TALES OF ADVENTURE

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 170, 19 July 1924, Page 24

TALES OF ADVENTURE

THE POKER BANDITS.

By CHARLES TRUSCOTT.

Every now and again even the quietest communities find themselves up against real trouble. This is what happened at the Red Deer Lumber Company's camp in Manitoba, whore was staged a "hold-up" that led to one of the most exciting nnd tragic man-hunts in the history of the Province.

The time was 3.30 on the morning of Sunday, the 19th of September, 1920; the scene was the main bunkhouse of the Red Deer Lumber Company's camp on the Red Deer River, eight or nine miles from the village of Barrows, Manitoba. Inside the bunkhouse a number of lumberjacks and other woodsmen were engaged in a quiet game of poker, whilst in the bunks, wearied men were sleeping the deep sleep of outdoor workers. Suddenly the stillness was "broken. The door swung violently open, and a voice from the darkness outside harshly commanded: "Hands up I Come on now — all of you!" Throwing up their hands -with one- acfcord, and turning to face the door, the j amazed lumberjacks saw, by the light of j the flickering lanterns, four men, wear- j ing high boot, and mackinaw coats. Their faces were concealed by their neck- | cloths, which were drawn almost up to j their eyes. In cither hand each man ] carried a wicked-looking automatic Colt.' Silently they crowded in, covering the , astonished woodsmen. j "Say, what's the idea?" began one of i the poker players. "Never mind the idea," came the curt j answer from the man -Vho had first spoken. "Lino up along tho north wall j there, and face the other way. You fcl- j lows in the bunks, get up, and lino up j —and move snappy I" he added, as the j occupants of the bunks slowly began to obey his order. I Inwardly fuming, but helpless under the threatening muzzles of the Colts, the lumberjacks lined up as ordered, some fully dressed, excepting for their outdoor clothes, others ju-st in their underwear. ; Then, while two of i ie gunmen kept their unfortunate victims covered, the , other pair gathered up all the money on . the table and went through the clothing that was scattered about, with muttered j threats as to what would happen to the j first woodsman who offered any resistance. Then they made a haßty but thorough search of the persons of the lumberjacks, taking nothing save their money. The threats and heavy breathing of the men were the only sounds that broke the tense silence until the sudden slamming of the door, and an ! ironical "Good-night, boys!" acquainted the unlucky woodsmen with the fact | that their unwelcome visitors had de-1 parted. j With one accord the victims of the raid made for the door, only to find it! securely locked from the outside. But the enraged lumberjacks made short ' work of breaking it down, and their i blows and shouts speedily aroused the ■■ rest of the sleeping camp. A hurried council of war was held; a team was quickly hitched up, and no time was lost in covering the trail to Roscoe, Saskat- j' chewan, 28 miles away. There, by; means of the telephone, the story of the : liold-up was sent over the single wire ; to the nearest policeman, stationed at | Hudson's Bay Junction, 23 miles from j Roscoe, and between 50 and 00 miles! from the camp. The prompt action of the lumberjacks in reaching the telephone gave the officer a chance to telephone to headquarters before he himself j set off for the scene of the robbery, the headquarters being at Prince Albert, nearly 200 miles distant. . | The policeman was not long in I urging his broncho over the trail to Ros-. coe, where the angry victims gave him further particulars of the> affair. Orga-1 nising a posse of fully-armed volunteers, j they proceeded to the scene of the holdup. I It was almost dark when the party arrived at the camp, so they decided to put up there for the night, continuing. the pursuit at daybreak the following I morning. j About five o'clock one of the hunters, J seeing a figure moving some hundred yards' ahead of the line, called out: "Who are you?" The answer was three shots fired in rapid succession. These were quickly replied to by members of the posse, j Then a man was seen running through the timber, dodging from cover to cover. I Again the pursuers fired, and the man j stumbled and fell, but before the hun- j ters could reload t. eir Winchesters a j regular fusillade of shots burst from the j thicket where the bandit had disap- j peared. Two of the posse received nesh; wounds before they could reach cover, j The skirmish now developed in dead ear- j nest. Bullets zipped and whined, revolvers and rifles cracked and barked, awakening echoes in the silent woods. ' The bandits had the advantage of position. Between them and their pursuers lay an old "tote trail," only some six yards across, but wide enough to mean certain death to any member of the posse who attempted to cross it, for it offered no cover. ' The only thing the pursuers could do, therefore, was to concentrate their fire on the bandits' retreat, and force them to answer; thus exhausting their ammunition, and preventing them from breaking back. Several times the policeman called upon the fugitives to surrender, but each time the answer was the same—a hail of lead in the direction of the voice. For over an hour this exchange of shots with unseen enemies continued. Then, as if by mutual consent, the firing slackened and finally ceased altogether,' for •in the fast-gathering dusk the flash of a gun revealed the marksman's posi- I tion too plainly. jDetermined not to give way, however, I the posse remained at their posts | throughout the night. j On reaching the spot where the holdup men had made their stand, the number of empty cartridge cases and magazine clips lying around afforded proof of the amount of ammunition that the bandits had used up. The members of the posse agreed that in all probability the rascals would now seek some place where they could obtain more ammunition and also food. - i Another day passed, but no further', signs of the bandits were encountered ' and darkness found the weary woodsmen taking advantage of the hospitality offered by the inhabitants of Iloscoa.

Here the posse learned the cheering news that, with the promptitude that is always evinced in the West, the whole countryside had become aroused, other parties of police and civilians had been hastily organised, and nil the trails within a 50-mile radius, including tiie railroad right-of-way, were being searched. Train crews, lumbermen, section men, and farmers had all been warned, as it was clear that the bandits would sooner or later be forced to seek food and ammunition. The search was further aided by the arrival of more policemen from Prince Albert and Dauphin, while headquarters at Regina imparted the additional infor- , mation that it was thought the leader of the outlaws was a man known as "Tony," who had been concerned in several hold-ups and shooting affrays, the most recent being at Fort Frances, Ontario. The authorities authorised his capture "dead or alive-" On the morning of the 24th, instructions were received to rush reklforcement. immediately to Peesane, a small wayside station, consisting only of a section-house, situated about SO miles from the scene of the hold-up. The conductor of a west-bound train had seen two strange men lurking in the woods near Peesane. Immediately on receipt of this information, four policemen pressed into service a high-powered gasoline "speeder" used by the railroad men, and, driving at full speed, quickly covered the intervening miles to Peesane. They decided as they raced along that they would rush the section-house directly they arrived. Pulling up in front of the building, taking their lives in their hands, two of the police officers, finding the front door unfastened, dived through revolver in hand, while the other two men guarded the rear. So swift were the movements. of the first pair that they entered the- shack and covered two' vi the bandits before the criminals had time to seize their guns, which were hanging at the back of their chairs. The outlaws were so confident they had evaded their pursuers that they were enjoying a long-delayed meal. They were speedily handcuffed, searched, and questioned. When asked why their suspicions were not aroused when they heard the "speeder" approaching, they replied they were too busy eating to bother about anything else. It seemed that they had "ridden the rods" of a freight train during the night, which enabled them to put a considerable distance between themselves and the scene of the Red Deer holdup. The couple also imparted the information that their leader -was the redoubtable "Tony" and that he and another man were not far away. These two men, they added, had made a vow not to be captured alive. Having, as thfey thought, killed a number of their pursuers, they knew that their fate if captured would most likely be the .gallows. Tony and his companion, "Joe," therefore, were "out to shoot every policeman they met and anyone else who tried to capture them" Joe, it appeared, was the man who had fallen at the beginning of the skirmish. He had been wounded in the head, but not- serioifsly injured. When the prisoners learnt that they had only wounded three members of the posses they appeared to be considerably relieved, as. they were under the impression that they had killed several men and would in consequence be hanged. As further questioning failed to elicit anything more than a repetition of the statement that the other bandits were "not far away," the prisoners were conveyed to Tisdale, and sent thence under an armed guard to Prince Albert. The searchers were informed of the capture of the two men, and were bidden to concentrate their attention on the country between Tisdale and Peesane. At the same time they were warned of the great risks now. attending the pursuit, and the threat of the outlaws to shoot at sight rather than be taken alive. One day just before noon, the order went round to close in on a large hay held about two hundred acres in extent, as two strangers had been seen crossing it. In the "centre of the field the summer hay had been stacked, and it was towards this stack that the pair had been seen making their way. The owner stated that a short ladder he had left leaning against the stack had disappeared, and this led the police to believe that their quarry had taken refuge in the hay. One of the policemen, advancing a few yards out from the shelter of the brusn on to the stubble, asked if there was anyone in the stack. There was no reply. Other hunters then joined the policeman, and from all points of the field searchers ■ cautiously broke cover, drawing slowly in towards the stack. They had advanced about a hundreu yards towards the -centre of the field, when suddenly, without the slightest warning, a fusillade of shots broke from the top of the stack. Immediately all was excitement. Some of the members of the posses dropped flat and returned the fire. OtherB —under fire for the first time in their lives —were convinced that the outlaws must be possessed of a machine gun, and made at full speed for the shelter of the tall timber. Once more a policeman called to the occupants of the stack, warning them that they, were surrounded and commanding them to ■surrender. The only answer was a further 'shower of lead from the outlaws' guns. So thoroughly had the bandits covered themselves with the hay that they were completely invisible to their pursuers, who could only pour bullets into the stack at random, hoping that some of the shots w-ould tell. On the other hand, the way in which the outlaws had embedded themselves did not tend to accurate shooting, though it j kept their ■ enemies at bay and pre- : vented the storming, of thier fort. j The only thing the hunters could do now was to force the robbers, by continual fire, to remain hidden, or, by an occasional break from cover, give" the impression that a rush -was being

attempted, and thus make the fugitives expend large quantities of ammunition. These ruses, in combination, proved successful, and towards three o'clock in '• the afternoon it wa3 evident that the bandits were running short of cartridges ! nnd were trying to husband their supply in preparation for a dash for liberty under cover of darkness. The police, however, were determined not to give them this opportunity. In the dark the outlaws would have every : chance of escape, as members of tne posse, unable to see what was heppen- , ing, would bo afraid to fire lest they i should shoot one of their own number by mistake. Once more risking his life on behalf !of justice and humanity, a police officer advanced to within sixty or seventy yards of the haystack, so that there could be no possible doubt that the concealed men had heard him. Halting, his hands held high above his head in token of parley, he shouted: "You men in the stack! You must surrender or we will burn you out!" . There was no reply. Advancing still closer, the officer repented his message, and this time all hoard the answer —muffled, but distinct: "Co to !'* Once more the plucky policeman celled, and this time n shot whistled past close to his head. Involuntarily ho ducked and >retreated, returning without further parley to the anxious watchers. Word wsis passed round as to the exact way in which- t'.ie final plan was to bo carried out, and instructions were given to the hunters that if the outlaws attempted to break cover they wore not to hesitate to shoot. A messenger was dispatched to Tisdale 'to procure several hundred yards of binder twine, some wire, ana some oilsonked waste with which to make a fireball. On his return the police started their grim preparations. A large lwll of o"l-sonkod waste was fastened securely in the centre of a fiftvyard length of wire. To the ends of the wire were attached several hundred yards of binder twine. To make sure the device was in working order, it was dragged backwards and forwards across the field nt tho extreme end. out of reach of the bandits' bullets. Then the ball was drawn close to the stack by a man at each end of the twine. One man then pulled it. hand over hand, to his side nnd applied a match. As the oil-soaked waste burst into flame, the man on the opposite side pulled it hurriedly towards the stack, which speedily caught alight. Bidding the hclpc.-s be ready to prevent the lire from spreading from the field to the brush, nnd again warning th"m to "shoot to kill" if the bandits broke cover, four policemen, one on each side, advanced towards the stack, their revolvers at the ready. Reaching the stack, which was now sending out volumes of dense black smoke, and calling loudly to the concealed outlaws to jump, the police, risking possible bullets, encircled it. One of them had just reached the leeward side -when a revolver was thrust out and three shots were fired at him. All these, fortunately, missed their mark, but the policemen at once returned the fire, preferring- to shoot their men to burning them. As no further shots came the officers made desperate efforts to climb the stack and roach the outlaws, but the bandits, by pulling the ladder up after them, had destroyed their one chance of rescue. The slippery nature of the hay, combined with the dense smoki and fierce heat of the flames, made it impossible to reach the top of the stack without assistance, and the police fell back. Some of the hunters. wTio had been watching the futile eforts of the officers to reach their men, had hastily cut long poles, and now advanced with them to within a few yards of the blazing stack. As they approached a few scattered shots rang out, causing them to drop their poles, seize their weapons, and return the fire. These were Cic last shots that were heard. A few minutes later willing helpers again picked up the poles. Braving the choking smoke and intense heat, they rushed "to the stack. Coughing and gasping from the acrid fumes, they prodded the top of the hay with their poles until thov* felt them s.rike something solid. With a heave first one and then the second of the outlaws was pushed from off the stack, nnd as the bodies fell with a thud to the ground tho police dashed in, seized them .by their burning clothes, and pulled them clear of the blazing hay. Both the desperadoes, however, had "remained true.to their vow— they had preferred death to capture. Their end was a terrible one, but they had died as they had chosen—fighting to the end, their Colts still clutched in their stiffened hands. One of the bodies revealed no fewer than seven bullet wounds, but so thoroughly had the fire done its work in the case of the second man that no trace of bullet wounds could be found. Later evidence proved this body to be that of the leader, Tony, who probably welcomed death in .this form rather "than life imprisonment or the gallows. The two men who were captured alive are now serving long terms at the Prince Albert gaol.