Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-08-01
JDENCE, IOWA, FRIDAY, AUGUST l, 1873.

went off, and that was all. Now we
come to the other doings of the rob-
bers, we mean the pranks of the
chaps in regard to the train gener-
ally.
THF PASSENGERS
there were three coaches of them
heard the firing and shouts of the
robbers, and then, with the noise of
the crash in front, were all brought
standing, and thrown about gener-
ally by the smash-up ahead. The
Chinese all lay fiat down on the
floor, and were in that position
when Mr.. Glare went to them.
Some of the passengers, after the
train stopped, put their heads out of
the windows and the scoundrels on
the sides of the cut fired down, and
told them to stay in or they'd shoot.
Several stepped out upon the plat
forms, and were told to get back,
and not liking the looks OF the re.
volvers leveled at them, they obey
ed A. tew got off at the rear and
started to run away, but the rob-
Der calledto them to come back eve
don't want to hurt you;" and the
passengers returned, and were told
to get into the car quick, which they
did. There was one plucky old
gent, who got off the rear platform
of his car, and started toward the
engine; robber told him to go
back; he told the roberto 60 to the
regions below, and called him u
damnable scoundrel, and cried to
the passengers to "come out and go
for the Williams and not let them rob
the whole train!' But nobody was
infected by the old mans heroic
conduct, and he stood and vented
his wrath at the william on the bank.
The firing was almost constant from
It's opening until the leader gave
the call to put for the horses. The
fellows on the banks kept firing
| down the embankment, without TAX
ing aim at anything. The passen-
gers told Mr.. Killingsworth that one
chap was drunk, and fired with
"wabbling arms" as they express.
ed it. No bullet holes were found
| in the coaches nor their windows.
The death of the engineer, the
brave John Rafferty,, excites desire
for vengeance in the hearts of all
who hear the story. There was a
report yesterday that he was not
killed 10y pistol shot, but that his
neck was broken when the engine
turned over. The account by his
fireman, Dennis Foley, as MIR. X.
heard him give it, renders it pretty
certain that a bullet did the work.
Foley says he was shoveling coal
into the furnace, and was bending
with his face to the door, when RAT
ferty pulled his Westinghouse break
reversed his engine, and then fell
right across him Foley), and sank
to the floor of the cab. The fireman
asked "Jack how's this?' and just
then the engine went off and turned
over. Foley was sure that the fall
of his engineer was before the dis
placed rail was reached. The en-
gineer's body was placed in a box
car with the mails and brought to
Des Moines. Mr.. X. says there
were no wounds in the head, and it
was thought he was shot through
the body. Mr.. Rafferty, was a resi-
dent of Des Moines, where he own
ed a neat residence. His age was
about 35 years. He had been with
the c., R. l. & p. for five years, and
was regarded as one of the best and
most trustworthy engineers on the
line. lie leaves wife and three
children. We believe his parents
reside at or near Clinton in this
State, and his father is expected
here this morning to take the train
for Des Moines.
| AFTER THE sMAsH-UP,
and the robbers had gone there was
a general out pouring ofpassengers.
Some of the ladies who had been
frantic with terror, now came out
pale as ghosts and still trembling
and several of them wept like chill
dren when they heard of the death
of the engineer and the manner in
which he stood at his post.
Supt. Royce Immediately set him.
self at work to send for assistance
and clear the wreck. There was no
telegraph instrument at Adair sta.
ton, which is q mere side track.
So Royce walked to Casey, six
miles distant, and telegraphed to
Stewart for locomotive and box
cars. The baggageman walked to
Anita, and returned with an opera
tor and instrument, and the tcle-
graph was set tc work on the scene
Of the wreck. When help had ar
rived, track was built around the
wreck, box cars were substituted
for baggage cars, and the belated
train came on eastward. But it was
four O'Clock in the morning before
it started. That tools in the hands
of the robbers at the express car
were stolen was ascertained, when
section boss, who lived OH the
line of the track p miles west OF
the scene of wreck, arrived at the
place, he recognized a crow-bar,
spike lever, and an axe lett by the
robbers; the tools had been stolen
from his tool chest.
Another item of interest pertains
to the two eatchels taken from the
express car. AS soon as the rob.
bers got to their horses, Mr.. Kill
lingsworth started towards them to
see what had become of his satchcl.
; He found the contents scattered
along the way, books, packages Of
letters and all, and at last came up
on the satchel itself. The bundle
of letters had not been noticed, al
though there was valuable misslve
in the lot. The robber kept the
knife he 6orro,ced of Mr.. K, how
ever. The express agents satchel
was found, yesterday, five miles
south of the place of the wreck
there was a suspicion that mar
who got on the train at the Bluffs