Meade County news., 1917-09-27
MILFORD MEN FOIL BANDITS
Citizens of Town Near Camp Funston
Exchange Shots With Gang
for Four Hours.

A battle between bank robbers and
the citizens of Milford lasted four
hours early the other morning before
the bandits were routed from the
spoils. About 100000 was in the bank,
according to the cashier, but this was
not taken. They made their escape
on a handcar, but later took refuge in
a motor car, which they found along
the route.
Trucks loaded with soldiers were
sent in pursuit by Colonel George II.
McMaster, provost marshal, and Lieu
tenant Jerry Dugan, his assistant, of
Camp Funston.
An explosion was heard about mid
night by Charles Say, night telephone
operator at Milford. Laater he saw
three men Crouching near the door of
the State bank. He Immediately
spread the alarm. The second explo-
sion occurred just as the citizens an
swering the alarm approached the
bank. They were armed with pistols
and shotguns. One of the robbers
fired through plate glass window and
this was followed by a shot from an
other one of the band. The third ban
dit tampered with the lock. Several
charges Of explosives were fired by
one of the men while his companions
held off the crowd.
This continued until o'clock, when
the men made their escape through a
rear door Of the bank and fled to the
Union Pacific railroad tracks and
seized handcar and soon afterward
left 1t for the motor car.
Surrounding towns reported that a
large black motor car without a IL
cense had passed through.
X X
Stolen Sugar Breaks Wagon.-Twen-
ty-six 1OO-pound sacks of stolen cane
sugar valued at $3.50 a sack, were
| found by the police of Wichita on a
wagon which had broken down in the
street. Bloodstains near the wagon
were taken to mean that either the
thief or the horse drawing the load
was severely injured in the accident.
X X X
New Wheat Is Up.-Much wheat
sown early is up. Preparations are
being made to pasture it little later.
A great deal of wheat Is yet to be
sown, but the ground is in condition
for it. The wheat that is up is of good
stand
II
Murder by ExpIosion.-T Domin-
go, an engineer on a threshing ma
chine owned by Thomas Dryden, was
arrested at Hutchinson charged with
murder. He left the engine at Hazleton,
in Barber county, and it exploded, kill
ing W. S. Bramwell, a harvest hand,
who fired it up.
first miller of Wichita, who has been
in the milling business there forty
three years, sold his mill and eleva-
tor in the north part Of the city to the
Stevens Scott Elevator Company for
$4,000.
X
Kansas MINE Brings SoO,UUO.-The
Hickel mine, three miles south Of Bax-
ter Springs, is said to have been sold
twice recently For the first transfer
Mr.. Hickel received $4,000 from Okla
homa City people. The second consid-
Grafton is said to have been $4,000
X
Wagon crushes Farmer.-Bernie
Comfort, % years old, son of farm
er, was killed the other night when
he fell from load of alfalfa and both
wheels of the heavy wagon passed
over his body.
X X
Dearth of School Books.-Because
the state printing plant cannot keep
up with the demands for school books
there is boog famine in rural schools
of Atchison county. In one rural school
there is only one grammar for nine.
teen pupils and in some branches
there are no textbooks at all.
X X X
Leavenworth Educator Dead.-Rob-
ert ]. Morgan, for the last sixteen
years clerk of the board Of education
at Leavenworth and among the most
widely known educators in Kansas, is
dead following an illness Of three days. |