Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 August 1919 — LIKELY AFTER BIRGER SWAG [ARTICLE]

LIKELY AFTER BIRGER SWAG

Men Who Took Pete Merritt’s Car Are Still Unheard From. The Remington Preu gives the following details of the hold-wp and theft of P. W. Merritt’s Ford car near Remington last Friday night, which would Indicate that the thieves were in that vicinity for another purpose than the mere theft of a Ford —possibly Intended robbing a bank at Goodland, Remington or Wolcott. Following is the Press’ account of the affair: It seems that on Friday evening a party consisting of Pete, his wife and two others were motoring over to Jim place on the Goodyland road. In passing an 80-acre piece of ground owned by Dudley Tyler the fenders of a new Ford were seen just back of a lope crib that stands on- that place. When they got to Woods’ they phoned to Tyler that a machine was hidden in his cornfield and he came over and ordered the occupants to dig, which they did. They were two young men, he states, not over 20 years of age. They left, going west on the Goodland road. Soon after it was discovered that there were two .more of the party hiding out iij the com, and City Marshal W. R. Geier was notified to come out and help rout them out, Geier and Bahler and several others drove out to the scene and stopped at the Fell corner, on the watch forthe wanted mem It was then thought that the new car with the boys in it would drive back for the other two, when they thought it was safe, and they could nab the whole bunch, it now being considered that they were suspicious characters and here for some more perious purpose than campfng out in a cornfield. About this time, it was after dark, Merritt and Woods came down the road in Merritt’s Ford, flashing their light in a manner to indicate that they were the strangers and in this manner coax the two men out of the corn. But they didn’t coax worth a cent. When they got to Fell's corner they agreed to go back west and watch while Geier and others watched from where they were. They turned about and four others mounted the car, making six in the Ford, all anxious to be in at the "killing.” a Tyler, im the meantime, had gone opt in the. corn and got near enough to hear the men discussing their position and the tact that the boys in the car had deserted them. Il is evident that they knew a posse was looking for them and the longer they stayed the less chance they had to get away, and determined to get away right off. Tyler could not get back to the marshal without being discovered, so he stayed where he was. When the Ford, with Merritt, Woods, Goss, Lewis, Little and one other, had gone a short distance west, two men stepped out of the dark, presented guns, whose caliber looked as big rs a sewer pipe to the- men in thUpcar. and with the words,* or words to that effect: "Get out of that car. You have chased

us long enough, and we want to use it,” whereupon all six politely acquiesced and disembarked without even killing the engine, allowing the two men to get in and drive serenely away. They changed their minds again almost immediately and concluded that they wanted that car the worst way, all at once, too, and commenced to holler for Geier and Bahler, who were down the road a piece. j . A little time was consumed in getting their car started and the robbers got such a start that they could not be located. It is (quite likely they took to some side road and hid in another field until the excitement died down and then drove away.