The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-02-10
THE IL athaRo 9aEHs
4 DESCRIPTION OF THE OUTRAGE UY 4
cLEaaYMAsRHo ssAs ON TIE TRAIN.
81. LOUIS ebruasy 2, 1874.

4 DESCRIPTION OF THE OUTRAGE UY
cLEsaYMAsWHo Ills on TaE TKAi =.
/ ST Louis, February 2, 1874.
| 1othe Eatlotacf The Globe:
During last ten years have . .as, .,.s
oTer the south half Of Missouri Ell ~, w y;
ov horseback, and afoot, buk meyer nv. y !.
onv obstacle or serious fmpeotmIssnt sn .lu
iast Saturday. Bushwhackers nave uu
.fnrmiv let me pursue my 5onfneylDgs nc = y
own pleasure, and men.oi HnoWn uDiflel9.
feelings baye refraineGffom speaking q cfo'
word or a3sing an impertinent question.
m" I'm Saturday last feok the mail train (
the st. Louis and Iron Mountain railroad 10
Poplar. Bluff where was to bold a quar-
teriy meeting. Under the management 0
4. Mckissock,, Esq, the gentlemanIy apt
successful pcrintendent, che ST. Louis AM
Iron Mountain railroad has come to be on
Of the most pleasant and safe roads feadins
out Of st. Louis. In its palace cars, unde
the management Of the courteous conductor
the passengers are SIRE to have o pleassn
journey in ordinary times.
The country through which the road runs
south Of Arcadia, is very rough tad densefy
Weoded-narrow valleys, deep gorges, steer
and abrupt hills, covered with brush or OAK
and pine timber. DeersIwolrcs, or men can
easily hide themselves In near proximity to
the long lines OF cars Of commerce, or the
coach, happy with the srsling beauty on
Journeys of pleasure, business, or health.
To q person who has been over the ROAD
once or twice, the scenery becomes moDoto.
nous. therefore carry with me good
book and spend my time reading, and didso
on last Saturday.
About 5 O'Clock we approached Gad's Hill,
station on the road, in Wayne county, 119
miles from st. Louis. There is no depot
building there, and but few little houses-of
any kind. There had once been saw-mill
located there, aud piles of lumber and ac-
cumulated Debris lined the road on either
side. The valley here, as usual, was narrow,
and the hills on either side covered with oak
and pine timber. The whistle sounded, 1.-THE
bell rang, the train stopped as usual, at least
so far as any Of us passengers knew. looked
out on the right Of the road and saw team
pitched to q tree, being extremely FESTIVE,
and Just then saw Il man coming on the fast
run, behind and parallel to the train, and,
as supposed, running to save his team !;
but instead of stopping at the team he
FASTENED forward, coming toward the train.
masked, and had gun In his hand. then
raised the window and looked out of the
left-hand side, and saw bonfire and crowd
of men and boys about it. Next saw our
gentlemanly conductor standing on the plat
form, and a masked man at his side holding
pistol to his head, and talking most bois-
terously. The fact then flashed upon me in
moment. went to the door and looked
out, and saw several masked persons about
the front Of the train, with great commotion
and horrid oaths, and commands of "Stand
STILL" $50 back into the cal" Keep your
seats!" "Shoot the first man that stirs !"
AS learned, the robbers had opened the
switch and run the train in, and opened the
switch in the rear and forward both. They
took the engineer from his engine and gave
orders to shoot the first man that attempted
to advance toward it. The train was now
stopped, and we were at the mercy of five
men whom we did not know, and did not
know how long we would know them or
any other of our friends. Seeing the situa-
ton as stood upon the platform, and hear
ing the stern and oath-accompanied CON-
mands, thought would obey, at least when
they did not ask any thing harder of me than
to 90 back into the car. | always want to
live ready for departure for the better
world, but I did not see just then that these
gentlemen were the proper ones to invite
me 10 take that journey. 1t was an inter-
esting lesson for me then to study the various
phases of human nat0re as existed among
sthe passengers. Before me sat two ladies,
one just coming for the first time from Mas
sachusetts to join her husband in Texas, the
other widow with her two children to- join
her brother at Hot Springs, Arkansas. they
did not leave their seats, but sat quite hero
ica!iy. The little boy, a bright lad of six
years, from St. Louis, looked up in bis mas
face and said, with. much interest, Ma,
where are the police2"
Most If not all of the gentlemen got up
and eXciedly fel. for their pockets, and for
some reason q number of them had OCCASION
to pull up their pant-legs and adjust their
boots, Others found their seats were not
lust as they liked. and turned them up and
then r, adjusted them. Others took Oft their
watches, some were thrown under the seat,
one in the Wood.b box, one behind the zinc
lining back OF the stove. I did not see 4 pis-
tol on the train, and think there was not
one. We all were best armed by being un-
armed. One good-natured Irishman took
his seat just opposite to me, and put his feet
upon the open seat before him,
and leaned back and said: Gentlemen
and ladies, just be quiet, and they will net
hurt one OF u.s." / did not move thing OF
mine, nor stir from my seat after came back
from the first lookout. My watch, what lit
tie money had, and satchel, remained Win
me lust as they were, and proposed to abide
the result. !, of course, prayed, as always
do, for direction and preservation. don't
think man is always to pray, to the neglect
of his powder. If we all had good arms, !
would have said use them, and the Lord
have mercy on the poor fellows hit. One
man stood on each side of the train with
shot-guns, and pistols in their belts. with
orders TO shoot the first man who stirred
from the train, or who, should make
any sign of resistance. Three others en-
tered the express aud mai-car, and, sup
pose, got all the treasure there. / think all
these train.meG did all they could to pre-
serve the treasures, and are worthy Of credit
for the cool manner in which they conducted
themselves. If the conductor Mr. Afford,
had got excited and beside himself, and
IN ,;r,k$ al or nj .