Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-02-27
OUTLAWS CREATE
REIGN Of TERROR
NEAR NEW CASTLE
Engaged in Thrilling Episode
Early Today, Which Brought
Them to Grief.
ONE SHOT, TWO ARRESTED

After thrilling gun duel, in which che
officers hiumphcd, Pennsylvania railroad
and New Castle police and citv officers.
including Mayor Cavender, early today,
a short distance below New Castle,
arrested Wilson Truitt and " illiam
Peterson on a number of serious charges.
and, following the hearing, which took
place at Mayor Caycndcr's y Office, III New
Castle, ut $50 O'Clock this morning, the
prisoners were taken To the workhouse
in the mayors car, Trui't having been
held in 81 600 bail and Pet rson IN 81 600
The prisoners are charged with tanper.
ing with railroad safety devices, carrying
concealed deadly weapons, assaultlng u
railroad crossing watchman, resisting
arrest and asSaultIng officers oi the
peace
They appear to have gone on > rampage
in and nea' New Castle last night and 10
have created n reign OF terror among the
people with whom they came IN contact,
while they are said to have put some OF
the railroad signals there out OF business,
thus jcopardiging the train service ON the
Delaware railroad at that point. After
they had been cornercd by the officers
Tnntt showed fight and is alleged to have
fired two shots at the officers, but his
companion seems To have contented
himself in an effort to conceal himself m
a freight car, IN which he did not succeed.
In the fight, 1rmtt got the worst oi the
argument, sustaining two bullet wounds.
one between the thrd and fourth fingers
on the right hand and the other on the
exterior Of the stomach None oi the
officers was injured
CREATE REIGN or TERROR
The two men. who came originally from
Pittsviile. Md, hut who had been cm-
plnyed hy the bethlehem Steel Go, at
the projcctile plant, below New Castle
making their home IN that vicinity
are alleged 10 have started out about 10
o'clock last night on what seemed To be
a mission of mischief Trultt ls said to
have carried IS calhrc revolver
They first appeared at the railroad watch
hox NJ Ninth and Young streets, New
Castle near the Delaware railroad station.
NJ about 1915, where they are said 10
have b gun 'skvlarklng which caused
High Finnegan, tho crossing watchman.
Ia demonstrate with them. Finnegan.
VINO IS 80 years old, was assaulted, pre-
sumaby with the butt OF revolver, and
knocked down, though not seriously
hurt
Next the men are alleged 10 have gone
TO the railroad tracks a short distance
from tho station, where they began
removing oil from the switch signal lights
Next, il Is alleged they proceeded south
and did the same thing, cxtlngulshing
thc switch lights leading into the plants
of the American Manganese Steel Co,
and the Bethlehem Steel Co. Next they
appear 10 have gone further down the
road to what is known rs the Black sand
pit, where they built FIRE, presumably
with oily waste taken from journal boxes
on freight cars which were standing
nearby.
OFFICERS ON The TRAIL.
Watchman Finnegan and others, who
were alarmed over the mems actions,
hv this time had reported the matter
to the New Castle and Pennsylvania
railroad police Detective Palmer Of
the Pennsylvania railroad force was
quickly sent down from Wilmington
being joined at New Castle by Policemen
Clarence Palmer and c. W NIckerson
and Mayor Cavender Of that city, the
latter placing his touring car at the dis
posal OF the officers
STARTS GUN DUEL.
Some Of the officers went in one direc-
ton and some In another, the party
securing the country for a trace Of the
men, who seem 10 have disappeared
after committing the acts referred to
above. Detective Palmer and Police
man Palmer, who were together walking
down the railroad tracks, first came across
the outlaws around their fire in the Black
sand pit Detective Palmer commanded
Truitt, who was the only one in sight,
Peterson having disappeared, to throw
up his hands. Instead of doing so
Truitt whipped out a revolver and began
to shoot in the direction Of the officers,
but his aim was bad The officers
closed in on hum and Detective Palmer
grappled with him, while Policeman
Palmer, fearing Peterson might cause
trouble, began a search for him The
detective and Truitt, while wrestling at
the top of a 15-foot embankment, lost
their balance and rolled to the bottom,
with Truitt on top Realizing the adj
vantage this gave Tr,ntt, the officer shot,
the bullet passing through the right band
between the bird and fourth fingers
This did not deterTrtitt and a second shot
was fired, the bullet plowing furrow
across his stomach, making superficial
wound about six inches long Truitt
surrendered after this and he was hand
cuffed.
Meanwhile Policeman Palmer had
found Peterson hiding in a nearby
freight car He was quite meek, however
and offered ~no resistance. The two
prisoners were loaded in the car Of Mayor
Cavender, who, with Policeman Nicker-
son, had come up by this time, and fol-
lowing hearing at the mayors office,
they were taken to the workhouse, being
held jointly in $4,000 bail to await the
action of the grand jury.