The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-10-11
BRAVERY OF
EXPRESS MAN
Desperate Battle With Four Bandits
Who Got Nothing for Their
Trouble Excepting
Bullets.
vALUABLEs ALL HIDDEN
Ammunition Ran Out or Burgett
Probably Would Have Killed
Three Out Of the
Four.

United Press Leased Wire Service.1
FORT SMITH, Ark. Oct.11.--A SEN
sational revolver battle between Tx
press Messenger Merrill Burgett Of
Kansas City, and four masked bandits
clinging to the side of the Kansas
| City Southern north-bound passenger
train number 2, running 40 miles an
hour, and the heroism of Burgett, who,
/ though perhaps fatally tortured by
/ the robbers, refused to tell them
| where he had hidden valuables car
ried in the express car, marked the
i third train hold-up within a week in
this section, early today. Burgett not
only protected the valuables in his
/ keeping, but in the revolver fight
with the bandits shot, and is believed
to have fatally wounded one of them.
Burgett probably sacrificed his life.
as physicians at Mena, where he was
taken, declare his recovery is doubt
4 full
The express company officials re-
1 fuse to state the amount of money
. and valuables the express car was
carrying, burt admit 1t was several
thousand dollars.
UNITED Press Leased Wire Service.1
FORT SMITH, Ark. Oct. 11.-Four
masked men held UP and attempted to
rob north bound Kansas City-Southern
!. passenger train number 2, near Pot
!. ter, Ark, about 1880 a. M. today. AS
a result, one of the robbers is believ
ed to have been fatally shot by Elk
press Messenger Merrill Burgett, oi
Kansas City, and Burgett was so bad
= ly beaten by the wounded bandits
companion, that he Is reported to be
> dying.
Burgett is now at Mena, Ark, where
physicians say he cannot recover.
The four robbers boarded the traiI
> as it left Hatfield. They swung on
to the side of the express car ant
e smashed in the glass with their guns
! While the robbers were thus engaged
S Burgett ran to the safes, took out the
g valuables and hid them. After break
e ing the glass, the robbers reached II
and unlocked the door.
n In the meantime, Burgett had arm
J. shot gun. He opened fire on thu
p robbers and sensational gun figh
e followed With the train runnini
n forty miles an hour and the bandit
y clinging to the door of the car the,
e battled with Burgett.
After a score OF shots had been eS
changed one of the bandits was hear
to cry out that he was shot.
I'm a goner, and you had bette
take me off, cried the injured mar
d Messenger Burgett says that on
r Of the bandits then grabbed his wounc
ed companion and both leaped int
the darkness As they dfsappeare
n. car. Burgett had retreated to a pc
It. sition behind some trunks by thi
time and the battle continued, bot
III sides stopping frequently to re-loa
It. their guns Burgett ran out of an
st munition and when he fired his las
shot the bandits seized him and bea
Il him insensible with their revolvers
The bandits were unable to find th
er valuables which Burgett had hiddel
d. and returning to him, tortured th
IT. messenger in an effort to force hi
to reveal where they were secrete
j Burgett was beaten over the hea
and again became unconscious
y Near Potter the robbers cut the a
dy hose, bringing the train to ste
In and disappeared. Conductor Loc
dy wood found Burgett, frightfully bea
dy en- and in semi-conscious conditie
on the floor of the express car. I'll
DIV train was hurried to Mena, where Blu
ar gett was placed under the care of
physician, and special train ma'
up carrying Sheriff Thornton and
,rt posse with boodhounds to the scel
,ht of the hold-up.
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