The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1873-08-08
Capture and Robbery or a Railway
Train-A VillainOus Affair.

We copy the following from the Dayel
port Uowa) Gazette of July %
The wrecking OF the c., X. 1. x II. Raj
road train neal Adair, the murder OF N
engineer and the robbery of the safe, rev
} OF which was given the public in yesteI
DAY mornings Gazette, formed the prir
cipal topic OF conversation everywhere |
The city yesterday, aud we doubt not
throughout the country. The arrival {
the train which encountered the robber
was anxiously awaited. liz was due at
q. m, but did not reach the Perry stree
depot until half-past three O'Clock i'm tn
afternoon. 1t had box cars for baggage
cars, while the coaches were the one
which came so near being smashed In tn,
wreck. One coach was devoted to fort,
Chinese youth, som of Celestial lords
who were on their way to Springfield
Mass, of whom more in another place
A crowd at the depot awaited the train
every person on the great platform beins
anxious to see Express Messenger Bur
CESS or TO interview some passenger who
saw the robbers. The fact was. there
were but w gentlemen on the train who
came In personal contact with the rob,
bers, ana they were Mr.. o. T.. Killings.
worth and Mr.. Matthew Claire, both OF
Omaha-the former being mail register
clerk, and the latter agent of the c., II. /.
a. r., at Omaha. who were ACCOMMODATING
the Chinese to Chicago.
Mr.. killingsworth's account of the az.
fair TO our reporter was very interesting.
To begin with, he said that the express
run" that night from Omaha was very
light, owing TO the fact that there had
been a Saturday night and Sunday night
run from Omaha on the c., X. /. & p,
else the amount in the safe would have
been large. To be sure there were three
tons of bullion-gold and silver bricks
on the floor of the car. stuff that was
hardly. portable except by dray. Well,
the train left the Bluffs Oh time, and was
making splendid time when the stoppage
occurred. AT that time the parties in the
express car We're Assistant Superintendent
Royce. Albert Flick, baggage master, and
Messrs. Killingsworth, Burgess and
Claire. The train had passed Anita. and
was within three miles of Adair, when
there was a sudden and slight slack of
speed. and h report OF firearms outside
arrested their attention. MIR. X. saws il
sounded amid the rumbling of the train
much like a package of fire-crackcrs. Bull
lets battered about Mr.. Royce, and one
graZed the side of Fick's head. In a mo-
ment more there was a violent conclusion.
the express car was lifted at one end,
turned around, showed forward, and then
careened at an angle of forty-five degrees,
and stopped its maneuvers. Ii did not
tall completely upon its lower side. OF
course packages went pounding to the
lower side of the car, and the inmates
were considerably knocked about and
up. They had hardly recovered
their ~uprightness when into the door ON
the lower side-the one on the upper be-
ing shut-spranga man with a revolveri in
each hand. and a mask on his face: he
was the leader Of the robbers, as was as
afterwards. No sooner had he
than he tore the mask from his
He was above medium height, was
well built, red-faced, sandy-haired, and
had a vicious coutenance. He was
like a laborer, wearing blue linen
pants and Goa of thin material. No
sooner had he entered the car than two
other fellows in masks appeared at the
ioor with a revolver in each hand, which
hey leveled at the heads of the inmates.
The scoundrel in the car did all the talk
ng, and be commenced as o o as he was
n-shouting at the top of his voice, ssGive
those keys" IAN oath) ''give us those
leys or III blow your brains out! Give
the money! (another OATH. "Where's
hem safe keys-quick" (another OATH,
'r some of you'll get killed !" At the
anne time he pointed his pistol close to
he heads of the astonished listeners.
Where's the bullion-give us the bull
Then he shouted TO his men
Rush in and help. Come on!-rush in
nd help!"
Some one told Burgess to give the
coundrel the safe key, aud he did so.
he fellow unlocked the safe, the men at
door telling the inmates that if they
TIRED they would shoot their heads of.
he chief robber seized a sachel belong
~ to Burgess and crammed the safe
ackages into it. and as he did so he said,
Here isn't half as much as we want !
there's that bullion, give us that bull
BY this time he was on his feet.
lr. killingsworth pointed to the bullion
n the floor, saying "There it is under ,
our feet! The robber replied. ave
ont want them thinps--gise us the I
ian OATH ''or wen blow your !
rains Quit" Then he appeared to for {
ct all about the bullion, and asked If
lere was any money in the mail-bags.
No, not a cent" replied the agent.
hen the fellow put the revolver close to /,
lr. KS head, as he had before to Mr.. =,
urgess', and said, "Hand out your !
IAN oath) quick" Mr.. X. sur :
his knife. Then the robber :
icked up a mail sack: That's for Chi {
lgo, Is itg' YES" "Is there any .
Ioney In itg' NO" He dropped that J
lex. picked up another one, threw 1t !
own and asked, where's the other safe
haven't got half enough money yet :
here's the other safe 2" Burgess replied !
lere was nc other safe. The man was an )
'noramus-at least about bullion. He ,
opposed IL was coin and that there were !
igs full of gold in the safe. He didn't :
that the gold bars and silver bricks :
the floor OF the car were anything bet !
han lead. !
At last the bold villain thought 1t time .
II him 10 leave. So he picked up Mr.. !
g satchel, containing register books, a '