The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1916-06-22

the spot where the signal had been
shown probably by three train lengths,
or fifteen hundred feet.
l had instructed Messrs. Kay and
Manning that if any shooting occurred
they should open fire upon any per
son whom they might see on the
ground. Similar instructions had
been given to Barnett. AS soon as
the train was brought to standstill
Kay, Manning and myself got down
and started back to the curve, where l
expected to find the dead or wounded
man whom I had shot, and who had
fallen into the ditch. After we had
left the train the engineer began back
ing up faster than we could walk or
run, and nearly ran the train over US.
A comic interlude was now provld-
ed. At Lexington, Mo-, the train had
picked up an extra coach, containing
about twenty passengers, members or
an itinerant theatrical troupe bound
for Sedalia, where they were to give
performance. They were typical
rn-stormers," and every one of the
male members was provided with
some sort of revolver or popgun, with
which he began shooting out Of the car
windows We three detectives passed
along in the midst Of this flying cloud
of bullets, but when we reached the
spot where the robber had fallen ne
could not be found. There had been
a light fall of snow, probably two
inches, on the day before the hold-up
occurred, and the tracks. of the man IN
this were plainly visible, as we'll as
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 ia
ken this road. which led to Sedalia.
While we were trying to find the
trail we saw a second man attempting
to get through 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 ne
was struggling desperately to extricate
himself He finally succeeded in this
attempt, just as Manning and reach
ed the spot where his companion had
fallen. He started to run in an east
crly direction through 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 a comparatively easy matter to
take up his trail at a later time, we
gave chase to the second man. Man
ming succeeded in jumping over the
fence, but I, 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 I also got caught on the barbs
and released myself with difficulty. BY
this time Manning had got quite a
lead, but I put on sprint and soon
| overlook him, and so it was neck
and neck race for hundred and fifty
yards.
| In the meantime the Transformers
| had taken the affair as a general jub1.
lee, and had begun firing on friend
and foe alike somewhat on the prin-
ciple of the Irishman at Donnybrook-
| that is to say, whenever they saw
| 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 kissing
| about our ears. Even the express
messenger, who knew that Manning
and -! we're 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
! f>11 IN no
moaning and covered with blood; evil
IDENTIFY he was badly wounded, and
probably during the chase, since both
the pursuers had fired as we ran
Just as he fell, bullet from the ex-
press messengers Winchester struck
the handle of Mannings revolver,
splintering it, and nearly paralyzing
the holders hand and arm with the
concussion
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 a mask, exclaimed: why
hello. JIM" We thereby knew that
this was West.
els that you, Frank?" answered
West, sinking back upon the ground,
apparently unconscious.
The conductor and members or the
train crew now arrived on the scene
and West, who was apparently unaple
to walk, was carried back to the tram:
He was placed in the express car ana
examined for wounds, and it was soon
discovered that he was shamming. lie
had not been shot, but had severed
some small blood vessels in his wrist
while struggling in the barbed WIRE
and had smeared his face and clotn-
ing with blood from these wounds. he
then pretended to be drunk, but there
was no smell Of liquor on his oreatn.
Thinking that the wounded man
could be located later, and not WISH
ing to delay the train any longer, we
stepped aboard and soon arrived IN
|