Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-03-11
'ONE PISTOL BALKS
100 B0Y-HUNTERS
Escaped Reformatory Youths
Stand OFF Farmers Posse
For Five Hours.
SURRENDER WHEN HUNGRY
Single Pursuer, Who Attempted Cap
ture by Ruse Shot in
Throat.

Aurora, Ill, March 11.-Three boy:
, who had escaped from the state re
formatory at St. Charles were cap
tured yesterday afternoon in small
grove near Big Rock, IL miles west OF
this place, after they had stood of
for near five hours a posse or 1ol
farmers. 1t is said the boys had only
one pistol.
This weapon proved potent. With
it one of the youths earlier in the day
had pursuaded Elmer Dean, farmer,
that they were a dangerous trio to
trifie with by shooting him in the
throat. The bullet missed Deans
jugular vein by an eighth of an inch,
but it inflicted a wound which causeSi
him great suffering.
The farmers were armed with cow
bells. scythes, axes. shotguns. and
pitchforks, but the menace of the pis-
toll and the distaste for manhunting
children prevented them from ap-
preaching within rife shot of the grove
where the boys lay in hiding. When
the boys finally surrendered they did
so voluntarily.
we dOSCi tlltiC sChs ohC Va SA~AAA
told Sheriff McBriarity. "if we hadn't
abeen hungry. That bunch OF yaps
didn't dare to come within SEEM dis
lance of us, and if they had we'd
apopped EN-"
The boys, William French of Chi
cago and William Boorkman and
George Fairchild of Jacksonville, fed
from the st. Charles home at about
10 o'clock Monday night. They were
missed almost Immediately and des-
criptions of them were sent out by
telephone.
Farmers Ruse Fails.
Aware that they would have to out
strip the telephone II they got away
the boys travelled all night. Morning
found them on the outskirts of Big
Rock footing it west as fast as they
could go. They wanted to get to Chi
cago. They had not had anything to
eat since supper the night before and
were faint from hunger. Therefore
when Elmer Dean, driving out of Big
Rock, offered them ride in his wagon
they gladly took advantage of what
they thought to be his kindness.
Dean, however, was one of the farm
CID VIM hdd Dcch lcicpiiOhSu " Wy NiS
st. Charles authorities. He had identi-
fed the boys as the fugitives as soon
as he saw them. He started TO drive
away, but when he turned toward the |
village the boys became suspicious. |
They got off the wagon and started to |
run Dean stopped his horses and be-
gan to run after them. Thereupon one
of the boys, supposed to be young |
French, dropped down on one knee,
leveled the pistol which he had stolen |
Just before he left the reformatory,
and fired. The bullet hit the farmer
in the throat and he keeled over gurg-
ling. The three boys renewed their
flight.
The sound of the shot had been
heard and Dean was picked UP and
managed TO tell his story.
Starved Out BY Siesers.
The three boys meanwhile had kept
on going west. When they reached a
grove about two mile west OF Big Rock
they found further progress blocked by
the open fields and the activity of
farmers in the distance. They crawled
into the woods.
They were scarcely established in
their stronghold before the farmers
had surrounded 1t. The latter, how
ever, showed no particular eagerness
for a closer acquaintance with them.
AS the hours went by the boys grew