Madness of real life has resulted in an unfortunate hiatus, but now it’s time to finish this chapter…
Chapter IId: The Great Pursuit
“Plain truth is I’ve never been more terrified in my life. All I could think of is so long as I keep shooting I’ll be able to get out of this alive. Once my gun stopped firing, I was dead.”
From the memoir of Norman Ventnor (1933)
The bullet-riddled Ventnor Traveler hightailed it out of Timber Falls. Von Richter and the five surviving men with him breathed a sigh of relief. With all nearby sources of water on their rout preemptively salted, they were confident no posse could maintain a pursuit. For half an hour it looked promising, until they spotted a dust trail on the road behind them. For all his planning for contingencies, Von Richter never figured on automobiles making their way this far west.
Two miles back
Three Ventnor Ace Touring models raced in pursuit of the motorized stage coach. One was driven by Norman Ventnor himself, the others were driven by posse members who’d proven the most proficient in operating the vehicles. Despite the head start, the purpose-built automobiles had no trouble catching up with the modified stage coach. The roads which were little more than packed-down dirt proved problematic for maintaining speed, it also made for a jarring-uncomfortable ride. However, it was far worse for the outlaws in the Traveler, with the taller unstable platform, it was even more difficult to maintain any kind of speed. In a matter of minutes the pursuing vehicles closed the distance, then the shooting began…
Riding with Ventnor was Marshal Baker, and a deputy named Daniel Cobb. In addition to Ventnor’s LeMat, Baker had a Colt SAA, while Cobb used a Winchester 1897 pump-action shotgun. As they closed in gunfire erupted from the fleeing stage, quickly answered by the men in the three chasing cars. One thing seldom considered in the early development of the automobile was the hazard bullets could cause. This was revealed when one of the cars suddenly erupted in a huge flare of steam. A bullet pierced the radiator causing the water to rapidly leak out. The engine quickly overheated and seized. One car was out of the chase. Four minutes later, a second car was taken out of the chase when the right front tire was struck by a bullet. The car proceeded on until the wheel hit a rock. Without the pneumatic tire to cushion the blow, the wooden wheel broke in half bringing the car to a sudden violent halt. As the chase proceeded, Ventnor made a vain attempt to shoot at the stage himself, however he found it impossible to maintain control of the car on the rough road and get anything sighted in, so he focused solely on driving while Marshal Baker and Deputy Cobb kept shooting. Suddenly Baker jerked back sharply, a hole in the windshield left no doubt as to the cause. A quick glance confirmed that the Marshal was dead, a bullet right through his forehead. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the front of the car suddenly burst into flame. A shot ripped through the acetylene tank used for the headlights, resulting in a bright inferno. Ventnor was forced to pull off the road, he and Cobb quickly jumped out of the burning car. Both men were despondent at their failure, with a mere six miles to the state line, it was clear Von Richter was going to get away.
However, Von Richter and his men had little time to celebrate their victory. The driver was maintaining a speed far too fast and dangerous for the rough, twisting roads. The stage took a corner too fast and overturned. Two men were killed instantly, another was badly wounded. Ventnor and Cobb wasted no time getting in close and taking cover behind an outcropping of rocks. Von Richter and his two remaining men also scrambled for cover, and both sides began to exchange gunfire. One of Von Richter’s men was the first to fall, cut down by Cobb’s shotgun. Then Cobb was gunned down by a hail of bullets when he tried to get to a different position. This left Ventnor alone against Von Richter and his remaining man. From the beginning Ventnor knew he was in over his head. he was no lawman, and he certainly was no gunfighter. Taken hard with fear, he wanted to throw up. But doing so would mean certain death. As long as he was shooting, he had a chance. His efforts paid off as the remaining outlaw fell, a shot through his heart. In a bizarre twist of fate, it was now down to Norman Ventnor, an automotive pioneer, and Karl Von Richter, a former Prussian cavalry officer turned outlaw. Always carrying a pair of c96 “broomhandle” Mauser pistols, he had a major advantage in firepower. Ventnor fired two shots at him, then his gun clicked! Now Ventnor was at a dire disadvantage, as the black powder revolver was quite time-consuming to reload, time he didn’t have. He frantically worked at trying to reload his gun when he was hit in the chest with what felt like an anvil. Norman Ventnor had been shot!
On his back, struggling to breathe, Norman Ventnor made a vain attempt to sit up. His partial effort allowed him to see Von Richter walking towards him, determined to finish him off. As he labored to bring his gun up towards Von Richter, he could vaguely see the other man’s smug smile. Von Richter knew that he fired nine shots, and that he had no time to reload. What many would call his first tactical error, he forgot about another feature of the LeMat… Underneath the barrel was a second one holding a 20 gauge shotgun shell. Ventnor flipped a small lever on the side of the gun and pulled the trigger, peppering Von Richter with buckshot. The distance was too far to be lethal, but the man was clearly down. While it seemed like an eternity, the gunfight lasted about three minutes. Twelve minutes after that, the rest of the posse arrived, having replaced the destroyed wheel on the car. While it was burned, the other car turned out to still be functional, so both Ventnor and Von Richter were loaded into the cars. Deputy Cobb was also found still alive, as well as the wounded man in the wrecked stage coach. The posse made their way back to Timber Falls. The wounded outlaw succumbed to his injuries on the way back.
When they arrived at Timber Falls, the three injured men were quickly taken to the doctor’s office. Von Richter’s injures were non-life threatening so he was given low priority. While looking severe, the small-caliber bullet in Ventnor’s chest did little actual damage. It was however, right next to Ventnor’s heart. The surgeon felt it was too risky to attempt to remove the bullet so they focused on stopping the bleeding. A minor infection was a cause for concern but Norman Ventnor eventually recovered. He would carry the bullet in his chest for the rest of his life.
Daniel Cobb would also recover from his injuries, though one of the bullets went through his spine leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. He wasn’t happy about being confined to a wheelchair, but he was grateful that he was at least alive to complain about it.
Karl Von Richter was tried for robbery and murder. He was sentenced to death. He was hanged on May 14, 1908. The remnants of the Von Richter Gang split up and scattered. Some joined other outlaw gangs, others formed their own. Others simply disappeared, trying to live meager lives while putting the past behind them. Many were eventually found and brought to justice, but there were some who’s fates were never known.
Norman Ventnor became something of a local hero. Men would buy him drinks, many called him a legend. Ventnor felt differently, he would call himself an idiot… one that barely got lucky. In his mind he let pride over his company’s image take precedence, and all it got him was a bullet in his chest. All he felt he could do is take what he could from the experience and learn from it. 1908 and later Ace models used kerosene for their headlights instead of acetylene. The suspensions were also changed to allow for better performance in rural areas where roads aren’t as developed as they were in cities. Finally he decided if some criminal wants to use his product for a crime… let the law handle it instead.
The incident would be well remembered as a huge part of Ventnor’s early history. Museum exhibits were made, novels written, even a motion picture in 1934 (Norman Ventnor was flattered by the choice of actor to portray him, but he was vexed at how inaccurate the film was) Some have melodramatically called it “The last hurrah of the Old West” But as the Old West faded into history, the nation moved on, and so did Ventnor.
