, 1922-06-22

thooi q Il AkiSVt ~
front. SO hit for the weeds. From
then on l had innumerable close
calls, but always managed to get
away until l was finally captured
Saturday. My first close shave after
getting away from my home was
when I was hidden in the weeds near
the Old Peoples Home. and two boys
came along. l knew that they had
seen me, although they showed theii
wisdom by walking straight ahead
and not peeping. However. just as
soon as they had passed. l got up
and walked in the opposite direction
and then the chase was on, I had a
couple other close calls at Omaha,
but the closest was when I was hid
den in the weeds and the bulls were
close to me. A motorcycle cop.
armed with . riot gun, walked with
lin two feet Of me with his gun
pointed down. He saw me and also
saw that I had . AZ pointed directly
At his heart. 1 put my fingers on my
lips as . sign for him to keep still
and motioned for him to 90 ahead.
There's one smart cop In Omaha and
that ia this man, who kept moving
rand evidently kept his mouth
tight shut, as I remained where I
was for some little time and was
tnot discovered, although at one
six inches from where I was laying.
Exclaimed, I'm so nervous: I'm afraid
that crazy man is near me-" When
It got dark I slipped out of the
weeds and stole a Ford in which I
went to Lincoln, where I had lived
before and where I knew the city
thoroughly.
when living in Lincoln before,
there was a woman named Violet
Dingman rooming in the anne house
as l did. I was going under the
same name in Lincoln then as I did
at Omaha. I thought I was safe in
Lincoln, but when walking down the
street, I heard a woman yell to fiv
OF six lei to grab me as / was
wanted. This woman was Violet
Dingman. Knowing the streets were
no place to argue with five or six
men l made a break, but the crowd
continually increased, and there
must have been two or three thous-
and in 1t within a few minutes. I
lodged into a house and stuck up a
man named Ryan. l told him to
keep absolutely still as it was a case
Of either him or me passing out, and
II it was to be me he would be first.
This man Ryan was a pretty sensible
guy and didn't give me a bit of
trouble. He was another big stiff,
too. I had him dead to rights,
though, SO he had to be good. The
mob was all around the house. but
they weren't sure that l was in it. I
when 1t got dark, and decided that
the best way would be to open the
front door and go the way they
wouldn't expect me to. After staying
in the house with Ryan about four
hours l left the front door Just at
dusk and slipped acros the street. I
only passed one person, and that was
a woman who didn't recognize me
at all.
II amt admitting hat I shot two
officers who surprised MI at Lincoln.
I amt even admitting that I vas sur
prtsed. In fact, l was never sur
prised once from the time l started
my escape from Omaha until the
posse slipped up behind me when ]
was stuck in the irrigation ditch
north of Medicine Bow.
"Ill say here that II a man wants
to escape from anywhere he better
use a Ford as I went from Omaha to
Lincoln in a Ford right along the
main highway; passed all kinds of
officers, and was never suspected.
Just take a Ford and change licenses
as I did, Is the bulls won't give you
credit for knowing enough to steal a
car and then change licenses. I
didn't stop at garages or filling sta
tions, but secured a lot Of. gas by
draining cars, and I also broke into
a 10 ~ antn ra~n~4 4~I R,- 80
Of gas there.
after being recognised in Lin
coin, I figured that the best place
to go would be in the Medicine Bow
country, where I could hide out I'M
til the excitement blew over. So I
stole another Ford, changed licenses,
and struck across country, keeping
off the main highway as much as
possible and securing oil and gas in
my usual manner. I reached North
Platte all right and decided that I
deserved a better car, and as Dodge's
are quite common and not notice.
able, I stole one there. The car was
a dandy. but the two front tires
were rather bodily worm. I followed
the Lincoln Highway from North
Platte to Sidney, where I camped in
the hills"
When asked II he considered his
experience at Sidney as one of his
close calls, the wounded man smiled
and said:
THE Sidney experience was one Of
great pleasure to me. and I gave
those boobs who came out for me a
good time. There raj only four Of
ith44n, sol didn't have much trouble.
Simply stuck them up and tied the
two men with their own suspenders
and tore up an old blouse in the car
and tied the boys with that. The
sheriff neve touched the gun in the
car, although he grabbed for It Just
after I did. I left them tied up aft
er going through their pockets, TAX