Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2014 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ ========================================================================= USGenNet Data Repository NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization. Non-commercial organizations desiring to use this material must obtain the consent of the transcriber prior to use. Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== LUDINGTON RECORD APPEAL, Ludington, Mich. Thursday, November 9, 1905 ESCAPE AFTER A HOT CHASE ------------------------ PURSUIT OF POSTOFFICE BURGLERS ENDS IN FIASCO OFFICERS EXCHANGED SHOTS Race Through Mason County Terminates In Close Range Encounter - Birds Have Flown, There were a few days of genuine excitement in Mason county last week following the post office robbery Wednesday night. The robbers of whom there were two, after securing $950 worth of stamps and cash, traveled on foot across country and finally made good their escape after a most exciting chase. The men were first seen by Mrs. Parmalee at Amber station Thursday morning where they applied for food. She reported the incident to the officers and Sheriff Tufts, accompanied by Deputies Laidlaw, Wilkins and Charles Brown, immediately took up the chase. The Scottville officers were also notified and Thursday afternoon Constable Frank Costello left Scottville walking east on the railroad track. He was alone and armed only with a revolver. He had proceeded barely a mile when he encountered two men sitting by the road side. He accosted them and engaged in a conversation with them, when sudden- ly the strangers whipped out revolvers and covered the constable. He was immediately disarmed and com- pelled to act as guide for the fugitives. Costello's Friends Worried. They walked across the fields to Chinnery's place where they secured a boat and rowed across the Pere Marquette river. They detained Mr. Costello for about five hours, compelling him to accompany them through the woods. They then returned his gun and gave him two dollars in money telling him to go home. The con- stable reported the occurrence a few minutes later and relieved the the anxiety of his friends which had been occasioned by his prolonged absence. Following this clue a posse of half a dozen officers proceeded south of Scottville in search of the robbers. They were seen Friday morning in the vicinity of Wiley having stolen a horse and buggy from R. A. Saxton dur- ing the night and driven several miles. In the morn- ing the farmer found his horse covered with foam at the barn door, the animal having returned alone. Ben Barnett Gives Clue. By this time the officers were hot on the chase and telephones in Custer and Eden townships were kept ring- ing constantly. Nothing further developed however un- til Friday night when Ben Barnett reported seeing two strangers at Branch. Following this lead, the entire posse of officers in charge of Postoffice Inspector W. E. Martin of Traverse City, took the train to Baldwin. At Baldwin they separated, the inspector with Charles Brown of this city walking west on the railroad track, and the other officers taking positions near by, keep- ing a close watch of all trains. Brown and the inspector had proceeded barely a mile from Baldwin when they heard footsteps down the track, although in the darkness nothing could be seen. They immediately concealed themselves behind a pile of ties and waited. When the two men were about 40 feet dis- tant they were commanded to halt. Instead of doing this however, they at once fired with their revolvers and the officers returned the fire. Brown had a shot gun loaded with buck shot and fired five times at the bandits. The inspector had a 44 caliber revolver and he also fired several shots, but the daring postofficer burglers had no intention of being thus easily captured, for one of them took to the woods on the north side and the other on the south side of the track, and in a few moments had made good their escape. Inspector's Hasty Action Criticized. The action of Brown and the inspector in halting the men before they had passed them has been severely criticized, since Deputy Laidlaw and Wilkins were barely 150 feet further away, and had the robbers been allowed to proceed in that direction a short distance they would have been surrounded and undoubtedly taken. As it was they made good their escape and Saturday night the entire posse of officers returned to Ludington abandoning the chase. After the shooting on the track near Baldwin the officers found both overcoats which the strangers had left in their hasty retreat. In one of the overcoats several dollars worth of nickles were found and in the other one there were numerous shot holes. There is no question as to the identity of the men but probably neither of them was seriously injured and without doubt they are safely anchored many miles from Luding- ton by this time. =========================================================================== If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access more of our growing collection of FREE online information by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/ ===========================================================================