The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1911-11-27
Refused Free Ride Bleaake Pulls
Gun and Fires, Bullet Striking
Timberman.
DESPERATE SHOT IN ANKLE
Had Taken to Woods and When Lo.
Gated By Pursuers Attempted to
Pull Revolver.

Special Deputy Sheriff Fred BufS-
ley returned yesterday from Spooner
in charge of Emil Kloza, partner of
John Bleaake, who, because he and
his companion, were denied a free
ride on a Canadian Pacific, began
shooting at the conductor, wounding
Joseph Meloney,ska passenger and la
ter being shot himself after having
been wounded by men in pursuit.
Kloza was sent up for 40 days on a
charge of drunkenness, the heavy
sentence being imposed by the Spoon
er justice that he might be on hand
as a witness in the shooting case.
Deputy Sheriff Bursley landed him in
Jail here yesterday.
Worked in Parker's Camps.
Both Kloza and Bleaake were en-
ployes at Mayor Parker's camps in
the GracetOn region.
The Baudette Region gives a
graphic account of how the trouble
happened and what the results were.
The Baudette Region says:
Angus Macdonald, conductor of the
train, gives graphic account of the
occurrence. He characterizes Bleaake
and his companion as the most cow
ardly men he has ever met.
Conductor Tell His Story.
"My attention was directed to the
man." said Macdonald, "by hearing
an alteration between Bleaake and
the train auditor. I saw Bleaake at
tempt to shoot the auditor but his
gun missed fire. I then approached
the man and asked him to put the
plaything away, but instead of COM
plying he faced me with his revolver
cooked in his left hand and with his
right hand struck me a blow on the
mouth, knocking out an eye tooth
and inflicting this deep flesh wound
on the lip I ignored the assault and
kept my attention fixed on the mans
finger on the trigger, and as soon as
I saw that move l ducked to one side
clutching the emergency commune
cation as I fell. The bullet flew up
ward and was embedded in the wood.
word of the car.
Again Shoots on Train.
"The train, which had then ar
rived at Graceton, stopped and the
lumberjack alighted before he coulC
be prevented, but when the train
again started he got on board an6
again started to make trouble
Though defenceless I remained calm
which seemed to aggravate the fel
low and ne fired at me again. OBJ
serving the trigger as before,
lodged, but in doing so I uninten'
tionally exposed Meloney, who wa:
standing Immediately behind me, anG
he received the bullet. Owing to hi.
being the only one armed the lum
berjack kept us all at bay until Pit
was reached when he hurriedly
alighted and fed into the cover O.
trees.''
Lying on the ground with shat
tered ankle, Bleaake surrendered t.
a man-hunting party composed o
residents of Pitt within an hour af
ter the shooting. After leaving tn
train he ran through the streets o
. Pitt and he disappeared in strip o
woods. The residents of the villag
armed with rifles and headed by Con
stable Robert Ferrier and Jack Orig
non, were soon in hot pursuit. The.
caught up with him within a quartz
of an hour on the station platform
he having circled the woods an
come back. A demand was made o.
him to throw up his hands. H
raised one hand but reached for hi
revolver with the other. Grignon'
rifle spoke first however, and Bleak
fell to the ground with a bnlle
through his ankle. The injury tool
all the fight out of him, and he sur
rendered without further resistance
If he had shown fight he would un
doubtedly have been killed, and mem
bers of the party who were hunting
him might have also met a simila
fate. The first shot was fired low il
the hope of capturing him alive, bu
no further chances would have beel