Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-06-01
At BANDITS MERCY
Burlington Visitor Shot and
Robbed by Mexicans.
steel Bullet through Head Couldn't
XIII Claude j. Brashcr, cx-CnvnIry-
mnn. who Recovered and Tcs-
fled against Assnilants.

| To have n steel iacketed 1920 bullet
pumped into his head from a Mauser
! rifle held only an arms length away by n
snarling Mexican, as he lay unarmed and
| helpless in the aisle of Texas railroad
! car which had been wrecked by bandits
! on American soil, and then to recover
/ in sufficient time to testify at the trial
OF his Would-be assassin. was the strange
experience of Claude J. Brasher aged %
oX-Soldier, cowboy and gentleman adj
Venturcr who Thursday arrived in Bur-
| hnSton, and told a Free Press reporter
| something OF life on the Texas border
, where McXicans are highly undesirable
| neighbors Mr.. Brashor, who is a clean
| cut athletic looking young man, was for
merry soldier in X troop of the Second
| cavalry and after the expiration of his
! enlistment in March, 1875. went to Texas
Whefe adventure seemd most promising
lie mas searched for adventures ever
since leaving his home in Morganfield
NY, at the age Of fifteen and counted
himself as fit for most emergencies, being
crack shot a good rider with n
oodN Ike tempered steel and incidentally
oelhG able to put up n satisfactory argu-
ment with only the weapons which nature
has provided for man
! was down in the town of HARRINGTON.
Which Is about forty miles from Browns
NllIe' Sald Mr. Brasher in his soft South
erh crawl, when the train for Browns
NiiIe pulled INTO the station and I thought
u 30 over there and see some friends"
bought my ticket, stepped aboard and
'hen remembered that | had left my gun
at nome don't know why I thought of
II, nut 1t worried me and If IL hadn't
tho frat, ,,..,,I, 'u nave MISSED
b,cl, +o u,. 49,, nave gone
"i'or IT, however |
,'" WI ''e ieehhE or nervous
P".I'u away from harrington,
Noxico, milne, '',e ''o" iisNilIe ana
passanror co,o,, ,,,,,, 1,,iI'9 w d SMOKER
we had reached O,.i. ,.
hamlet about civ. ,,,i,a go ''t'''
Vile sare,v ava ,,.i.,, - '" Ms
IN on tbo COO. l., CoIN'"
lust conrratr,o+t,,r ,,..s,e was
~. when tboro ,,..s o,,is1t,
lar and tho trai, ,,i,a, VI "
Just about that +ir,o 'p
couple Of machine ,r,,, ...,
right side Of tho cor ,ho,r,, :.
only from tho rinos of - hasa - .
bandits led nv 1uis do 10 poso aaa 49,,
let's conmoncod 20 o.. .,,-, 49,,
windows piocos az ,.,
all about the car and roc,,orad ,ho
best place for mo was m tho eoor co
! stayed down in tho aisle r,haro "a
been thrown"
II found ont aftoruord, +ho+ .,,
Moxicans had ,oosonod tho ro, 49, 49,
right side of tho troc,, tox .,,
cradle distance nv ron,n,.ino. tho ni,.a.
and then had tiod ro,,a. aol, :,
snubbed thom arou,d sa, "..'
other one had twisted , ,i,o a,,
the track and tied q cow hon 20 -
When he saw the train corirn 10
rang the bell. the main bu,oh ,,,,,as
the rail off tbo roo,,,
simplv turned o,.l,, anu we ih'n
There wore bo.,roo. .h, '''c'
forty ,osso,,,r..'' .i'it E-nVe ana
ten were Ar,o,i,,., 49,. " ""'I''
gun in tbo ,.hals 1,,. l''',' an" inc only
conductor "'i"ilSt" TO the
,,,roo,., ""9 PINNED under the
II didn,t sa,,' e'"'''i' move a niger.
tbora ,,,l. - 40 ''ouFh we mad been
rnsiI,aa nan d minute although the
o"'l'ihulhG at terrific
who -" Hno"tS OF viva Villa
"dhuts appeared through
,,,au5 Va the car ana slowly
o.,r, ,'' "ISle' could have
=, ,,,. i""r' II had only had
,,.a7,f5 '''' ""h thlnk any more
..r,,,, ''''"rou TO enter.
r.i.,, 'he bandits We're armed !
cou,..,, repeating rifles and the /
AZ l,.,. an "Iu-iashloned army |
'No'Ner' The first one in line !
" "'S Only ~ years of age and the
ne walked IN front was because |
''p'er' Wh" was armed with the |
revolver was urging him forward nv !