Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1925-05-23
Two Men "SIug''
Sheriff and Escape
Pair Wanted at Ashland Make Their
Getaway After Beating Sheriff
Into Inconsistencies.

Scores of armed men, including
the Hurley police force and the high
way patrol, secured the woods and
brush west of the cty yesterday
forenoon in search of two men who
"slugged" Sheriff Robt. Erspamer
while he was taking them to Jail,
beat him into Inconsistencies and
escaped.
Up to noon yesterday the men had
not been recaptured, although the
police were confident that they
would be apprehended before the
day was over.
Sheriff Erspamer is confined to
his room at the county Jail suffering
from severe decorations on the right
side of his face and bruises about the
head. Two of his fingers were also
lacerated. No serious results are
expected, however.
The sheriff received word from
Ashland Thursday night that the
Ashland county sheriff's Dodge car
had been stolen and that the
culprits were headed towards Hur-
ley Early yesterday morning
Sheriff Erspamer noticed two men
driving a Dodge car towards Iron
wood. Instead of taking the usual
travelled highway they were driving
by way of the north side The
sheriff took after them in his car
and placed them under arrest He
placed handouts on them, ordered
them to get into his own car and with
himself at the wheel sta ted to drive
to the county Jail
Just after they reached the Jail
building the men beat the sheriff
over the head, the blows rendering
Ersparner unconscious. They then
took the sheriff's gun, jumped from
the car and made their way through
the fields west of the city.
The men were handcuffed to-
gether, with ring on one hand of
each man, and il is believed that they
struck the sheriff with the handouts.
The fact that they are handcuffed
should make their efforts at escape
more difficult
At six o'clock yesterday morning
Chief of Police John Gersich was
called by phone at his home and
requested to come to the county jail
at once After being apprised Of
what had happened he Immediately
started pursuit of the men. Persons
in the vicinity of farms west of the
city declared that they had seen the
men pass that way. Others joined
/ i'm the chase and reinforcements
were expected from Ashland It is
/ believed that the men went into hid
ing and would not attempt to get out
of the country until darkness. The
names of the men could not be
! learned.
The sheriff's car crashed against
the Jail building after he was
rendered unconscious and unable TO
control it.
Chief Gersieh declared yesterday
that he believed Sheriff Erspamer
sensed the trouble and that he fired
/ shot before he was "slugged," for
/ there was the marx OF Dutlet IN one
of the cushions of the car 1t is
also quite probable that the men
grabbed the gun away from the
sheriff after he fired the shot and
used the butt of the weapon to beat
him with They are believed to be
+, desperate characters. The stolen
car was recovered and is at the couu-
ty Jail awaiting the arrival Of the
Ashland county sheriff.
The decorations on two Of the
sheriff's fingers are the result Of
being bitten by the men, indicating
that a struggle must have taken place
in the car before the sheriff was
overpowered One Of his fingers
has teeth marks in it and the cuts
are quite deep.