Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1873-08-21
4 DREADFUL CRIME.
Bushwhackers Overthrow and
Rob q Train on the Prairie.
Timely Action of The Engi-
neer, Who Is Killed.
THE THIEVES AND THEIR
PLUMBER.
Arrival OF tho Train at Chicago.

CHICAGO, July 90, 1873.
A special dispatch from Des Moines to-
day gives the following account of the at.
tack on the train of the Chicago, Rock Is
land and Pacific Railroad last night =
The train left Council Bluffs at Eve o'clock
with four coaches and two sloepers in the
rear, the slccpers being filled with a com
plny of ariStocratic Chinese on their way
to the New England colleges. There were
also two baggage express cars, in which
wasthe through California mail alG express
matter, consisting, in short, of nearly two
thousand dollars in the express safe and
three tpns IF bullion. When about sixty
five miles west ct this city, about half past
eight o'clock, at a sharp curve on the road
and an isolated spot, with no house for
several miles in any direction, the train
moving at about twenty-five miles an hour,
the engineer, John Rafferty, suddenly.
SAW ONE RAIL MOVED
from its place about sixty feet ahead Of
the engine. He instantly reversed the en-
CINE and applied the air brake, and while
in the act bullets amc pelting into the
engine like bail, The 'ngine ran into the
bank and turned over, throwing out the
engineer, John Rafferty,, and the fireman,
the former falling on the latter dead. 1t
is supposed Rafferty, was killed BY the
conclusion as no bullet wounds were found
or his body. The fireman escaped unhurt.
The train, being very heavy, ran about
one hundred feet and stopped the baggage
cars COUPLED and were badly Sn ashed. As
soon as the train stopped large athletic
men, masked in full KuKlux style, appear
ed at the express car, in which were the
conductor, William Smith, S%uppcrintend-
ent Royce, the express Messenger, John
Burgess, and three other persons, and com,
mcacOd firing rapidly into the car yelling
get OUT OF THERE DAMN YE!
get out of there" Two bullets passed
through the clothes of the conductor, one
one grazed the skull of the express mosaen>
ger. The inmates jumped out when they
were ordered, to the rear, covered BY half
a dozen navy revolvers. Two ofthe robbers
marched up and down the train threaten
ING to shoot any person who showed their
heads on the train saying, "Get down out
of SIGHT, damn yo or we will shoot you"
The robbers then took about two thousand
dollars from the express safe, cut open the
mail sacks (but took no letters and mount.
ed each Il horse and rode of across the
prairie in a southerly direction, the whole
being done in less than ten minutes.
They fortunately did not cut the tele,
graph wires, and Superintendent Royce
at once fastened to the nearest station
and telcgraphed in all directions. En-
gines and a posse of men we're sent out
from Council Bluffs, on the Burlington
and other roads, to intercept the robners,
ina %southcrly direction. Their dress and
voices indicated
THEY WE'RE REGULAR BUsHwHACKERs.
They evidently intended to get the usual
valuable express matter by this route on
Mondays, but which went through on an
extra train on Sunday night. The rob-
bars during the day stole a spike bar and
hammer from tile handcar house at the
station. They drew the spikes from one
end Of the rail and secretod themselves
several rods away, and as the engine APP
preached pulled the rail out of place.
The promptness of the engineer in ,e.
covering his engine and the use of the
air brakes saved the passengers from
BARN, as not one passenger was injured.
A track was at once laid around the
wrecked ears aud the train resumed its
triI arriving here at 1880 this morning,
bringing the dead body of the engineer,
who resided here aud who leaves a wife
and three children.