The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15

OF which missed his head by only few
inches The train went laundering on
and was not brought to a halt until it
had passed the spot where the signal had
been shown probably by three train
lengths. or 800 feet.
had instructed Messrs. Kay and
Manning that if any shooting occurred
they should open fire upon any person
whom they might see on the ground
Similar instructions had been given to
Barnett. AS soon as the train was
brought to a standstill Kay, Manning
and myself got down and started back
to the curve. where I expected to find
the dead or wounded man whom / had
shot. and who had fallen into the ditch.
After We had left the train the engineer
began backing up faster tnan we could
walk or run, and nearly ran the train
over us.
A comic interlude was now provided.
At Lexington, Mo-, the train had picked
up an extra coach. containing about
twenty passengers, members of an itin-
Grant theatrical troupe bound for Sc
dalia, where they were to give a per-
formance. They were typical barn
stormers,' and every one of the male
members was provided with some sort of
revolver or popgun, with which he be-
gan shooting out of the car windows.
We three detectives passed along in the
when we reached the spot where the
robber had fallen he could not be found.
There had been a light fall of snow,
probably two inches, on the day before
the holdup occurred, and the tracks of
the man in this were plainly visible, as
well as a streak of blood about two
inches in width, which led across the line
from east to west to a road running
north and south. The wounded man had
taken this road, which led to Sedalia
While we We're trying to find the trail
we saw a second man attempting to get
through a barbed wire fence which was
in the right-of-way of the railroad on the
east. His clothing had become fastened
in the wire and he was struggling des-
perately to extricate himself. He finally
succeeded in this attempt, just as Man
ming and | reached the spot where his
companion had fallen. He started to run
in an easterly direction through a large,
newly plowed field, which was covered
with snow but not frozen
Discovering that the wounded man
was gone. and knowing that it would
be comparatively easy matter to
take up his trail at a later time, we
gave the chase to the second man. Man
ring succeeded in jumping over the
fence, but |, imagining that the rob
Der had sprung the wires. and that [
could follow where the other had led.
tried to get through with the result
that ] also got caught on the barbs
and released myself with difficulty.
BY this time Manning had got quite a
lead. but / put on a sprint and soon
overlook him, and so it was a neck
and neck race for $50 yards.
IT the meantime the barn -stormers'
had taken the affair a general jubi-
lee and had begun firing on friend
and foe alike, somewhat on the pr1n-
ciple of the Irishman at Donnybrook-
that is to say, whenever they saw a
head. they fired at it; and as the
heads were for the most part upon the
side of law and order, Manning and
soon began to hear the bullets hssin g
about our ears. Even the express
messenger who knew that Manning
and I were running across the field
Joined in from the car with his Win
chester rifle. However, disregarding
this, since we could not do otherwise.
We caught up with the robber and dis
armed him. He fell to the ground
moaning and covered with blood; evil
dently he was badly wounded. and
probably during the chase. since both
the pursuers had fired as they ran.
lust as he fell, a bullet from the eX
press messengers winchester struck
the handle of Manning's revolver.
splintering it, and nearly paralyzing
The holders hand and arm with the
eoncus>n.
As soon as the fallen man had been
seized and disarmed Detective Barnett
reached our party. and, jerking away
the handkerchief which the robber had
used as mask, exclaimed: why
hello Jimv We thereby knew that
this was West
rs that you Frank? ~ answered
West, sinking back upon the ground,
apparently unconscious.
The conductor and members of the
train crew now arrived on the scene,
and West, who was apparently unable