Evening star., 1932-01-03
SIX OFFICERS SLAIN
BYDESPERADOESIN
FARM HOUSE FIGHT
Posse of Nearly 1000 Hunts
Murder Suspect and Two
Brothers.
BATTLE IN MISSOURI
LASTS FOR TWO HOURS
Killers Believed to Have Eluded
Searchers and Fled Into
Ozark Mountains.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo, January a.
Six peace officers we're slain and three
others wounded at a farm house near
here this afternoon when they at
tempted to arrest a band Of despera-
does.
The slayers, believed to be three in
number, escaped to the hills after a
two-hour battle with posse.
The dead: Sheriff MARCEL Hendrix,
Chief of Detectives Tony Oliver, Detec-
tive Ollie Crosswhite, Detective Sidney
Meadows, Deputy Sheriff Wiley Mash
burn and Charles Fouser, police patrol
driver.
The wounded: Detective Virgil
johnson, Detective Oren Brown and
Officer Frank Pike.
The fugitives are Harry Young, 25,
ex-convict, wanted for the Staying of
Marshal Mark Noe of Republic, Mo,
more than two years ago. and his two
brothers, Paul and Jennings Young.
Attempt to Fire House.
A posse including hastily deputized
citizens and members Of the Spring
field unit Of the Missouri National
Guard-nearly 1000 in al-was scour-
ing the Ozark countryside in search of
the killers.
The shootings began when Sheriff
Hendrix, suspecting that Harry Young
had returned TO the community after
two years in hiding, Wen to the Young
farm, accompanied by other officers.
As Deputy Mashburn kicked in the
door, some one in the house opened
fire and Mashburn fell, seriously wound
ed. Sheriff Hendrix and Detective
Chief Oliver were also fatally shot be-
fore johnson, himself wounded. escaped
in an automobile to summon reinforce
n1ent&.
The entire police force Of Spring
field was rushed to the scene: Citizens
ana Guardsunen augmented the attack
ing forces, which advanced under cover
Of nightfa1 to recover the bodies of the
six officers.
Attempt to Fire House.
Members Of the posse, enrsged by the
slayings, attempted to set fire to the
house but were dissuaded By State
patrolmen and other officers. A search
of the house disclosed the killers had
escaped and a hunt through the sur
rounding region began.
Detective johnson, describing the en-
counter at the farm house, said he was
at Mashburn's side when the latter was
fired upon with sawed-of shotgun at
pointblank range. He also told Of see
ing Hendrix and Oliver shot down in
similar fashion by men firing from the
building.
The first intimation to authorities
that Harry Young might have returned
to his home came earlier in the day
when deputies arrested his two attrac-
tive young sisters, Vinita and Loretta
Young, as they we're trying to sell an
automobile. They denied Harry was in
the vicinity, claiming the machine be
longed to another brother, Paul. But
officers were not CONVINCED.
r. L. Bumgarner of Bowers Hill was
arrested near the shooting scene and
held as a suspect. He was brought to
the county jail here but authorities ad-
mitted that they had no evidence
against Bumgarner except that he was
acting "suspiciously."
Search for Young has been going on
since the Staying Of Noe, 4O-year-
old marshal, at Republic, 16 miles
southwest of here and not far from
the scene Of today's shooting.
Noe was killed the night of June 2,
1929, but his body was not found until
the next morning by the side of little
used road He had been shot three
times, twice in the head and once in
the right arm near the elbow. Discov-
cry of Noes body was made by q
brother of Sheriff Hendrix, who was
killed today.
~. ornnCtaI Vp11nu anH OVAL
IaFollette, who were creating a disturb
ance, and climbed into their car to take
them to a justice Of the peace for ar
raignment. The car had travelled about
CONTINUED on Page 2, Column g.