Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-12
-FOUR BANDITS
0UTW|ITED BY
EXPRESS CLERK
Attempt to Rob Train in Ar
kansas Fails When Mes
'senger Hides Money and
Shows Fight.

SHOWS rlgIlI.
Fort Smith, Ark, Oct 11.-Four BAN
dts bungled the holdup Of nor1n
bound Kansas City Southern passenger
train between Hatfield and Mena, Ark.'
early this morning. One was wounded
and captured and the other outlaws
ESCAPED after 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 COM
panions had deserted him. The rob-
Der is being conveyed to Mena. F1fty
/ or more men in an armed posse are
pursuing the bandits. Burgett Is IN
a hospital at Mena. He will recover.
The train known. as No. left Hat
field, Ark, about 2 o'clock. Wnlle
Burgett was working in his car he
saw the bandits clamor up to the side
door. Then they smashed the glass
with their revolver butts.
Hides Money; Fights Bandits.
Burgett sprang to his most valuable
packages and hid them despite the
hail Of bullets which the bandits
poured into the car. Once. the, mes
senger says, bulIrt pierced his
shirt.
The packages hidden, Burgett turned
his attention to the invaders VINO hao
abandoned fer a time their firing into
the car. AS Burgett fired at them tne
robbers reached through the smashed
windows and loosened the eaten which
held the door from the inside. Then
they opened the door and sprang lnto
the car one by one firing on Burgett
as they advanced. The messenger
,saned behind baggage and met the
robbers fire shot for shot. n.
The train had attained a speed OF
about thirty miles an hour and ap-
parently none Of the train or locomo'
tive crew knew that hold-up was be-
ing attempted A last shot fired by
H Burgett before the robbers gained the
inside of the car wounded one OF them
Messenger Badly Beaten.
Tho fight continued hot, until Bur
pett's cartridges were gone. The
robbers closed ir on him and by force
cf number overpowered him, although
he gave battle, welding the butt Of
his short shot gun effectively until
conquered. The bandits clubbed the
messenger repeatedly asking:
where's that package of money!"
Bleeding Burgett crouched in cor
ner of the car while the robbers
brutallv beat and kicked him, but the
messenger did not reveal the hiding
place. The bandits searched the car
carefully. but Burgett had been too willy
for them. So they applied the air
brakes ard made another careful
search. BY this time the train con-
ductor feared something was amiss and
he began an Investigation. AS the con-
ductor came forward with his lantern,
the robbers took fright and fed.
In answer to the conductors re-
heated knockings on the door OF the
express car, Burgett struggled to his
feet. unlocked the door, then tainted.
He was revived long enough to give
brief sketch Of the attempted noldup,
and the train was rushed intos Mena.
A posse was organized to pursue the
robbers into the hills near Hatfield
and Potter. Ark. Near Potter the
wounded rcbber was found.
So far as is known the outlaws took
nothing. ;.
The wounded robber, who is identi-
fed received charge Of shot in the
left breast near the heart. He will
probably die.
Oklahoma Bank Robbed.
N1uskogee, Okla, Oct. 1.-THE state
bank of Council Hill, Okla, was rob
bed Of about $4,000 during last night
and party of mounted bandits escap-
ed after running fight with citizens.
Nitroglycerine was used The explos-
Ion awakened three townsmen who
spread the alarm. Bullets were ex-
changed without result. Bloodhounds
,,r,,,, S+ol,on RI Council Hill tn trail the