The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-07-31
Bold and Successful Attack upon Railroad
Train.

specia. dispatch from Des Molnes gives
the following account of an attack on train
of the Chicago Islapd & Pacific Railroad, on
the night Of July 21st:
The train left Council Bluff at 5 p. NJ, with
four coaches and two slcepers in the rear, the
sleepers being filled with party of aristocrat-
ic Chinese, On their way to New England COL
leees. There were also two baggage and ex-
press cars, in which was the through California
mail and express matter, consisting of nearly
50 900 in an express safe and three tons of
Bullion. When about sixty-five miles west of
Des Moinei, at about s o'clock, at sharp
curve in an isolated spot, with no house within
thirty miles in any direction, the train going
about twenty five miles an hour, the engineer,
John Hafferty, saw rail suddenly removed
from its place, about sixty feet in front, and
instantly applied the air brake. When in the
act of doing this, bullets came pelting into the
engine like hail. The engine ran into the
bank of tunnel, overthrowing the engineer
and the fireman, the former falling dead on the
latter 1t ii supposed that Rafferty, was killed
by the concession, as no bullet wound could be
found on his body. The fireman escaped un-
hurt. The srain being very heavy, it ran about
bled and were badly smashed AS soon as the
masked in fall Ku Klux style, appeared at the
express car, in which was Conductor William
Smith, Superintendent Royce Express Mes
senger Johr Burgess, and three other persons.
The robbers commenced to fire rapidly into the
car and to yell, "get out of there, damn ye."
Bullets passed through the clothes of the Con-
ductor, and two grazed the Baggage Master on
the side of ais head The inmates of the car
Jumped out to the rear under cover of half a
dozen reyolvers. Two of the robbers marched
up and down the train, threatening to shoot
any person who showed his head, and saying,
''get down out of sight, damn ye, or we will
shoot ye"
The robbers then took about $4,000 Of the
express morey, opened the mail sacks, but took
no letters; chen they mounted their horses and
rode off across the prairie in a southerly di-
rection, the whole being done in less than ten
minutes.
Fortunately they did not cut the telegraph
wires, and Superintendent Royce fastened to
the nearest telegraph station and telegraphed
in all directions. Engines and a posse were
sent out from Council Bluff on the Burlington
and other reads to intercept the robbers. Their
dress and voices indicated that they were regu-
lar bushwhackers. They evidently intended to
get the usual valuable express matter by this
route on Monday, but which went through on
the express train on Sunday night.
The robbers during the day stole spike bar
and hammeS from the hand car house at the
station. Trey drew the spikes at one end of
the rails and secreted themselves several rods
away, and as the engine approached the rails
were pulled out of place. The promptness of
the engineer in reversing the engine and the
use of the ar brakes saved the passengers from
harm, and not one was injured. The track was
at once laid around the cars. The train at once
resumed its trip, and arrived here at 7.9O this
morning, bringing the dead body of the en-
gineer, who resided here and and who leaves a
wife and three children.