Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-04-07

IHo asserts that while leaving n tne-
ater he confronted the two bandit
as they entered. Each carried an au-
tomato pistol and a hole was cut IN
the bandanna handkerchief mask OF
one through which protruded a cigar.
At the point of q leveled pistol Ctiber
was forced back into the theater.
Rusche left his place at the inner
door and started towards h bandits
when they made for the ticket ONCE,
which had been closed for the night.
Here, what do you fellows think
you're doing?" he cried. striking at
one Of the men. who fell back. The
second bandit fired once on Rusche,
the bullet taking effect in his Shout
der When Rusche fell the w ban
dts ran out of the front door.
Tailor Secs Bandits.
J.. H. Rea, tailor. Ali Gertrude ave-
nue.. who was passing the theater,
says that he heard q shot from the
| Great Northern tracks on he east
side of Third street. Turning. he saw
two masked men run across the
street and into the theater. 'Rea says
he started to follow. but that one OF
the bandits turned on him when he
reached the theater door and with
leveled revolver ordered him to
beat it,"
Res asserts that he then ran into
McNeil's confectionery store adjoining
the theater, but that before he could
explain what he had seen another
shot sounded from the vestibule OF
the theater, and by the time those
in the store reached the scene. the
two bandits had vanished and Rusche
was found lying PROSTATE on the floor.
Find Dynamite.
William Canniff, 726 North Fourth
cfroof Whn yyoS in hoNQi1'S at the
time. saw the second bandit leave
the theater n run east along the
Great Northern tracks. Both are be-
lieved to have crossed the Great
Northern bridge. stopping beneath it
and hiding. This belief was strength
ened this morning when the authori-
ties found signs under the bridge
which tended to show that they had
made it a hiding place. A stick Of
dynamite and the red bandanna hand
kerchief with the hole cut in 1t for the
cigar-smoking bandit was found at
that point.
Mrs. w. N. johnson and Mrs. Matt
King, while standing a short distance
from the door Of the theater, heard
the first shot. saw the two bandits en-
ter the theater, and run out, going
The authorities are wondering wheth-
err the first shot was fired just ito let
folks know they were coming" or
whether it was done accidentally m
the excitement of the moment.
$3.50 in Office.
There was no none in the ticket
office when h men entered, although
there was $3.50 in a sack in the inner
office. The men made no attempt to
get any loot after the shooting, how
ever.
The shot was heard in the theater.
but many Of the audience thought
nothing Of it. Some women nearly
tainted. however, when a nan enter
ed and shouted: There's a man been
shot out here!"
The audience was kept in the the
alter while Rusche was removed to the
hospital.
AS the bandits entered the theater
vestibule. patrons inside the theater
were witnessing q farce-melodrama,
the principal figure of which was a
wealthy man who was pursued by
holdup artists. There came a point
in the play when the mar apparently
was %cornered in the room, but he
spied a window, and, just as he was
making a hurried exit, the holdup
men entered.
At this point the sound Of a revolt
yer shot resounded through the house,
but no one paid any attention to it,
as they thought the trap drummer was
getting a little bit of realism into the
film.
No one knew what had happened
until someone appeared at the rear Of
the theater and shouted that a man
! had been shot"