The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-10-16
They GOT NO BOOTY
four BANDITS FOILED IN At.
- TEMPT TO ROB TRAIN
fought ROBBERS HARD

Brave Express Messenger Thwarts
Bandits In the Car.-Thou2h Bru-
tally Beaten he Refuses to Tea
Where He Hides Money.-shoots
One Robber But Misses the Other
Four masked bandits ,bungled IN
ar attempted hold-up and robbery OF
a northbound Kansas City Southern
passenger train between Hatfield ana
Mena, Ark, Friday. One was wound
ed anu captured and the other pan
dts escaped after a battle with E3.
press Messenger Merrill Burgett' OF
Kansas City, No, in which Burget1
exhausted his ammunition and was
badly beaten about the head ana
shoulders and refused to disclose the
hiding place Of valuable packages.
Burgett shot the robber who was
discovered an hour later after MS
companions had deserted him. The
robber Is being conveyed TO Mena.
Fifty more men in an armed posse
are pursuing the bandits. Burgett is
ir a hospital at Aena. His recovery
is expected. The train, known as
No. 2, arrived at Hatfield, Ark. about
2 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 spraug to his most valua-
bic packages, estimates OF the mon
etary value Of which vary, and, while
the robbers poured into the car
deadly hail Of lead, secreted them.
Once, the messenger says, bullet
pierced his shirt during the interval.
The packages hidden, Burgett turned
his attention to the invaders, who
had now abandoned for time their
firing into the car. AS Burgett hr-
ed at them the robbers managed to
reach through the small apertures
made by smashed glass and undid the
catch securing the door from the in
side, and sliding back the door,
sprang into the car, firing on; Bur
gett at brief intervals. The messen-
ger leaped to shelter behind pile OF
baggage and met the robbers on
slaught, shot by shot with revolver
and shotgun.
The train had attained a speed OF
about 80 miles an hour and apparent
~ none Of the train nor locomotive
crew knew that a hold-up was Be-
irg attempted A last shot fred by
Burgett before the robbers gained the
inside Of the car wounded one OF the
bandits who cried out that he was
hit. One robber assisted the wound
ed man and as the others sprang In
to the car and cut of the air, the
two leaped to- the ground. A few
more shots and Burgett's shells were
gone. The robbers closed in on him
and by sheer force Of numbers over
powered him, although he gave bat
tie to the three, welding the butt Of
his short shotgun effectively until
conquered.
The bandits c1ubbed the messenger
repeatedly over the head, crashed
their fists into his face and bsiab-
ored him over the shoulders. mean
time demanding to know, where's
that package OF money!" Bleading,
Rurgett crouched in a corner Of the
car while the robbers brutally beat
and kicked him. but the messenger
did not reveal the hiding place Of the
valuab1es. The train conductor turn
ed on the air and the train started
or again. The robbers varied their
search for the supposed money pack
age with beating and kicking the
messenger. They searched the car
carefully but Burgett had been too
willy for them and they could not
find what they sought.
Again they cut OF the air and made
another careful search for the val
uables. This time the conductor
feared something was wrong and be-
gan an investigation. AS the con-,
ductor came forward with his lam
tern tho robbers took fight and fe1
in haste. In answer to repeated
knockings on the door of the e1-
press car by the conductor, Burgett
struggled to his feet and staggered
to the door. which he unlocked and
fell in heap at Conductor Lock-
woods feet He was revived long
enough to give a brief story Of the
attempted 'hold-up and the train
rushed into IMena. where physicians
attended the messenger aud a posse
was organized to pursue the robbers
into the hills.
4 special train bore the posse to
tho scene. Near there the wounded
rober 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 tho authorities. So far as is
known the robbers took absolutely
nothing from the express car. The
wounded robber. who is unidentified.
received charge Of shot in the left
breast, near the heart. He will prob
ably die.