The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-03-19
POSSE N BATTLE WITH
C0hV|CTS;; THREE DEAD
Officers Kill One Nebraska Peni-
tentiary Murderer and Farmer
They Had Captured.
ANOTHER KILLS HIMSELF
Third Of Trio Who Killed Warden aDd
Assistants Surrenders and
Tells of Flight.

LINCOLN. Neb.. Mnrch is.-The three
convicts who killed Warden Delehunty
and two assistants last Thursday and
escaped from the Nebraska penitentiary
were overtaken by posse OF fifteen mer
at Gretna. fifty miles northeast OF here
this afternoon
A battle followed in which Shorty Gray
leader Of the trio. was killed. as was
Roy Blunt. a farmer whom they had
captured and compelled to drive them
overland. and John Dowd. another OF
the convicts. seeing that capture was
inevitable. put his gun to his head and
killed himself.
Charles Morley. the third murderer
surrendered.
The bodies OF the two dead convicts
and Morley were brought to the prison
tonight on special train.
The killing OF Blunt was accidental
For half a mile before the men made
their final stand running fight had been
kept up>between them and the posse.
They halted in a draw and at the first
exchange of shots Blunt in the driver 4
seat fell dead. Gray was killed moment
later. None Of the posse was injured.
The battle was a climax OF a sire nuous
seven hour man hunt. The first trace OF
the men got to-day was at Murdock
twenty-five miles northeast of Lincoln
where in the night they entered and
leaving behind them a pair Of prison
shoes.
Posses were organized at Lincoln
Omaha and other points and these were
started out to converge around Gretna
where it was figured the men were head
ing to catch Burlington main line train
At Murdock the men stole a handcar
They rode on this until they reached the
Platte River. which they crossed on fool
and then took to the hills.
Telephone warnings sent ahead by the
officers enlisted every farmer. station
agent and telephone central girl FOL
miles around. and the lookout kept re-
suited in the discovery OF the men in ,
wagon driving north.
The armed pursuers followed than
for ten miles across the country befor,
they overlook them.
Morley says they spent Thursda,
afternoon and part OF the evening at :
mousse mile from tne prison. There the,
forced a boy to drive them to Lincoln
They found no trains were running ane
started to walk along the railroad tracl
least. They stayed two nights in a barr
hidden in the hay
Saturday night they compelled Elme,
Hall to feed and hide them until Iasi
night. When they left they tied Hal
and his wife to chairs and cut their tele
phone wire.
! The trio walked in on Blunt this morn
ing and after compelling him to feee
them ordered him to hitch up and tax,
| them north in q wagon.
1t was while driving this wagon n few
hours later that Blunt was shot dowr
by chance bullet from deputy sheriff
gun.
| The battle was very brief. With Ora,
! killed almost at the beginning his col
leagues lost stomach for fight and on,
killed himselfland the other surrendered
| Morley declares that they meant tc
kill Warden Delahunty and his assistan Il,
because OF the treatment given them
but that the killing of Usher Heiimar
! was accidental. He says the turnke,
showed the white feather and handet
over his gun and keys without demmrring