The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1923-09-06
OFFICERS SHOT
in GUN BATTLE
Huron Police Seriously Wounded
Saturday I'm Gun Battle With
Robbers Who Escape

Dotn police officers or Huron were
seriously injured in a gun battle with
two yeggs early Saturday morning,
Latest reports are that both men will
recover from their wounds.
The following report is from the
Huronite:
Shortly after / o'clock this morn
ing as Officer A. ID. Moray and W. III.
Van Tuyl were making their midnight
rounds In the police car, they noticed
an Iowa car parked on the north side
of Fourth street between Kansas and
Dakota, about midway between the
door of the First Methodist Episcopal
church and the alley back of the Fair
store.
Passing the car, they saw two men
i'm the front seat, and upon reaching
Kansas avenue, turned around and
went back, pulling their car along
side. MCKAY asked the occupants Of
the a what they were doing on the
street at that hour of the night. The
only reply vas a fussilade Of pistol
shots.
Five of the bullets took effect in
McRay's body, one struck Van Tuyl
in the right thigh, and several more
pierced the officers car. McRay was
rendered helpless with the first shot,
but Van Tuyl dropped to the pave
.ment and emptied his gun into the
.yegg's car.
Immediately following the shooting
the men ran across the street south
to the rear of the Parish House Of the
Grace Episcopal church, where they
emptied the shells from their guns
and reloaded, dropping a leather vest
in the meantime.
They then ran east, stopping at the
III. A. Portion home, 404 Iowa, the j.
w. Beranek home at SIS Oregon and
DR.. j. II. Mahaffey's home at 723
Fifth street, at all OF which places
they raped with the apparent nten-
ton of getting a driver for~the car
parked in front of each place.
They were scared off at each place,
and then continued east to the corner
OF Seventh and Utah.
At the residence OF Mark Kuni, 666
Utah avenue, the men found Mr.. Kuni
just putting his car in the garage.
They covered him with their guns and
ordered him to back his car out of
the garage and drive them out OF
town south, which he did after first
putting up fight with his wife and
neighbors looking on but powerless
to help.
Seven miles east of Woonsocket
Kuni was tied to a telephone post,
robbed and beaten, the gunner fee
ing eastward. Kuni released himself,
walked four miles west to a farm
house where he secured a car to take
him to Woonsocket, and there placed
the authorities on the trail of the
two men.
The last heard of the fleeing men
up to 2 o'clock this afternoon was at
Carthage, where at 2:45 this morn
ing they broke into a section house
on the railroad and helped themselves
to lubricating oil. The mayor of Car
tbage with u posse was out on the
hunt, saw a car two miles north OF
town with light CT and started in
pursuit. About as Dol as the chase
started the lights on the car ahead
were shut. off, and although several
hours was spent in looking for the
car, nothing could be found.
The car in which the two men were
seated when the gun battle started,
was taken charge of by the police. 1t
was found to contain a bottle with
about three unces of nitro-glycerine,
IS cops and fuses, a punch, cold
chisel and other tools used for blow
ing safes, a pair Of rubber gloves,
two search lights, a robe, two blan-
kC,s, a hat and a cap, shirts, two
pair cf khaki overalls, a handbag, and
a quantity of As calibre soft nosed
shells.
This paraphernalia, in the opinion
of local authorities, is responsible
for the fact that the men started
shooting Immediately they were ac-
ccsted by the police, as they knew
that with that stuff in their possess
ion, they were in for trouble.
Further light was thrown on the
subject when word raj received
from Sioux City that the owner of
the car was one Timothy j. Murphy
of Sioux City, who, Iowa authorities
were convinced. is a bank robber.
The auto was a Dodge touring car
and bore an Iowa number, 2-13606.
All numbers and points of description
on the car tailed with the license
plate on the cowl board of the car.