St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-07-16
Robbers Capture a Train.
THEY MURDER THE ENGINEER. BIT FAIL
TO KILL THE MESSENGER.

THEY MURDER THE ENGINEER. BIT FAIL
TO KILL TIE MESSENGER.
CINCINNATI. July "a despatch +"
}. Ii. Rhodes, Superintendent at the
Adams Express Company, states that il
desperate attempt WAS made - rob
Express Messenger Burke nj Long Point.
H.. on the Nandalia Railroad, ut mid
night. last night. The engine and car
were cut loose and the engineer killed.
Burke barricaded the doors and kept
the robbers at bay until help arrived.
Long Point. Ill.,. ON the Nandalia
Railroad. where the attempted express
robbery occurred. is three miles west OF
Casey. All trains are accustomed to
stop there for the engine to take III
water 1t is situated in the middle OF
Il dense wood. no person living within
Il mile and IL half of the station. 1t has
long been regarded by railroad men Us
IL dangerous place. Several times late
IL engineers have seen suspicious look
in. persons lurking III he ncighhorh"od.
at night. and i'll consequence have not
stopped their trains.
Last night. ut midnight. when the
passenger train No. >. bound east with
I OllllltIpl TldltN anu hll'
AmcS in charge. stopped ut the water
tank. two men boarded the engine. one
from each side and ordered the emglI Ger
to start the engine. The engineer. after
il few moments hc>itation. obeycd the
order. After the starting of the tram.
one of the robbers remarked. NV e VIII
run the thing ourselves. and Immc-
diatclN both robbers fired at the en%In
Ger. KILN" him instantly. The fireman.
" no WIS standing on the tender. ran I"
the rear of the train To alarm the train
men. ne having heard Il conversation
and cnmpIchcuding the situation III
once. While this WAS taking place on
the engine. an ;lccomplirc OF the rob
beers had detached the Adams ENplr>>
ear from the ears in the rear. | lc
whole party of rohhcI> then IAN the
tram Il" Il point about tw" miles from
the station. where they stopped. and
going To the door of the express ear
demanded admittanc".
ENprcSS Messenger Burke told them
he WAS ready for them. and if they en-
tered he would shoot them. The rob
hcl> then began firing int" the car. and
the messenger SAYS ii seems I" INN
came from all sides. The conductor
and train men seeing the position ot
Affairs. tried to arm themselves. but
could find only one rc\"ltcr on the
train. They however discovered tW"
>"ldicr>. armed with carhiuc>. and with
ihc>,. the train men and the ~oldirl>
started after the robbers. " hen they
came up Ia the train all Wa~ quiet. the
i"hhcI> having fled. They found the
dead body of the engineer ON the tl""I
of the cab. \ freight train engineer.
named Jack Wander .Iitt. hupprurd Ia
he, OH he train, and he and the iIruI:Im
ran the engine back to the train ana
hlou.ht it in. The rnhhcI> failed /"
gain an entrance to the express ear. il
hriu" one of the cln>,. kind having II"
windows. and very strong in cNcIN
way.
The train men speak in high Terms at
ih, pluck and courage display eel 10y
Express Messenger limkr. There j.
intense icclIn" among the railroad men
INrr the tryI.irIl death at Engineer
Amr>. and should his murdcrcr> Ice
caught it i very generally believed
that then prosecution would NOT cost
the State ANY thing.
lhrcal which Burke defended against
the r"hhrr> had only iw" doors. aud
those were at the sides instead "t the,
ends. otherwise the >cnr,udrrl> would
pohablN have succeeded III them al
tempt. The plurkH cNplr>> int~~cnlrI.
Bu hr. l. an liI>hmau. and Wa iuIIurI-
ll employed in the express office AT
Cairo. he Governor at Illinois viii
uulou bttllN offer Il lrNIIu for the al