Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1868-06-04
The Great Express Robbery.

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From the indianapolis Journal, May 2j
On Friday night last was perpetrated a
robbery which, for boldness of conception
and execution, and the extent of tho lar
ceny, Is without parallel IN the history
of our State. There is certain amount
of Indebtedness hanging about the trans
action, but the main facts are as follows,
as We have been able TO evolve them from
the mass OF rumors inseparable from such
an occurrence:
Between the hours of ten and eleven
o'clock on Friday night, the passenger
train on the Jacksonville, Madison d In
dianapolis Road, due in this city at 2:40 on
Saturday morning, stopped a few minutes
ut Marshfieh, a small wood and water sta
ton, about twenty miles south of Sey-
mOur. The engineer was engaged in OIL
ing the machinery of the locomotive, leav-
ing the fireman alone on the engine.
The conductor, Mr.. Whedon, noticed
two men endeavoring to uncoupie the ex-
press and baggage cars, and shouted to
them to desist The response came in the
shape of two or three pistol shots, one of
the balls passing through the conductor 5
coat. Mr.. WhedOn returned the COM
plement with. several shots from his
pocket revolver, but without effect.
While this was going on at the express
car, two men jumped upon the lOcomo-
tive, one of them knocking the fire
man off the tender, and the other paying
the same attention to the engineer, who at
tempted to get on his locomotive to keep
the desperadOes from carrying out their
intentions. All this occupied much less
time than it takes to tell it, and the up
shot of it was, that the thieves succeeded
in detaching the express Car, and the loco
motive with that started nOrthwartl at a
fearful rate. 1t is thought that seven men
were engaged in the exploit. After this
detached portion of the train had pro-
ceeded short distance, the men entered
the express car, in which the messenger,
+. q. Harkins, was standing guard over
his goods and two money safes. From
Mr.. HIS well known character, it is
thought he attempted some resistance, but
the robbers knocked him senseless, and
threw him out of the open door Of the car
while the engine was going ut the rate of
fifty miles per hour. Before ejecting him
they took away his keys, with which they
opened the safes, and rifed them of their
contents. The men ran the locomotive
and the car within a mile and half of
Seymour, where they abandoned them,
they being found several hours afterward
by the conductor, who had procured n
hand-car and proceeded to the nearest
telegraph station, whence he telegraphed
the fact of the robbery. The engine and
car were run back TO the remainder OF the
train, and then came on TO this city, where
the passengers arrived about 3. o'clock, "a
good deal more scaredthan hart.
The amount of the robbery cannot be
determined, as one of the safes WAS q
through safe, containing the money
made up AT Louisville, from New
Orleans, and all the points in the South.
What sum Of money this may have
contained is not known, but we are in
formed that the amount usually car
ried ranges al the way from fifty thousand
to five hundred thousand dollars. 1t Is
stated that the sum sent from the Louis
vile Office alone was one hundred and
seventy thousand dollars, to which must
be added what was sent from New Or
leans and other points in the South.
In the way-safe were found the way
bills, from which it appears there were
thirty-seven thousand dollars in that safe.
If we have been informed correctly in
regard to the through safe, the amount OF
the robbery must be over two hundred
| thousand dollars. ..
The injuries to the messenger, Mr.. Har-
kins, are quite severe, and on Saturday II
| was reported that he had died, but yester-
day It was denied, though his recovery is,
at the best, doubtful 1t is evident that
old railroad employees must have been con
cerned in the greatcrime, and it may turn
| out to be in some manner connected with
the conspiracy to rob the pay train on this
road, happily discovered before the plan
was attempted Jackson County and its
immediate enyirons, contain larger mum
Der of cut.throats to the square inch than
even Botany Bay or Van Diemen's Land
would afford. When these villains art
arrested, as, of course, they will be, it il
not too much to say that public safety de
mands their execution. A -cOnipeten
corps of detectives are at work upon thu
case. A number of kilograms have beer
received respecting this robbery, but they
shed no further fight upon the facts abov'
given.