Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-11
GETS A SEVERE BEATING
Wounds One Man, However, and
Hides Valuable Packages.
INJURED OUTLAW CAPTURED
Others Escape and Posse Is Search
ing for Them in Hills
of Arkansas.

FORT SMITH, Ark, October 11.-Four
, bandits bungled the hold-up of a north
bound Kansas City Southern passenger
| train between Hatfield and Mena, Ark.
early today. One was wounded and cap
! tured and the outlaws escaped after a
| battle with Express Messenger Merrill
! Burgett of Kansas City. Mo-. in which
| Burgett exhausted his ammunition and
was badly beaten. Burgett shot the
| robber, who was discovered an hour later.
after his companions had deserted him.
The robber is being conveyed to Mena.
| The wounded robber. who is unidentified.
| received a charge of shot in the left
! breast near the heart. Probably he will
| die
Fifty or more in an armed posse are
pursuing the bandits. Burkett is in a
| hospital at Mena. He will recover.
| The train, known as No. 2. left Hat
| field, Ark, about o'clock. While Bur-
| gett was working in his car he saw the
| bandits clambering up to the side door.
| Then they smashed the glass with their
revolver butts. Burgett sprang to his
most valuable packages and hid them,
despite the hail of bullets which the
| bandits poured into the car.
( Once. the messenger says. a bullet
| pierced his shirt. The packages hidden,
| Burgett turned his attention to the in
vaders who now had abandoned for a
| time their firing into the car. AS Bur-
| gett fired at them the robbers reached
| through the smashed windows and
| loosened the catch which held the door
| from the inside. Then they opened the
door and sprang into the car one by one
| firing on ISurgett as they advanced.
Meets Robbers Fire.
| Tho rneSSenoar leaped hebind haoca pe
| and met the robbers fire. shot for shot
| The train had attained a speed Of abou,
thirty miles an hour. and apparently
none Of the train or locomotive crew
knew that hold-up was being at
tempted. A last shot fired by Burgett be-
fore the robbers gained the inside of the
car wounded one of them.
The fight continued hot. but soon Bur
| getts shells We're gone. The robber,
| closed in on him and by sheer force o.
| numbers overpowered him. although h,
| gave battle to three. welding the but
| of his short shotgun effectively until con
quered. The bandits dubbed the mes
senger repeatedly, asking:
where's that package or money!
Bleeding, Burgett crouched in a corne
of the car while the robbers beat ant
kicked him, but the messenger did no
reveal the hiding place. The bandits
searched the car carefully, but Burget
had been too willy for them and they
could not find what they sought So they
applied the airbrakes and made another
| careful search.
Robbers Take Flight.
| By this time the train conductor feared
something was amiss and began an in
| vestigation. AS the conductor came for.
ward with his lantern the robbers tool
| fright, evidently, for they fed. In an.
| swer to the conductors repeated knock.
| ings on the door of the express car Bur.
gett struggled to his feet and unlocked
| the door, then tainted. He was revived
long enough to give a brief sketch of the
| attempted hold-up and the train was
| rushed into Mena.
| = posse was organized to pursue the
| robbers into the hills near Hatfield and
| Potter, Ark. Near Potter the wounded
| robber was found.
| So far as is known the outlaws tool
nothing from the express car
Bank in Oklahoma Robbed.
! MUSKOGEE. Okla, October 1.-THE
State Bank of Council Hill, Okla, was
robbed of about 5000 last night and a
party of mounted bandits escaped after a
running fight with citizens. Nitroglycerir
was used The charges explosion wax
ened three townsmen, who with their
wives spread the alarm. Bullets were
| exchanged without result. Bloodhounds
were taken to council Hill to trail the
| robbers.