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Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott
for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/
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Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott
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The L'Anse Sentinel
Saturday, October 21, 1899

                              BANDIT HOLZHAY

                      He is Now one of the Most Trusted
                        Convicts in Marquette Prison.

           R. Holzhay, the once dreaded bandit, has become one of the
         most trusted convicts in the Marquette prison. The Milwaukee
         Evening Wisoconsin says that a picture of the Marquette prison
         has been received by a young man of that city. on the back of
         the picture are written the following words:
           "The photographer of this picture is a convict in the
         Marquette branch. He was at one time one of the incorrigibles,
         but, at present, is the best behaved convict in the prison.
         He is the librarian and professor of the school." On the front
         side of the card, under the picture, are the words: "Adminis-
         tration building, Marquette prison, R. Holzhay, photographer."
           The reader will be surprised to learn that this Holzhay,
         "photographer, librarian and professer, is none other than the
         daring deserado "Holzhay," who, seven or eight years ago, held
         up the driver of a stage coach on the Gogebic range, killing
         one of the passengers who showed fight. He afterwards held
         up several trains, one of them being a train on the Milwaukee
         & St. Paul road. His modis operandi was to go through the
         coaches single-handed, relieve the passengers of their money
         and valuables, pull the bell-rope, and, after the train had
         come to a stand-still, quietly step off. He was arrested in
         Republic, Mich., tried, convicted and sent to the Marquette
         prison for life. One day he overpowered the guard, taking
         him by the throat with his left hand, while in the right he
         brandished a knife, which he had concealed about his person.
         Another guard stood near, but he could not fire at Holzhay
         for fear of hitting the guard with whom he was struggling,
         the prisoner managing to keep him covered with his body and
         threatening to stab guard No. 1 if No. 2 fired at him. Finally
         the prisoner's face being turned for a moment, guard No. 2
         managed to draw a bead on the hand in which Holzhay held a
         knife. He fired and hit his mark, carrying away three of the
         prisoner's fingers. After this episode, Holzhay became insane
         and was sent to an asylum. He recovered his reason and was
         again committed to prison. As stated above, he is now an
         exemplary convict. He is a great student and reads everything
         that comes into his hands. In moving about he always carries
         his right hand under his vest in such a way that the casual
         observer is led to believe that the missing fingers are
         simply hidden from view.

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