| Show m HIB he is taken from and laud ca safe iu nebraska matt zimmerman who was arrested d n ogden recently for murders committed in nebraska nearly years ao was safely conveyed to minden by sheriffs hill and spar hawk and is now on trial the prisoner remains noncommittal non committal and re eusea to ive any clew as to his identity but converses freely with those who visit him in the jail his favorite pastime being the recital of wild border stories in which he figures as the hero A large number of witnesses are examined but a few are able to identify him while others either do not recognize him or claim he is not the manit is estimated that this hearing well cost the county at least Zimmer maas camo and escape form one of the most notable chapters in the criminal history of nebraska on sunday october a party of four men arrived in minden the county seat of kearney county nebraska with a herd of twenty two ponies which had been stolen m the western part of hitchcock county tho officers overtook them on the but two of the outlaws left that afternoon leaving their two accomplices in charge of the ponies about 5 twenty guests including several ladies were seated at the table in the dining room of the prairie home hotel when the two cowboys stepped in and took a position facing the door A few moments later thu law abiding occupants of the dining room were startled by the appearance of jack woods sheriff of hitchcock county who ordered the late comers to throw up their hands the command was obeyed but the hands contained two revolvers and woods fell dead with two bullet holes in hia body B B kelloy was sitting by his wife at the table and his hurried run kunf addressed to her drew u fatal shot to him from one of the villains not satisfied with the slaughter tei already effected the two murderers mortally shot mail carrier collina Col linb rushed bouc of ahe hotel mounted their mustangs and rode through the streets tiring at everybody in bight the murderers pushed southward followed by a posse dundei the leadership of the adjutant gener al of the state bat by stealing frabl horses and availing themselves 01 their personal knowledge of country the outlaws distanced the pursuit the northeast corna of county the fleeing braaf stole two fresh horses from the ranch of charles fouts of sakeeney wakeeney Wa keeney a young man of only twenty two years he accompanied by frank miller aged nineteen started in pursuit ol 01 the thieves and followed the trail for seven days before sighting human game during the pursuit they were joined by two other men william hardy and thomas tow on the following monday they came upon the camp of the fugitives but deemed it advisable not to attack them there as it was on the open prairie and there would undoubtedly be a bloody conflict the thieves were shadowed to their next nights camp which was in a dugout upon Be aries ranch near point of rock when for capture were made during the night one of the four kansana kansans un tethered one of the horses of the occupants of the dugout and concealed themselves behind a sod house about yards away belmount ono of the murderers came out to look for the horses when fonts ordered him to surrender but he snapped his revolver at fonts when the latter shot him through the left breast killing him instantly zimmerman then came out and gave himself up the capture was made about seven miles from the colorado line and the same distance from indian territory the prisoner was taken to laam where they took tho train for lincoln nebraska arriving there november ath it was then learned that the captive was the man wanted for the murder at minden and he was incarcerated in the penitentiary tent iary zimmerman was three times sentenced to bang by different juries finally when the law was about to be avenged the defense appealed from state to federal jurisdiction after the appeal L C burr his attorney at lincoln had the prisoner removed from the buffalo county jail to the presence of the united states commissioner in kearncy Ke arnoy and by a questionable tio transaction before that officer secured the release of the pris oner who disappeared this action of mr burrs brought about his disbarment and he was only recently reinstated a member of the bar immediately after zimmerman had fled pursuit was organized but no trace could be found and be passed out of knowledge until his capture at |
