The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-07-23
The Mail Clerks Account Of the Adstr Rob

run" that night from Omaha was very e
light-in fact, Messenger Burgess told him a
before the accident, that he had the small b
est amount in his safe he had carried Tor f
months This was owing to the fact that 5
there had beenI Saturday night and Sun v
day night runs from Omaha on the T.. II; q
&P.. else the amount in the safe would t
have been large. To be sure there were
three tons of bullion gold and silver bricks 1
on the floor of the car, stuff that was t
hardly portable except by dray. Well,the {
train left the Bluffs on time, and was max
ing splendid time when the stoppage oc'
CURED. At that time the parties IN the !
express car were Assistant Superintendent
Royce, Albert Flick, baggage master, and
Messrs. Killingsworth, Burgess and Clare.
Mr.. Royce was sitting near the door'o laile
was near him, and the others were attend
ing TO their business. The train had pass
ed Anita, and was within three miles OF
| Adair. when there was sudden ana siigh'
slack of speed, and the report OF hre arms
outside, arrested their attention. MT; n.
saws il sounded amid the rumble OF the
train much ike package OF hre crackers
Bullets battered about Mr. Royce, and one
rraged the side of Flick head In mo
mept more there was a violent conclusion, .
J
G around, showed forward, and then ca
reened at an angle of IS degrees, and stop /
ned its maneuvres. 1t did not fall com
pletely upon its lower side. OF course /
packages went pounding 10 the lower side
of the ear, and the inmates were consider
able knocked about and shaken up. They
had hardly recovered their uprightness
when into the door on the lower side-the
one ON the upper being shut-sprang. al
man with a revolver in each hand, and a
mask on his face he was the leader OF the
robbers, as was ascertained afterwards.
No sooner had he entered, than he tore the
mask from his face. He was above me
dunn height. was well built, red faced,
sandy haired, and had vicious counter
ance He was dressed ike a laborer-
wearing blue denim pants and coat OF thin
material No sooner had he entered the
ear than two other fellows in masks APP
I peared at the door, with a revolver IN each
hand. which they levelled at the heads OF
the inmates. The scoundrel in the car did
r all the talking, and he commenced as soon
as he was in-shouting at the top OF his
q voice Give us those keys, Cd d-n
=. YOU. give us those keys or I'll blow your
brains out Give us the money, or | II
blow YOU 10 hell We want money
d Where's them safe keys-quick, Cd d-n
e YOU, or some of you Il get killed !! At the
! same time he pointed his pistols close to
the heads of his astonishcd listeners.
Where the bulhon-give us the bullion
Then he shouted TO his men; Rush IN
: and help, Come on D-u such a set
~ of robbers as you are-ruSh in and help!
Il Some one told Burgess to give the scoUn-
drel the safe key, and he did so. The tel
low unlocked the safe the men at the doo1
rs telling the inmates thatit they stirred they
er would shoot their heads off,
The chief robber seized satchel belong
ing 10 Burgess, and crammed the SAT-
4 packages into it, and as he did so he said
al Here isn't half as much as We want
where's that bullion give us that bullion
Bv this time he was on his feet MIR. Nil
lngsworth pointed to the bullion on tn
Is floor. saving, there it is under your feet
The robber replied. We don't want then
Tic things-give us the bullion d-n you, o
us we'll blow your brains out Then he ap
peared to forget all about the bullion, am
H. asked if there was any money IN the ma
80 bags. ''No,not a cent, replied the agent
nN Then the fellow put his revolver close I
ne Mr.. Ks head, as he had before to MI
a Burgess and said, Hand out your knit
Of id quick. Mr. X. surrendered hi
40 knife. Then the robber picked up ma
u' sack. That's for Chicago, is it?
a Yes" is there any money in it?
tut No He dropped that sack, picked u
DID, another one threw it down, and asked
:, where's the other safe-haven got ha
=" enough money yet-where the othe
safe p Burgess replied there was no oti
er safe Then the eyes Of the maraudt
Sh,, fell upon packing chest, usually carrie
)od in an express car for loose articles, al
pot asked, What that Pat the same tin
picking up some Of the articles which /
threw down again, with a ''d-n the
things
"u- At last the bold william thought it tin
for him to leave So he picked up Mr.. X
E of satchel, containing register books, a pac
avs age of letters, aud few private article
a and babe the whole FIVE get out before hi
at the same time pointing his revolver
ays two of them and telling the men at t
door to keep sharp watch. Out the II
Y gentlemen walked, aud then for the fl
time got view Of the wreck The CHI
directed them around the place where t
nee, engine lay, at the same time expressing {
hope that nobody was killed-they did
my want TO kill any body all they wanted "
money. I1t dShtu II utlN iHIh NtN III
and lust then Burgess saw the engin,
AIRY sitting between the engine and tender, b.
on their sides lie went up to him, tOu
orse that ne was dead, and told Mr. Royce
The head robber expressed sorrow, d
The Cd IL ro,narL That tbo,, d;dn' - ;nteppd
ack- hurt any body. Then all the robbers W
off toward their horses, which were hitci
i,r,, about hundred yards south of the ira
and, mounting them, rode away iowa
gu the southwest The robbers had chose
An good place for their deed-and this
His the way in which they ditched the eng
hos we're the only evidence of smartness I
gave. The locality was one of the II
lonely on the whole line, and the place of
-. Grafton was in a cut with the banks fit
u az feet high on either side, and was at
rounding of a curve, too The way t
managed to throw the engine was to
spike a rail, and removed fish plate at
col end they tied a rope to this end,
when the engine was within few yard
week the place the rail was pulled towards
other side of the track, and thus the
., CINE would fall from, instead of tow'
pldS' the scoundrels, who held the rope
this were concealed among the weeds in dl
The passengers-there were Il
g the coaches of them-heard the firing
norts shouts of the robbers and then, with
P'''' noise of the crash in front, we're all brOl
standing and thrown about generally
,over the smashing up ahead. The Chimes
keep lay down fiat on the floor and were in
position when Mr.. Claire went to Il
r. Some of. the passengers, after the |
70, stopped, put their heads out of the
ettled dows and the scoundrels on the side Of
cut fired down, and told them to stay
an IL they'd shoot. Several stepped out
" the platforms, and were told to get !
gives and not liking the looks of the revo
farm. leveled at them, they 9beyed. A few
, died off at the rear and started to run away
been t tiTe- ROBBERS called 70 MN 70 come Q,
a long na.sengers returned and were told to
into the car quick, which they did 7