Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-12-04
ESCAPED FELLOWS
COMMANDER CAR


o break for thr dcIds IN an attempt
20 reach safety
Before rj,rting Hoiprman Richards
they TOOK his gold watch and 81, H.
vJs carrying The watch wJs rccn;-
cred this uuruiug on one ol the con
Nicts hut none of the money was
found. according 10 authorities Who
scarrhod the men
In statement 10 The Free Trader
Journal Mr. Reynoulds. in explaining
his experience said
II and my wife were on the car
when | heard a man say to me Come
on and give me what you got and |
jumped up and said What And he
said. Come on. We just escaped from
the p,nitcntilry and We are dcSp"r-
ate. | would just rs leave kill YOU as
not ="
With that started Ia strip of my
ovcrroal and handed il 10 him. \
big negro who WAS IN The party asked
me what size shoes wore and when
told him scvcns' he said they would
not tit him
My wife cautioned mo NOT 10 cause
any trouble when | was awakened
with start and when | saw what
was up against there was nothing left
for m" to do but surrender tiut
imporcd then appealing to their mat
hood not 10 modest my wife VINO had
been i'll all day and was still suffering
They told me they did not want 20
modest the woman, that all tncN
wanted was my clothes and money.
"'ro show ,hcir GOOD intentions with
Mrs. Reynolds. who was almost in Il
state Of nervous collapse by this time.
they went Ia the back OF the ear took
some chewing gum and candy from
the Austrian and came back to proIicr
the sweets Ia her.
After oNerpoWcring the passengers
with their guns. one ol the conriciS
went to the moormans cab and be-
gan haltcring in HE door With the but
OF gun They then started thru
the car and took what money they
could get from the passengers
Il didn't hear or see The men get
on and Mrs Reynolds were dozin;;
when the car stopped. The conyicts.
after had surrendered my ya|tablrS
and clothing talked to me, telling me
what each Of them were serving for
and the length OF their terms.
Il saw the Austrian struck over The
bead with the bottle. He seemed io
BE- resisting the conyicts when one ~
them. DOM know which one. struch
NE blow. one of he felons held the
foreigner by the throat and another
bit him over the head with the bottle
The man staggered under the blow
+ and blood poured down his face
saw the Two other men struck IN thu
face for resisting the convicts.
II had : IN cash in my wallet. ap'
, thcy e;ut that with my oVcrtOa, an
hat. | fortunately bad enough money
10 get home on HE Rock Island
THE motorlnan and conductor anj
he rest Of The passengers, rNceptiu,
my wife AMI myself were put of ih'
'rar ana the bandits drove ON TOWARD
norris. where they deserted the ca
after the trolley BEGAN cNing then
trouble. Mrs Reynolds and sat il
our seats Wailin" for help and prctt'
soon we saw headlights coming down
the road. We knew they were auto
mobiles carrying a posse and wen
: out OF the ear and burned a paper Il
signal whore we were The sheriff
miStouh mo fer one of lhr bandits an,
. forced me 10 hold up my hands.
told him | was only . passenger am
! that my wife was in the ear. then The,
took us 10 Morris and We caught tn
early Rock Island train home.
H. "a twenty dollar gold piece | ha'
) N my vest poctct escaped the coz
y IctH ana dropped it into my under
u Wrar and saved it. When the mo,
= dressed 10 give up their clothing TN
> coupicls told me 10 have MRS. ltrN
uolda close her eyes, which she did
THE coniicts. leaders III thc Kan
that rjulrd several months ago. Wcr
lnfkpI i'm ttlIe I'm thp uUnpr IIGl