Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1873-08-01
Particulars Of the Railroad Robbery.
[Des Moines, Iowa, Only 2s) Special to chicag


[Des Molnes, Iowa. Only os) Special to Chicago
Tribune.
l interviewed Mr. II. F. Royce, Super
intendent of the Iowa Division of the
Rock Island Railroad, who was on the
train when it was ditched and robbed. He
stated that the train was the Atlantic Ex
press, which left Council Bluffs at 4:15,
and consisted of an engine, two baggage
cars, three coaches and two sleepers. All
went well until they reached point mid
way between Anita and Adair, and about
sixty miles from this city. 1t was about
eight o'clock, and growing rapidly dark
They were travelling at the usual speed
about twenty-six miles an hour, through
a wild, uninhabited prairie; there was
not house in any direction between
them and the horizon. Mr.. Royce was
seated in the second baggage-car convers-
ing with friend, when he felt the appl-
cation OF the air brake He wondered tor
moment what it meant; there was no
station there, and something must be
amiss, or the train would not stop in that
lonely locality. He jumped to his feet,
but had hardly stood up before he felt the
shock caused by sudden stoppage, and
simultaneously the car was thrown from
the track against the embankment, the
floor inclining at an angle of thirty de.
grees. He was pitched against the
side of the car, the bridge of his nose
colliding with the stanchion, causing
painful wound which bed copiously.
He was roughly shaken up and stunned.
Recovering his faculties, he saw what
he described as "a very powerful mixture
of men, baggage, bullion, and express
packages" He heard the sound of shots,
supposing it to be torpedoes. Stepping
from the car to the bank to ascertain the
cause of the trouble, he was met by two
men, masked and equipped with navy re-
remarked, "Curse you, get back into that
car. Get back, or I'll kill you" Accept
ing the peremptory invitation he got
back as far as the door of the car when
another masked man, standing inside,
also with a revolver in his hand, observ-
ed, "Get out of here, Curse you; get out of
here or I'll kill you" He got out be-
wildered between two threatening fires.
He went out on the platform again.
Another armed rufiian pointed pistol
from the other side of the car, and using
the same eXpletives, advised him to get in
out of that or he would kill him. A bull
let whistled past his ear, and Mr.. Royce
retired into one of the passenger coaches,
remaining there until the highwaymen
left.
In the meantime three of the robbers
had captured the express car, where they
expected to find from thirty to fifty thous-
and dollars, the amount usually carried
on through trains The route agent,
Killingsworth, was severely confused by
the conclusion. Burgess, the express
messenger, was raising him from where
he fell, when the robbers entered. One of
them acted as sentinel to stop any one from
coming in, another held cooked pistol to
the expressman's head, while the third
demanded the key of the safe. Burgess,
finding discretion to be the better part of
valor, and that it was useless to resist,
handed over the key, with which the
robber opened the safe and took out money
packages amounting in all to 81, 700. He
was disappointed at the small amount,
and demanded information as to where
there was more. The messenger replied
that there was no more. The robber called
Burgess by foul and nasty epithet.
Burgess then volunteered TO prove there
was no more money by opening the pack
age box. The robber cut some of the
packages with knife, and was enraged
at finding they contained nothing of value.
There was large quantity of bullion on
was taken up and an effort made to cut
it, but not thinking it expedient to lose
time with letters the thief threw it aside.
While the messenger was being cross
examined by one of the road agents, an
other invited Killingsworth to fork over
his pocket book and knife, and he did so.
The car was then evacuated, the thieves
scaled the embankment, mounted horses
and galloped away in a southerly direc-
tion, disappearing at once in the gather
ing gloom.
While the car was being ransacked,
four men with navy revolvers, two ON
each side of the train, kept guard outside
to intimidate the passengers and prevent
them from interfering with the opera
tions of their contederates. The passen.
gers were alarmed, not knowing the
moment volley would be poured into
the windows or how long they had tolive.
Some adventurous heads were pointed
out, when the highwaymen with horrible
profanity ordered them to disappear in
side, or they would send a bullet into
them. A passenger asked If they intend.
ed to kill innocent women and chirdren,
when one of the robbers answered: "If
you get back we won't hurt you. We are
rot petty robbers. We are big robbers
We take from the rich, from those who
are able to lose, for the use of the poor
We are Changers, by -" Mr.. Royce
says the reference to Changers was Pick
wickian The passenger took in his head,
and no others ventured to put theirs out
The fatal part of the business was en-
acted at the moment the engine struck
the gap in the track. A Solley was fired
into the engine. Dennis Foley, the fire
man, who was STOPPING down shoveling
coal into the furnace, saw the engineer
shut off steam with one hand and put on
the brakes with the other "Jack, what's
the matter?" shouted Foley, and then he
heard crash, a fusilade of shots, and
Jack fell over on him dead, the wood and
coal on top of both. When Foley, who
was bruised and stunned, came to, he ex-
| tricated himself and his faithful comrade,
who died at the post of duty No marks
of pistol-shots were found upon the body,
and it Is thought death was caused by
conclusion.
| Mr.. Royce said that he could have
sworn that Rafferty, shut off the steam and
applied the brake, and he knows the
thought of saving the hundred lives that
rode behind him was the last that entered
the mind of the heroic Rafferty,. He says
that Rafferty, was one of the most careful,
faithful, and brave men that ever Travelled
over an iron road. He had been in the
service of the Company five years, during
which he gained the confidence and re.
spect of his employers. The remains were
brought to the city, and taken home to
the bereaved family, who have the sym.
pathy of every one.
When the robbers departed, and they
did not remain very long, the outrage oc,
cupying only ten minutes, Mr.. Royce dis.
patched two brakemen to the next station
west, four miles distant, and with passen.
ger walked himself four miles east to a
section house where they got a hand-car
and rode eight miles further east to Casey
Station. An alarm was sent along the
line, assistance called for, and the agents
ordered to send men after the robbers
The Sheriffs of several counties respond
ed, and posses of citizens on horseback
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