THE BANDITS OF CHICAGO.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 383, 7 May 1910, Page 10

THE BANDITS OF CHICAGO.

AX AMAZING STORY OF CRIME AND POLICE BRAVERY. Lawlessness becomes fairly rampant at times on the other side of the "Herring Pond." Not even in the annals ol the Wild West, however—when, in days gone by, men shot one another on sight for trirlling differences of opinion, and then treated the sheriff who went to arrest the murderer to a dose of leadcan such a story of crime and bloodshed he found as that concerning the bandits of Chicago, who were executed about six years ago. It furnishes, too, a striking illustration of the perils of the American detective and at what terrible cost he performs his duties at times. Early on the morning of August 30th, 1903, three young bandits walked into the sheds of the Chicago City Railway Company and held up the cashier for the night's earnings. In so doing they murdered two men and wounded two others. Thirty minutes later they were sitting in the underbrush of Jackson Park waiting for the day to bring light enough to divide the plunder. Then they calmlv hoarded a. street-car, rode over to the west side, read in the early morning papers the account of their exploit, and chuckled over the reward of iiOOOdols. offered for their capture.

AUTOMATIC REVOLVERS. It Avas the climax to a number of other audacious and merciless outrages, and the police strained every nerve to find the guilty bandits. At first the task of running the murderers to earth seemed hopeless. The only clues were certain exploded cartridges which proved that automatic revolvers had been used. The same kind of shells had been found at the scene of several others hold-ups, and since this weapon was new to the highwayman industry, ,the police naturally concluded that the same persons were responsible for all the crimes.

Then out of the clear sky came the thunderbolt of discovery, A young man named Gustave Marx, who had been drinking heavily, showed an automatic revolver in a saloon, and boasted that the police could not take him alive. Chief of Police O'Neil detailed Detectives Quinn and Blaul to arrest Marx. At a saloon which he frequented they found this young man. He was met, self-contained, and master of himself. Apparently he had nothing to conceal from the world, but when the detectives stated their mission his true nature flared out.

A STRUGGLE FOR LIFE. There was a sudden gleam of steel, a flash, a report, and Detective Quinn pitched forward in his tracks, dead. Blaul was saved only by a hitch in the working of the weapon. Before Marx could right the defect in ,the mechanism Blaul was grappling with him for dear life. Assistance came to the detective, and he succeeded in securing his man. In Marx the police felt confident they had secured one of the murderous gang of bandits who had terrorised Chicago for months. It having been arranged among the bandits that if any member of the gang were caught the rest were to dynamite the prison to secure his escape. Marx grew moody and bitter when he found no rescue >was attempted, and concluded that his accomplices had deserted him. Perhaps in pique, perhaps in fear, Jie blurted out the full story of the robbery and murder at the sheds of the Chicago City Railway Company. Thus the police discovered that there were four in the gang—Gustave Marx, Peter Niedemier, Harvey Van Dine, and Emil Roeski.

Ultimately the police tracked the last three to some rough country in Indiana, wiiere they were living in a small dugout on a hill-top which commanded the approach from the railway embankment below.

Conceding themselves behind 'trees and bushes as best they could, the police returned the fire that was opened upon them. Suddenly, through the smoke, two men ran crouching from the dug-out. One of them, Emil Roeski, sped away in flight, but Rarvey Van Dine, the second outlaw, was made of different stuff. He had been a soldier in Cuba, and had seen service in the Philippines. He retreated slowly, step ■by step, keeping up a withering fire meanwhile.

A minute later Niedemier emerged from the hut. The two young desperadoes were not in the least excited by the firing, but backed away toward the tracks of tlie Michigan Central Railway, the revolvers in each of their hands speaking steadily. Detective Zimmer exposed himself slightly, and Van Dine shot him through the arm. Before he fell to the ground another bullet from Van Dine's revolver entered his head.

Hampered as they were with killed and.wounded, the police were obliged to give up the chase for the moment. Van Dine and Niedemier cut across the country till they reached the track of the Pennsylvania Railway. Here they boarded a switch engine which lav on the side track, and compelled the driver to run them down the line. The fireman attempted to grapple with them and was shot dead. Now, however, the whole countryside was aroused. Hundreds of men were in pursuit, and ultimately the two bandits were obliged to abandon the engine and take to .t swamp. Here they were sighted by the pursuers, who turned loose a volley of bird-shot upon the weary refugees, which caught Niedemier full in the face, while Van Dine received his share in the hands, face and throat.

SURRENDER! "The game's up," said Niedemier, and Van Dine nodded a surly assent. Mile two thereupon emerged from their shelter and surrendered. That night they sat before Major Harrison and Chief of Police O'Neil, calmly confessing their share in the four months' war which they had just finished waging on society. Marx and Niedemier, posing as desperadoes of the worst kind, even confessed to murders which they did not commit. Yet it is probable that Niedemier, as a boy of fifteen, shot a detective in Ontario tor ordering him from the top of a freight train.

In prison Niedemier made two attempts to commit suicide, but he did not succeed; and ultimately he, together with Marx and Van Dine, was executed, •while Roeski received a life sentence. Thus the curtain was rung down on one of the most amazing episodes in the history of Chicago; for, including themselves, eleven lives had been sacrificed to pay the penalty of their wild attempts to disregard the laws of society.