Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-05-16
Sattle with Police and Troops
Lasted Eight Hours-Villa
Blown Up.
THOUSANDS EAGERLY WATCH
When Bodies Of GARNER and Con.
federate Are Thrown in Au.
tomobiles, Crowd Tries
to Seize Them.


pr Frances notorious bandit gang was
dramatically ended this morning when
after eight hours battle with police and
troops, its leader, Octave GARNER. and
bis confederate. Wallet. were blown up
by explosives in a small villa at Nogent-
sur-Marne. where they had taken refuge.
shattered by shots of dynamite. their
house fell in ruins when melinite was
Exploded under its walls. The police found
Harnier dead. and Wallet dying. Five
policemen were wounded in the battle.
When the bodies of the desperadoes
were dragged into the open, the thousands
Or spectators pressed forward and tried
10 tear them from the troops. Automobiles
were brought up. and the bodies thrown
In but for a few minutes It was found
impossible to start the machines. In those
Jew minutes the police and troops had
0iir1culty In beating back the enraged
crowds. Finally the cars were started on
their way to Paris.
Wallet died on the way to a Paris hos
pital.
one or the most dramatic moments in
the battle was when during a lull in the
IIlhB' the woman. Vuillemin stepped
from the building and surrendered, leav-
ing the men to the bitter fight for their
lives.
BANDITS HELD THEIR OWN.
All the forces for the protection of So
riety for hours failed TO dislodge them.
Police came from Paris. four miles away.
Several thousand police, gendarmes and
Hounves tried for hours to shoot the
bandits or blow up the building with ex-
piosves. Five policemen had fallen from
the desperadoes' bullets. but though the
villa was badly damaged by dynamite,
the bandits miraculously held their own
md showed no signs Of surTendering.
Unlike Bonnet, whose refuge was
hynamited at Choisy-le.Roi. GARNER
made his last stand In a house hidden
by foliage and surrounded closely by
other buildings, rendering an assault diff
aicult and dangerous. Bonnet and Dubois
fought in a garage which could be ap-
preached from all sides.
Bonnet. the demon chauffeur" was
remarkable for his skill at the wheel Of
automobiles by the employment Of which
the band committed outrages and made
their escape Carriers speciality was dis
guise. He went so far as to mutilate his
eyelids to change his appearance. and by
resort1ng to every exploit in elective
fiction, he succeeded in evadng the police
dragnet which had been spread over Paris
and the suburbs.
Carriers mistake came In trying to ne
gotiate stolen securities at branch OF a
big banking house whereby he and his
companions. Wallet and Vuillemin. the
latter woman were tracked to Nogent.
All three, who are decided blondes. dyed
their hair Jet black An indiscretion by
the woman. Vuillemin. to-day ena bled the
police to AK their lair to n certainty.
WOMAN SEEN AT PUMP.
She went to a public pump to get
drinking water. where she was met by
Partisan woman Vuillemin, who Is OF
Basque origin. carried the jug of water
on her shoulder. after the custom of the
rountry. The Partisan, struck by the
picture. stopped her and exclaimed:
How beautiful you are. madame. You
should pose for a portrait"
Vuillemin smilingly acknowledged
the compliment and passed on. Then
the Partisan. with a woman's penetra-
tion. decided that her hair was dyed.
The comments and inquiries OF the
Partisan put the police on the track.
M. Lepine. perfect OF Paris. was noti-
fled and decided to capture or kill the
bandits. II necessary.
Again, as In the case of the battle
at ChoisX-le- Roi. the efforts OF the
police and military were greatly ham
pered by the vast crowds OF specta-
tors that gathered In the adjoining
streets. Attempts were made to blow
up the building by throwing dynamite
cartridges from the adjacent viaduct
Hnd n perfect hail of bullets was
thrown into the house where the ban
ats were concealed.
Finally, the fire ceased for time.
All sorts of wild rumors were afloat
among them that GARNER had sue
ceeded in escaping, That the author
1tes placed no credence in this was
shown by the fact that they telephon.
ed for melinite, and after the arrival
of a searchlight a quantity of the high
explosive was placed against the low
er wall Of the villa. At the conclusion
more debris was hurled skyward.
BLOWS HOLE IN VILLA.
The explosion left n yawning opening
IN the villa through which police dogs
eprang with savage barks, while the
police and troops sent volley after voley
of shots into the ruins OF the building
Unhappily some of the bullets ricochet.
Cd from the bricks while others emerged
on the opposite side. the result of which
was that two policemen were wounded
Then, an armed force holding torches
rushed into the ruins and discovered the
two bandits lying in room
GARNER was entirely naked. save for a
few tattered rags. He was dead. Wallet
was dying.
The crowd of spectators now wildly
tnraged, rushed up and tried to seize
fhe bandits. With great difficulty tbs
police drove them back and succeeded ir
p,acing the bandits In waiting automo'
biles The automobiles then baked. and
efforts were again made by the mob Il
tear the desperadoes from the troops
Hundreds surrounded the project Of
police and with cries Of "Vive Lepine'
tried to carry him off In triumph
When the police arrived at the villa
which was known as the Moulin Rouge
M. Guichard superintendent of detec'
lives. cried out "Open in the name of the
Flaw"
BATTLE FORMALLY BEGUN,
A man hidden In the garden responded
iwith revolver fire. This formally began
kahe battle. NJ Guichard was not hit and
irstreated. He Jnopilizeds the -dsteotlEeA