, 1874-12-10
THE MISSOURI DANDITTI,

Tho State Of Missouri in rapidly securing
most 1tnonviab1o reputation Oh NIL encourage,
Of baflditti and u Bheltorcr Of murders. Enrly
in 1873, tito Hot Springs, Ark, stage was
waylnld and oil tho occupants wero robbed
tho rohbora subsequently, lnalsing their es.
oapo into Missouri, whore thoy llnvo SUCCESS.
fully ovadod arrest. On tho 2tst of July,
1873, n gang Of highwnymen placed MI OBJ
str'1ction upon tlo track Of the Chicago,
Rock Island 1; Pacific Rnilroad, near Adair,
Iowa. AZ tho train approncbed, thoy shot
tile engineer from their ambush, mud Tho
train WIS dltchctl. The highwaymon thon
deliberately robbed tho cxpross-car aud the
passongorH, and mate their escape into
Southwestern Missouri, md they have noyor
since becn n1olostod. Last February, train
OIL the Iron Mountnin Railroad WIS robbed Mt
Gatrs Hill, No., wlli1o ha1ting ut TINT station,
by gang Of highwayn,cn, who relieved tho
passengers Of all their yal,1nblcy. md then
ma1o their escape into Southwestern Mis-
souri,, seeking rcfugo in district which Inns
long been infested with a geng Of notorious
h1ghwaymon md murdororB, who hayo held
iheix whola noigllborhood III terror for
years, mid have mover been molostctl by tho
law. It was this gang, it will be romem.
bercd, which killed Capt. Louis Lu11, Of this
city. Now comes tho intelligence of still AL
other train-robbery, this tin1o On tho Kausas
paclilo Railroad, near Muncic. a gang Of
masked robbors, heavily armed, stopped tho
train by pi]ing rails on tho track. As in tho
Adair oaso, an attempt was mndo to liill the
engineer, but fortunately ho escaped. After
tho train hail como to Il stop, tho robbers
wont through tho oxpress-car and secured
$50, 900, with which they matlo their escape,
tho Inst news from them being that they wero
on their way to Missouri.
After sncl, quick succession Of robberieg
rs these, aIl contering about tho same To-
cality, it may bo accepted as very conclusive
that Missouri is tho homo of m organized
gong Of banditti, where they aro sure Of
shelter. From tho fact TINT mono Of these
gangs havo ever been punished, and TINT the
State authoritics lave never taken any stcns
to arrest them Or to mid others in arrcstiue
thom, it may also be accepted that tho State
authorities do not intend to punish them or
to Interfere with tleir operations. Al
though the exact locality Of thoir rcnlcz-
vous is well known, and was penetrated by
tho brave but unfortunate Cnpt. LU11, md
although the higllwaymcn are porsonaIly
known throughout tho entire Stato, not tho
first atep has ever been taken to arrest them.
Notwithstanding the fact tint nil Of them nro
liablo to punishment for many local crimes
in addition to these heavy train-robbcries
In fact, Immediately after tho Gnl's Fill rob-
berry, when tho authorities of Iowa wero
making strenuous efforts to capture these
robbers, the Democratic Legislature Of Mis-
souri, indirectly placed every obstacle it could
in tho way Of Justice.
Inas'nuch, therefore, rs these outraccs lavo
been allowed to 60 on for thrco years without
protest, aud as tho State of Missouri probably
will continue TO give shelter mud counter
10 these gangs of banditti, responsibility
'asta upon the companies Of railroads running |
through Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri, md in
Tho Southwest generally, to atopt measures
which will protect their passengers from rob- |
oery and violence. If tho traiu-meu /
Ind been al1ned, any ono of tho ont.
'agos wo have enumerated could hayo
ICON stopped. There is IN aver
'ge Of Mt 1enst ten men to every train, aud
Aese robberies have been natlo by only five
II siS mon ut tho most. If tho railroad en-
'loycs wero armed, they could rally enough
# armed passengers about them to SUCCESS
ully resist any attempt at robbery. Some
uch prccaution Is due TO tho travelling pub
TO- They take risks enough of explosions,
ALI f>.ar1. 1..1 l