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Show Nevada Officers Spring a Trap Nevada peace officers proved more than a match for an alleged group of tough robbers and extortionists the other day. From first to last the case was spectacular and unusual. I According to the authorities, a merchant who operates a store . at Riepetown, seven miles west of Ely, was the victim of robbers last Uay. The robbers bound his arms, then choked and beat him in an effort to get him to reveal the combination of the aafe. He told them it had a time lock and could not be opened. They took off his shoes and placed lighted matches against his feet Then they took him out to a deserted farmhouse and beat and tortured him some more. He kept telling them the safe couldn't be opened because of the time lock. One of the men re- ' turned to the store and tried unsuccessfully to open the safe. They at last left after taking $200 from the merchant and I threatening to return and kill him if he informed the police. Two weeks sgo three men came Into the store and threatened threat-ened to blow it up and kill the merchant unless he gave them $15,000. The merchant later testified that they were the same men who beat and robbed him last May. The group finally agreed to accept $10,000 instead of $15,000 and advised him to meet j them the evening of December 1 with the money. The merchant i told police and a posse of policemen, deputy sheriffs and state patrolmen arranged an ambush. As the intended victim walked down the road toward Ruth, according to instructions, a car drove up alongside and stopped. Members of the posse, who were hiding alongside the road, then called to the suspected extortioners to put up their hands and t climb out of the car. One. of the men made a movement of resist-i resist-i ance and possemen opened fire. Two of the alleged extortioners were shot dead and a third was captured as be fled down the highway. A coroner's jury, which investigated the case thoroughly, returned a verdict that the two slain men came to their death "by gunshot wounds Inflicted by officers in line of duty." The third man in the car, who was captured, reportedly testified at the inquest that the reason they had chosen the Riepetown merchant aa a victim was because they knew he "had money." This suspect is a brother of one of the slain men. All ' three had worked in Nevada mines. i Nevada's peace officers are to be congratulated on their I alertness in this case. By setting their trap so carefully they I not only nipped this reported extortion plot in the bud but made sure that the group would not escape to carry out similar criminal crim-inal plots elsewhere. Congratulations are also due John Data, the Riepetown merchant It took a good deal of courage to play the part of decoy in this trap which he knew might easily result is gunfire, with him in the middle of a hail of bullets. |
