Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, November 26, 1909, Page 1

.~ THE BEMIDJI DAILY PIONEE SOCIETY. VOLUME 7. NUMBER 188. BEMIDJI, MINNESOTA, FRIDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 26, 1909. - FORTY CENTS PER MONTH. UNIDENTIFIED HIGHWAYMAN WAS KILLED; & PATROLMAN ALLAN BENNER, Whose Unerring Aim Brought a Murderous Yeggman to Earth, A desperate highwayman, whose identity is uncertain, wasshot and instantly killed, and Deputy Sheriff Andrew Johnson of this city was shot and dangerously, if not fatally, wounded ina bloody battle which 'was waged at the Great Northern . .overhead bridge, one mile west of Bemidji at4 o’clock this morning between two yeggmen who had blown a safe at Puposky, and Sheriff JA. B. Hazen, Deputy Sheriff Andrew " Johnson and Patrolman Allen Benner, who were attempting to capture the fleeing robbers. About 2:30 this morning a tele- : .phone message was received from Puposky stating that bandits- had blown the safe at the store of O. J. Laqua at Puposky, taking a consid- erable sum of money and had made their escape, going southward toward Bemidji, using a railroad speeder. Sheriff Hazen and Deputy Sheriff Johnson were notified and together with Night Patrolman Benner they went to the M., R. L. & M. over- head railroad bridge, a mile west of town, to intercept the bandits if they came as far as Bemidji on the speeder. Sheriff Hazen and Deputy Sheriff Johnson, who were armed with revolvers, concealed themselves on REASONS Why we should do your prescription work. You do not want a mistake made in your prescriptions. We double check every prescription and this makes an error impossible. This is the only drug store in the city having two regis- tered pharmacists. the registered man is at a There will be no mistake made while meal or off for the evening. There is a registered man here all the time. “We know how” to properly fill prescriptions. Our stock is always fresh. Our prices are lowest considering the quality of the goods. Watch Our Windows Postoffice Corner CORMONTAN & HANSON DRUGGISTS We Know How Bemidji,Minn. the high grade alongside the track on the north side of the bridge and Mr. Benner, armed with a rifle, took his station at the south end of the bridge. They had been at their stations less than five minutes when the speeder was heard coming down the track from the north. The night was very dark and foggy and is was impossible to see a great distance. However, the speeder was brought to within about 200 feet of the north end of the bridge when two men dismounted and walked in the direction of the bridge directly towards the sheriff and his deputy. When the men had reached a point about twenty feet from the bridee Deputy Johnson arose and leveling his gun ordered the men to throw up their hands. The deputy’s command was answered by two shots, one of which barely missed Sheriff Hazen’s head, the other shot striking Johhnson in the left shoulder, passing through the left lung and coming out of the body below the shoulder blade. Sheriff Hazen fired his revolver directly at the robber.. The two robbers im- mediately turned and started to run up the track in the direction from which they had come. Deputy Johnson fell to the ground with the remark, “I’m hit, AL” and the sheriff leaned over him. Allen Banner saw the shooting from the other end of the bridge, a distance of nearly 100 yards and he immedi- ately yelled to Hazen and his deputy to “lay down,” and they did. Ben- ner immediately opened fire on the fleeing desperadoes and at the fourth shot one of them jumped high in the air and pitched headlong off the high grade, lying still on the ground, after striking the earth. The two desperadoes returned Benner’s fire with interest, but the plucky patrolman was not hit, Benner continued to fire at the other robber as long as he could see a shadow, but the man jumped from the grade and made his escape in the darkness, dropping off his coat as he left the grade and going west- ward from Dr. Blakeslee’s farm. Benner rushed to where Johnson was lying and with Sheriff Hazen went to where the victim of Benner’s rifle lay and examined the body of the man who had been shot. The highwayman was killed, the bullet having entered the back of his head and come out of his right eye, in- stantly ending his career. The telephone at Dr. Blakeslee’s Don't fail to iVeliéf Model D Touring 'Car.. “a World Beater” E.A.BA see this car. RKER, To insure prompt Delivery, your order should be in now. 217 Third Street Bemidji, Minnesota DEPUTY SHERIFF ANDREW JOHSON, Plucky Officer Who Was Dangerously Wounded by Yeggman, At 4 o'clock this afternoon, Dr. Gilmore reported to the Pioneer that Deputy Johnson was resting quite easily at that time; that his respira- tion was better, and that he was rallying somewhat, but would not predict that Mr. Johnson would recover; there was some hope of recovery, however. farm was used and word sent to the city of the battle and its disastrous ending. A small posse of men hurried to the bridge, and while some started on the trail of the fleeing robber, others rushed Deputy Johnson to St. Anthony’s hospital, where it .was ascertained that he was dangerously wounded and small hope was given for his recovery. Other posses were organized and soon the entire country west of Be- midji for several miles was being thoroughly searched by armed men who were determined to kill the desperate robber, should he be found and refuse to surrender. The fire bell was rung and when a crowd had gathered at the city hall volunteers offered to assist in pro- longing the search for the companion of the dead robber who was still at large. The crowd was taken to the armory and equipped with the late “'big guns” of the militia and all the ammunition each could carry, and started westward ‘‘man-hunting.” One posse, with S.C. Bailey at the escaped robber from the railroad track to a point within two miles of Wilton, when all trace of the trail was lost, it appearing that the man had either went south or attempted toreturnto Bemidji over the G. N. tracks. Another posse, which started from Bemidji walked the entire dis- tance to Wilton and late this after- noon one of the posse telephoned that they struck a trail leading from a point where the robber was sup- posed to have turned off into Wilton and that they believed he had gone south from there; and that they would pursue this trail and ascertain fora certainty who made the foot- prints. The description of the robber'who is at large is given as a man being quite tall and wearing a sandy mustache. What kind of clothes he is wearing is not known. Police officers in all cities and towns of - northern Minnesota have been telegraphed or telephoned to be on the watch for a man answering the description given of the escaped robber, and it is likely that he will be captured before tomorrow morn- ing. When he left the-track at the Blakeslee farm he was armed with a heavy-calibre rifle, but it is likely that he will have thrown this away DANGEROUSLY S Desperate Battle Between Fleeing Yeggmen, and Sheriff A. B. Hazen, Deputy Andrew John- son and City Patrc_)lman Allan Benner. the head, trailed the footprints of|] HOT in order to travel faster. The body of the dead robber was brought to Corner - Ibertson’s morgue, where the face was cleaned and an attempt made to identify the man. Several people claiming they had seen him before and a number agreeing that his name was “Jim” Smith; that he had visited Bemidji frequently during the last three years but whose exact occupa- tion had never been known. An examination of the body of the dead robber revealed a bullet wound in the fleshy part of the stomach, which was undoubtedly inflicted by a shot from Sheriff Hazen’s revolver. The bullet’ entered the right side of the stomach and passed through the front part of the abdomen, com- ing out on the left side, inflicting a serious but not necessarily fatal wound. The wound in the head had literally blown out the brains of the dead man and obliterated his right eye, causing instant death. contained a quantity of edibles, sev-|Section of the country. When they were called on to halt, { eral pairs of socks, etc., for the evi-| In the pockets of the coat worn at the bridge, the robbers had in|dent use of the two men on their|bY the dead man were found a map, in their possession a sack which !journey in gettidg away from this [Continued on Last Page.] SHERIFF A. B, HAZEN, Who “Plugged" the Dead Yeggman, and Narrowly Missed Bullet Aimed at His Own Head. Visit This Exclusive Women's and Chil- dren’s Store. and Underwear WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN'S READY-TO-WEAR GARMENTS T he constant inflow and outflow of new fashions is one of the interesting things about this store. The constantly moving trade doesn’t let things stay long here and as fast as early arrivals find their way to wearers—other and different things come from the best makers of the east to take their place. Fashionable Garments The fact that we offer you the widest selection of fine gar- ments in this part of the country, embracing only the highest quality, and at fairer prices (quality for quality considered) than you are able to buy them for at any other Bemidji estab- lishment, should be an inducement for you to at least come and see them. Coats Many clever models, in rich Broadcloths and a variety‘of nobby Coarse Weaves, so stylish this season, the Rough Twine Weaves, Basket Cloths, Diagonals, Wales and Homespuns. You can pay as little as $11.25 for very “smart” looking ones— and the showing at $15, $18, $22 to $38, afford wide selections of strictly new modes. Smart Little Dresses Of Broadcloth, Serge, Panama, Venetian, Taffeta A wide range of the season’s newest models in the pre- vailing shades. They are sensible, serviceable and stylish. Prices, $15, $18, $20, $22 to $35. Every woman in this. city who recognizes the difference in the classes of Ready Made Garments, knows the standard of merchandise sold by this firm, knows the bona fide char- acter of our sales, knows the prestige of the label as regards style, quality and fit. Kimonas and Bathrobes Full-length styles in Silk, Crepe and Pressed Flannel; Empire or Princess style—$2.50 to $15. Ladies’ Union Suits Silk and Wool, Merino, Mercerized, Fleeced Lined and Swiss Ribbed. Prices, $1, $1.50, $2, $2.25, $3, $3.50 Italian Silk Underwear Separate peice garments, White and Colors, $3.50 Silk Hose—Black and Colors. New and dainty shades. $1.50 and up. OUR: Label protects you absolutely in every purchase, for we are here | to stand by our already eamed reputation and build future business. 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