing
s. 900.
George Ragsdale. the driver. died In
stantly; half OF the side Cf his head
was torn away by a 4i-caiibre revolt
yer bullet. He was 60 years old and
trusted employe. Fowler was
wounded over the heart and died
without ever regaining full conscious-
ness. He was 81 years old. and a scn
of Everett Fowler, OF Hayerstraw. n.
Y. a.
The robbers escaped.
Starts With His Money.
Saturday is pay day at tne yards or
the Atlas Brick Company and, accord
ing to custom. young Fowler called at
NewbuEg bank for his pay money,
sorted IL out into the proper amounts
ticketed the envelopes and took a
train 70 this town where he was met
at the station and started to drive 10
the yards. half q mile distant On me
banks of the Hudson river.
He went armed as paymasters 90
and for further protection, took win
him Ragsdale. who was stable boss at
the yard.
Easy Work for Robbers.
1t was raining and they rode with
the buggy top up, the boot well raised
in front and their heads far back IN
the hood That made it easy Tor the
robbers. Just what happened wneQ
the hold-up came will never be known
until the murderers are caught ana
confess. Fowler died before he could
mutter more than few uninteliigibie
words. Although the shooting was
done within three hundred yards OF
the state Firemens Home. and within
sight of the yards themselves, 1t was
neither seen nor heard.
The police have to piece together
theory of the crime from bullet holes
and foot prints. Five shois were hrec.
Two of them tore away the side OF
Ragsd=le's head. A third struck the
pavmaster above the heart. The
fourth and fifth passed through the
back of the raised buggy top. From
the size OF the holes IL would appear
that the robbers used regulation army
l4-caiibre reviewers. From the foot
prints. there seem to have been hve
in the band.
Shot Like Trapped Animal
The holdup and the shooting must
have followed each other almost win
the rapidity of the shots themselves.
II can oe seen that somebody grad
bed the horses bride. IL demand
for the paymaster's box was made, ne
never had time to refuse or comply
There Is no evidence that he attempt
cd 10 defend himself. HIS rvolver IS
still! clean. Huddled in the buggy TOP
mnf,ed in the boot, he must nave
been shot down like a trapped animal
From this unreasoning haste the
police deduce that the robbers were
desperately terrified The police IN
cline to believe the holdup 10 have
been a professional job- The robbers
carried with them the small pay chest
II has not beer recovered end may
have been weighted down end thrown
into the river
Five sets OF tracks led nortnSarc
from he scene of ;he murder. AT
shorf distance from the foadside. New
York Central Railroad detectives ana
the Hudson police found where the
trails separated. but they have no ON
or clue and no description.
Il was variousiy reported here th's
afternoon that The murderers got sis.-
600 snd $500. but advices from Nee-
burg. where the money vas drs~n'
place the amount a; 5000