STUMP, Bert - bandit - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

The tough citizens of Jackville have long been a terror to the citizens of Fountain and Montgomery Counties. The wild region in which these wooly barbarians reside has much, perhaps, to do with their rude ways, but just as much can be justly ascribed to their innate cussedness.

One of the most promising of the Jackville bandits is Mr. Bert Stump. Bert was in Crawfordsville several years ago and while here, he received a free ticket to Michigan City. The people up there thought so much of him that they didn’t let him come back until a short time since. When he got back, Bert concluded that forgery was a bad business so he went to farming, beginning work for Giles Hutts, who lives over the Montgomery County line near Jackville. He left his position several weeks ago, but Monday evening he put in his appearance at the Hutts place again and met Mr. Hutts at the barn. Bert was heavily masked and demanded that Giles should disgorge his money. Giles said he was ‘dead broke’ and thereupon Bert drew his revolver and marched the old man to the house at its cold persuasive muzzle. Here by the eloquence of the revolver Mr. Hutts was inspired to such an extent that he found $50 that he didn’t know he had while good old mother Hutts found $5.50. Bert then cracked the old gentleman several times over the head with a club and disappeared in the brush. Mrs. Hutts gave the alarm and a posse of angry men were soon in hot pursuit. They got track of him east of Jackville and after a hot chase brought him to bay on the farm of Ransom Myers. When surrounded on all sides and seeing the howling men advancing upon him, Stump drew his revolver and opened fire upon his pursuers. He had fired several times without effect, when one of the pursuing party put his horse at the gallop and charging up, fired directly at the bandit, who was just raising his arm to fire. The ball took effect in Stump’s wrist shattering it and causing his arm to drop helpless at his side. He was then overpowered and hustled off to Jackville where Squire Sanders bound him over to the court in the sum of $500. He was then taken to the Covington jail. Stump at first swore that he had lost the stolen money on the Myers’ farm, but a careful search failing to reveal it, he was put to a closer examination and the missing money was found in the lining of his cap. It is now in the pocketbook of old man Hutts. Stump will likely receive a long sentence as his previous character has been pretty bad.

Source: Crawfordsville Daily Journal 13 February 1892

Bert Stump, the Jackville desperado, was given a ten years’ sentence in the penitentiary for assaulting and robbing Giles Hutts.