Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-10-04
ROBBING A TRAIN.
Experience Of a Passenger at the
Big Springs Robbery.
II. WHITMORE,
Publisher and Proprietor.

Experience Of a Passenger at the
Big springs Robbery.
A correspondent of the Omaha
Herald, who was one of the passen-
gers on the train that was robbed
of sixty or seventy thousand dollars
on the Union Pacific railroad, at
Big Springs, Wyoming, Wednes-
day night, September 10, sends to
that paper the following racy ac-
count of his experience:
OK THE ROAD, September 20.
That train robbery at Big Springs
Station was an interesting occasion,
and no mistake. | was there, but
not by special invitation. Not be-
ing accustomed to that kind of di-
version, had | known what was to
happen, think l should have
waited for the next train. You
have probably got an account of the
whole thing by telegraph long ago,
so will not attempt to write it up
for you in full, but will give a lit
tie sketch of what l saw, which
may possibly be of interest.
We rolled up to Big Springs de-
pot as usual. The night was beau
tiful and the moon shone brightly.
As the train stopped, l went out on
the platform OF the car, where l
found an Omaha merchant, and we
stood and talked there about two
minutes, when there suddenly ap-
peared before US on the ground four
masked men, with cooked revolver
in each hand aimed directly at us.
At first thought it was some joke,
but when the devils ordered us into
the car "d-d quick" and to hold
up our hands and make no
break" and called us hard
names, / concluded it meant "busi-
ness" and another look at those
eight revolvers which just about
that time began to look like
mountain howitzers, convinced
me in much less than a
weeks time that the evening
air was unhealthy, and l had bust.
ness inside Immediately. In other
words, | got, quick. As / closed
the door two shots were fired at my
friend, hitting him twice in the
hand, and taking off about a foot
of the car door casing. That salts
fed him, and he took an inside
berth tolerably lively. The robbers
followed us in and commenced a
first-class game of talk. One fired
off his pistol in the car-not to kill
us-he held it up-but probably to
give emphasis to his remarks, which,
by the way, were more rorcible than
polite. Well, they stationed one
man at the front end of the car, one
at the rear, each with two pistols,
and to each CT the remaining ruff
fans was allotted the pleasant task
of robbing a row Of seats, which
they proceeded to do each after his
own original style.
The first man robbed was a
drummer from New York house.
He was ordered to "stand up, hold
up his hands, and keep his ID
mouth shut" and the search COM
menced. They took from him $3.50
and gold watch valued at $500.
The next man had only one arm.
The gentlemanly villain that was
searching him happened to notice
the empty sleeve. Gill;" said
he, have you only got one arm p"
"0nly one, sir" replied the man.
Well, d--n you, take back your
stuff--we don't want your money.
Sit down and keep still"
One of the wretches yelled out as
they came in the car: "Hold up
your hands, every
and keep still; we want your money
but will give each man $40 back,
and we won't hurt a man unless he
makes a break. We've killed one
man and don't want to kill any
more, but your money we will have;
so, d--n you, keep still, and give it
up--all OF It, quietly land much
more talk Of like character. l4
1t was a rich scepe-~about forty
men of MS sitting there quietly to
let four masked scalayags 80