American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-07-15
BOLD RAILWAY ROBBERY.
Train the Missouri Pacific Boarded
by NuHans-The Passengers Intimf-
dated and the Express Car PIundered-
Exciting Scenes During the Operation

Escape of the Desperadoes.
From the st. Louis Journal July 81
One of those daring and desperate
train robberies for which our State is
becoming famous took place on the
Missouri Pacific Railroad, on Friday
night last, at place called Rocky Cut,
between Otterville and Upton. For
daring on the part of the thieves and
"masterly inactivity" on the part of the
passengers, this exploit probably
eclipses any thing of the kind which
has TRANSFERRED within our borders for
some time.
Tram number 4, from Kansas City,
was coming east with their passenger
coaches, baggage and express car and
two Pullman coaches, en- route for st.
Louis. Four miles east of the little
town of Otterville, they struck deep
cut known as Rocky Cut. This was
quarter before IL o'clock p. m. At
this point they discovered the danger
signal, a red lamp, and the engineer at
once applied his air-brakes and slowed
the train, to ascertain what the trouble
was. AS he neared the cut, the train
care to stop, and the engineer was
somewhat surprised to observe the
watchman at Lemoine bridge, standing
near the engine.
At this juncture the train was board
ed by
TWELVE MASKED MEN,
and the train men readily surmised then
what the matter was, and why the train
had been tagged at that place. These
were what are termed "route agents."
or, in palmer parlance, train robbers.
Had the engineer disregarded the sig
nails given, a serious and probably fatal
accident would have been the result, as
the thieves, to make their work doubly
certain, had piled a large number of
ties upon the track, so that even as it
was the engine was lifted severalinches
from the track, but fortunately settled
back to her place on the rails again,
| after running on the ties.
The men all wore DISCUSSES, except
one small man who seemed to be act
ing as captain of the expedition. All
wore cavalry boots with their pants
tucked inside of them, and nearly all
had, affixed to their heels, pair of
spurs, plainly indicating that they came
mounted and equipped for whatever
might turn up. From passengers and
others we CLEAN the following further
particulars of the raid:
After entering the train, the first
| la TO
guards at the doors of the cars and also
upon the outside of the train above and
below, some being near the track and
others on either side of the bluff bank
| above the train. The captain was a
| bustling, business looking chap, and is
of legally organized force. He gave
| directions to those on the hill on either
side to take a pop at any heads they
saw peering out of the car windows. 1t
was afterward estimated that about
sixty of the passengers were armed,
and yet they all seemed perfectly panic
stricken and helpless, while the ladies
| were, if possible, more seriously
| alarmed than the men, and several of
| them swooned when the fact was made
known that the train had been stopped
by robbers. Many of the passengers
preserved sufficient presence of mind
to stow away their money. watches and
other valuables in their boot legs and
in out-of-the-way places about the car.
THE OBJECT OF THE THIEVES
was soon made apparent, by all those
not engaged as guards to keep
the passengers quiet making di-
rectly for the express car.
Hurried inquiries were made for
Bushnell, the express messenger, and as
ever thief of the gang carried a navy
revolver at full cock, their interroga-
tions were very promptly answered,
and the messenger was pointed out to
them. He, learning what was up, had
taken the precaution to transfer the
keys to his safe to a train boy, with in
structions to conceal them in his boots.
About this time about dozen shots
were fired outside the car, for the pur-
pose of intimidating those inside the
car, and the ruse worked to charm.
Not a soul among the passengers stirred,
and no resistance was therefore offered
from that source. They approached
the messenger, and the leader of the
gang
DEMANDED THE KEY OF THE SAFE.
They were told that he hadn't the key,
when they intimated, in language un-
mistakable, that unless the key was
forthcoming in less than a minute, they
would not be responsible for the cir
cumstances that might accrue to the
messenger. That gentleman, as he
looked into the two or three "navies"
leveled mt his head, concluded that it
was useless further to prevaricate, and
started after the train boy, who had the
key, one of the worthless keeping bead
on his head all through the operation.
He finally obtained and delivered the
key to the rapacious cormorants, and
the way
THEY WENT THROUGH THAT SAFE
would have made Boss Tweed hide his
head in shame. The engineer and fire.
man were Gagged in the baggage car,
and were protected" by two of the
ruffians SO that they could render no
assistance to the messenger, who was
at the mercy of the robbers. They first
opened the Adams Express safe, of