The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1922-08-31
PRISONERS
CAPTURED IN
GUN BATTLE
Negro Is Killed as Man Hunt
Comes to End-Forman
and TeeI Are
Wounded
The man hunt Is over.

~cornfielG liz miles north OF Wall, s. D.,
at the borderland of the Black Hills
khen a pursuing yposse overlook the
our convicts and a battle ensued,
concluding the terrorizing drive OF the
men over South Dakota. After II was
over, Henry Coffee, the negro, was
dead: Joe Forman, ~ringleader of the
gang, a been captured after being
severely injured and the other two,
Joe Teel and ]. B.. King, had surren-
dered to the authorities.
Through three counties the convicts
had streaked yesterday. during which
they severely wounded a county off
Cial and injured two others in a clash
near Stamford.
Rifle Hats Wild Flight
Their mad flight was halted north
of Wall when a crackshot from a
sheriff's rifle killed Coffee and the
car tumbled into the ditch. The 9TH
er three convicts scurried into a corn
field along the road but with the
sheriff's party reinforced, they soon
were routed out and captured.
Ii is said that the last convict to be
captured had begged his companions
to shoot him rather than to permit
his surrender.
Airplanes circling overhead, blood
hounds straining at their leases ready
to go and armed posses, headed by
state and county officials marked the
end of the chase.
Yesterdays events formed a thrill
ing climax to one OF South Dakota's
most dramatic and spectacular man
hunts In which hundreds OF persons
have taken part and In which the trail
of the escaped men ha,i led them into
three different states. .
First Seen 81 Eur,lo
The first hot clcN OF yesterday de-
veloped at Murdo ~ Jones county
early yesterday morning. Kenneth
Peel, at 8 a. m, went down to the
Inent of hogs fer lop cling. Arriving at
the wards. he saw an old FORD mo-
tor car Nth a Nebraska license
plate, parked near the scales. He
told the lone occupant a negro. that
he would have to move the car so
that he could get his hogs on the
scale to weigh them.
Recognized Coffee
Peel recognized the man in the car
as Coffee, the escaped convict, but
went about his work as usual for a
few minutes until he could slip away
undetected and go up town TO get aid.
When he got up town, he learned
that someone had stolen tires from
h car of j. A. Robertson. He noti-
fled Robertson who in turn notified
States Attorney M. l.. Parish and
Sheriff ]. G. Babcock of Jones coun-
ty.
The three started for the stock
yards in Parish's car. Arriving there
and finding the men n car gone,
they started west on the main high
way in pursuit. About half a mile
east OF Stamford the p%ursuers found
a Ford a with four occupants stalled
in the road. The officers stopped and
talked a little while with the men In
the Ford and hen proceeded into
Stamford. Here they found that the
reason the Ford was stalled was be-
cause of lack of gasoline and oil. They
also learned that one of the men had
gone into the town to get these sup
plies but why he returned without
them could not be learned.
Went Back "a Car
Parish, Babcock and Robertson
then went back to the stalled Ford
and asked the men IL they could tow
them into the town.
stick 'em up shouted one OF the
convicts as the men came up to the
car.
The pursuers complied but when
ordered to walk over into a draw a
short distance from the road. Parish
resisted saying II would just as soon
be killed here as over in the draw"
Forman shoots Parish
He had no more than uttered the
sentence when he fell. Forman firing
a charge OF buckshot into his face
and shoulders. Both Babcock and
Robertson also were injured in the
bullet battle. The only guns that the
fugitives had were a shotgun and a
.22 calibre rifle.
After the three men had been shot,
they were forced over to the draw and
bound and gagged. Sheriff Babcock
was the only n of the trio armed.
His revolver and money were taken
away from him before he was bound.
Piled Hay Over Them
After the men had been left laying
I'm the draw for dead the bandits piled
hay over them TO prevent them from
being discovered. The sheriff o on
worked himself free. released the 9TH
ers inc Mastered II sn-aad the alarm.
News OF the merciless attack on
the Jones county officials spread like
a wild fire on the dry prairies OF the
open plains. Posses were hastily or
ganized everywhere. Cowboys from
Interior, gathered there in full regaiia
for the Frontier day celebration. took
the saddle as In the days OF old when
the horse thief roamed the plain. The
roads were a mass Of dust from fly
ing hoofs and scorching automobile
tires and the county needed the call
to battle.
in that country where men shoot
straight and die hard, where the out
.:- !s Stunned as a ~rattler, the c
ed prisoners made their last stand.
Headed West I'm Parish Car
After the attack on the ones coun-
ty men near Stamford the quartet
started west again in the automobile
they took from States Attorney Par
ish.
Telephone messages from Creigh-
ton, an inland town north a few miles
from Wall, reported that the fugitives
attempted to cross the Cheyenne river
bridge at that place but were forced
back. They then tried the ferryman
but he refused to take them across.
TRAIN HITS OPEN SWITCH;
THREE PERSONS INJURED