The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-07-27

cars to the rear sleeper, and giving the
key to his safe to a brakeman there, made
him put it in his shoe. So
i The wheels had hardly stopped turning
when two men, with navy revolvers.
jumped upon the engine, and covering the
engineer and fireman with their weap ons,
suggested very quietly that they had bet
ter remain passive. The suggestion was
acted upon, and the engineer and ii. enlan
were marched into the baggage CAL and
kept under guard.
At the same instant that the engine was
boarded, three men were lifted upon the
shoulders of others to the side door of the
express car. So cody desperate were they
that they seemed to care nothing for the
risk of thus boldly entering the open door
way. The express messenger, as before
stated, had fled, but Conkling, the bag.
gage master, was in the car. They at
once took charge of him, and asked where
the express keys were. He said that he
did not have them. They searched him,
and not finding the keys, remarked that it
would perhaps be better for him if he told
where they were to- be found He glanced
at the villainous- looking shooting irons,
and said that he guessed the messenger
had the keys. "Where is the mcsscn-
ger?" was the next question. He
said the messenger had just stepped
aft. They placed Conkling in front of
one of the navies' and pushed him along
very calmly through tile cars, requesting
that he point out the express messenger
whenever he should come to him. AS the
quartette passed through the cars with
ugly masks and their cleaning revolvcrs,
the effect on the passengers seemed very
depressing. They sat like statues in their
seats, and those who were snugly cuddled
up under the foot.rests did not seem to
take sufficient interest in the proceedings to
poke out their heads and look. The scene
was in striking contrast with that outside,
where the pistols continued to pop and
the robbers to yell. The men found the
agent in the rear car, and Conk ling point
ed him out. One Of them remarked SEN
tentiousl y to Mr.. Bushnell, at the same
time diverting his revolver that way,
"Give us the keys, my Christian friend,
and be quick about it, The remark was
very effective, and the brakeman's shoe
soon yielded up the keys. One man re-
manned as Il guard over the agent, while
the other two marched Conkling back to
the express car. The fellow in the sleeper
marched up and down occasionally, with
Bushnell in front of him, and terrorlzcd
the passengers most painfully. AS he was
going to the forward end of the car on one
occasion, the negro porter remarked, in a
suppressed voice: If any of you gents
has got revolver, now's a bully chance
to pop that fellow back of the head One
of the suffering travellers Immediately
broke out in mortal terror: Sh-h-h!
Don't get us all killed.
The men who went forward opened the
Adams Express Company's safe, and the
entire contents were Unfortunately
dumped into long wheat sack which had
been brought for the purpose. 1t was
found that none of the keys would fit the
other safe, and an active little man who
who, by the way, was the only small man
CINE and got pick, with which he at
struck several blows that were not very
effective, when an immense fellow
who was with him stepped forward, seized
the pick, and with the blows of Hercules
soon broke a hole through the panel. He
then squeezed his hand through, but
the hole was so small that he only tore off
lot of skin, without getting any booty.
He then drew his hand out with an oath,
and the little man burst out laughing at
him. "Lct me get at it," said he, II
wear a number seven glove, and both my
hands will go where one Of your mauleys
won't" He soon relieved the safe of its
entire contents, which were emptied into
the sack
They then seized the newsboy's chest,
and breaking it open, took everything that
they cared for. The eatables seemed right
in hand, and in few moments all of
them were munching cakes, apples or
candies.
The robbers next seized the NJ. K. and
T. letter-box and broke it open, scattering
the letters and papers all over the car, but
finding nothing that they wanted. They
next proceeded to the Adams express
freight car, but found nothing that was
valuable and portable therein. Having
now completed their search, one of them
suggested that they search and rob all of
the passengers, but the leader very
promptly rebuked him, commanding the
men nN to touch a passenger under any
consideration, as they had secured enough
without going to that extreme.
While all this was going on within, one
stalwart fellow was parading on either
side of the train, calling out to his COM
rades who lined the top of the banks on
both sides of the cut, to shoot the head off
of any one who migh stick his head out
of the window. 1t could be seen, too, that
there were men up there to obey the COM
mand, even though the occasional shoot
ing and almost continuous yelling did not
prove it. At the time this injunction was
first delivered, the plucky little ncwsboy
had fired his little pop-gun of a revolver
through one of the windows, and the rob-
beers laughed at it as though it were huge
joke, one of them rcmarking: Hear that
little thing bark"
The shooting, of which there was so
much, seemed to be entirely for the pur-
pose of intimidation, as nobody was hurt.
From all the circumstances, it would seem
that there were not so many men as the
passengers were led to believe, but that
the loud orders and much shooting were
intended to keep up appearances.
Having finished their work, the little
man shouldered the we'll filled wheat bag
and the crowd started off with good
bye, boys.'' They stopped long enough,
however, to tell the baggageman that il
would be we'll for him to 60 back some
distance and remove the distractions that
had been placed there, as they might make
mischief to the next train. The conductor,
baggageman and one or two others acted
on this, and going back a quarter of a
mile, found very solid and well-arranged
wrecking trap, which they dismcmbered
While there they could hear the robbers
talking and laughing as they went ovel
the hill half mile away.
The engineer and fireman resumed theil
stations, and the train, after delay of an
hour and ten minutes, started for St
Louis.-St. Louis Republican, July ..
How the Fourth Was Celebrated on