The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-10-17

northbound Kansas City Southern
passenger train between Hatfield and
Mena, Ark, early to-day, one was
wounded and captured and the other
bandits escaped after battle with
Express Messenger Merrill Burgett,
of Kansas City, Mo-, in which Bur-
gett exhausted his ammunition and
was badly beaten about the head
and shoulders and refused to disclose
the hiding place of valuable pack
ages.
Burgett shot the robber who was
discovered an hour later after his
companions had deserted him. The
robber is being conveyed to Mena.
Fifty or more men in an armed posse
are pursuing the bandits. Burgett is
in a hospital at Mena. His recovery
is expected.
Hid ValuabIes Before Firing.
The train, known as No. 2, arrived
at Hatfield, Ark, about O'CLOCK.
The train started and Burgett was
busy in his car when the bandits
clambered up the side door OF the
car and smashed the glass with their
revolver butts. Burgett sprang to
his most valuable packages, estimates
of the monetary value of which
vary, and while the robbers poured
into the car a deadly hail of lead
secreted them. Once the messenger
SAYS a bullet pierced his shirt during
this interval. The packages hidden,
Burgett turned his attention to the
invaders, who had now abandoned
for a time their firing into the car.
AS Burgett fired at them the robbers
managed to reach through the small
apertures made by smashed glass and
undid the catch securing the door
from the inside and sliding back the
door sprang into the car, firing On
Burgett at brief intervals. The mes
senger leaped to shelter behind pile
of baggage and met the robbers on
slaught, shot by shot with revolver
and shotgun. The train had attain
ed a speed of about thirty miles an
hour and apparently none of the train
or locomotive crew knew that hold
up was being attempted. A last
shot fired by Burgett before the rob-
bers gained the inside of the
car. wounded one of the bandits
who cried out that he was hit.
One robber assisted the wounded
man and as the others sprang into
the car few more shots and Bur-
gett's shells were gone. The robbers
closed in on him and by sheer force
of numbers overpowered- him al
though he gave battle to the three,
welding the butt of his short shot
gun effectively until conquered.
Overcome by Numbers.
The bandits dubbed the messen-
ger repeatedly over the head, crash
ed their fists into his face and be-
labored him over the shoulders,
meantime demanding to know where
is that package of money!" Bleed
ing, Burgeet crouched in a corner of
the car while the robbers brutally
beat and kicked him but the messen-
ger did not reveal the hiding place Of
the yaluables.
The train conductor turned on the
air and the train started again. The
robbers varied their search for the
supposed money package with beat
ing and kicking the messenger. They
searched the car carefully but Bur-
gett had been too willy for them and
they could not find what they sought.
Again they cut off the air and made
another careful search for valuables
This time the train conductor feared
something was wrong and began an
investigation. AS the conductor came
forward with his lantern the robbers
took fright evidently, for they fled.
In answer to repeated knockings on
the door of the express car by the
conductor, Burgett struggled to his
feet and staggered to the door which
he unlocked and fell in heap az
Lockwood's feet. He was revived
long enough to give brief sketch of
the attempted hold-up and the train
rushed into Mena, where physicians
attended the messenger and a posse
was organized to pursue the robbers
into the hills.
A special train bore the posse to
the scene. Near there the wounded
robber was found. By daylight the
hunt was on and later in the morn
ing the posse was augmented by
scores of others pressed into service
by the authorities.
So far as is known the robbers