[Convicts detraining at their new “home.”]
Convicts detraining at their new “home.”
“Well, at last the time came. Bob, Pitts and Howard started for town
ahead, the scheme being that they should round up in the town square and
not go into the bank until the rest of the party joined them. It was fixed
that Miller and I should go on guard right at the bank, while the rest of
the gang was to wait at the bridge and listen for a pistol shot signal in
case they were wanted for help. We had it schemed out that as there were
no saddle horses around anywhere we could get off with a flying start and
get away before they could stop us, wrecking the telegraph office if
necessary to prevent any alarm being sent out by wire.”
“Whisky spoiled the whole plan. Between the time they left camp and
reached the bridge the men who went ahead got away with a quart of
whisky—the first time I had ever known Bob to drink, and as a matter of
fact, I didn’t know he had done so then until the day and its terrible
events were over. The blunder was that when these three men saw us coming,
instead of waiting for us to get up with them they slammed right on into
the bank regardless, leaving the door open in their excitement.”
“I was out in the street, pretending I was having trouble with my saddle.
Meantime I had told Miller to close up the bank door. A man named Allen,
who kept a store near by, was then trying to get into the bank, but Miller
foolishly shouted at him and told him to get away. Allen at once became
excited and saw that something was wrong, and ran off up the street
shouting to every one to get his gun, as the bank was being robbed.”
“A Dr. Wheeler, who saw that something was happening out of the ordinary,
began to yell ‘Robbery!’ Then I saw we were in for it, and would need all
the help we could get. I first called to Miller to come inside and get out
of harm’s way and then I fired a signal to the three men at the bridge for
them to come up and help us, as we had been trapped.”
“Chadwell, Woods and Jim came galloping up, and at the same moment that
they arrived I heard a shot fired inside the bank. The three boys were
firing their guns as they rode along, shouting to everybody they saw to
get out of the way and get indoors, but I am quite sure they never killed
anybody. My theory always has been that the man Gustafson, who was shot
down in the street, was struck by a glancing shot from some of the
citizen’s rifles, as they were out blazing away at this time.”
“Miller was then shot by a man named Stacy and his face filled full of
bird shot. A man named Manning killed Pitts’ horse, and, as a matter of
fact, the street was full of flying lead, coming from every direction. It
wasn’t long before I was wounded in the thigh by Manning, and the next
instant he shot Chadwell through the heart.”
“Dr. Wheeler, from an upper floor of a hotel, got a bead on Miller and
brought him down, so that he soon lay dying in the middle of the street.
Every time I saw a man pointing a gun at me I dropped off my horse and
tried to drive the shooter under cover, but there were so many of them,
and I couldn’t see in every direction, so I soon found out that, wounded
as I was, I was helpless. Meanwhile there was a tragedy going on inside
the bank.”
[Reproduction of finger print system in vogue at the Minnesota state
prison]