The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-07-12
A PLUCKY EXPRESS MESSENGER.
Frightful Scenes in Dismal Wood.

A dispatch to ]. II. Rhodes, superin-
tendent of the Adams express company,
states that desperate attempt was made
to rob Express Messenger Burke at Long
Point, ILL.,, on the Vandalia railroad, at
midnight, Thursday night. The engine
and car were cut loose and the engineer
killed. Burk barricaded the doors and
kept the robbers at bay until help arrived.
SCENE OF THE TRAGEDY
Long Point, is three miles west of Casey
All trains are accustomed to stop there for
the engine to take in water. 1t is situated
in the middle of dense wood, no person
living within mile and half of the sta
ton. 1t has long been regarded by railroad
men as dangerous place. Several times
lately engineers have seen suspicious look
ing persons lurking in the neghborhood,
at night, and in consequence have not
stopped their trains.
DETAILS OF THE DARING ATTEMPT.
Thursday night at midnight, when the
passenger train No. 5, bound east with
Conductor Fraley and Engineer Milo
Ames in charge, stopped at the water tank
two men boarded the engine, one from
| each side, and ordered the engineer TO start
the engine. The engineer, after a mo-
| ment's hesitation, obeyed the order. After
the starting of the train, one of the robbers
remarked, "We will run the thing our
| selves" and Immediately both robbers fired
at the engineer, killing him instantly. The
| fireman, who was standing ON the tender,
ran to the rear of the tram to alarm the
train men, he having heard conversation
and comprehending the situation at once.
While this was taking place on the engine,
an accomplice of the robbers had detached
the Adams express car from the cars in the
rear. The whole party of robbers then ran
the train to point about two miles from
the station, where they stopped, and going
to the door of tho express car demanded
| admittance.
| THE MESSENGER DRFIRs WHOLE BAND.
| Express Messenger Burke told them he
was ready for them, and If they entered
he would shoot them. The robbers then
began firing into the car, and the messen-
| ger says it seems to him there were dozen
OF them, as the shots came from all sides
The conductor and train men seeing the
position of affairs, tried to arm themselves,
but could find but one revolver on the
train. They however discovered two SOL
diers, armed with carblnes, and with these
the train men and the soldiers started after
the robbers When they came up to the
train all was quiet, the robbers having fled.
They found the dead body of the engineer
on the floor of the cab. A freight train
engineer, named Jack Vandergrift, hap
pened to be on the train, and he and the
fireman ran the engine back to the train
and brought II In. The robbers failed to
gain an entrance to the express car it being
one of the close kind, having no windows,
and very strong in every way. Had they
detached the American express car, which
was Immediately in the rear of the Adams
express car, they might have accomplished
their purpose, as 1t is an open car with
windows.
A PROBABLE GLUE.
The finding of the hammer used to knock
out the coupling pins may serve, possibly,
as clue to the robbers. The train men
speak in high terms of the pluck and cours
age displayed by Burke. There is intense
feeling among the railroad men over the
tragical death of Engineer Ames, and
should his murderers be caught it is very
generally believed that their prosecution
would not cost the state anything. Sew
eral suspected persons are already in GUS
tody, and there is reason to hope that all
the robbers will be caught. The railroad
company offer 81 900 reward for their ap-
prehenslon.