The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1877-10-05
THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY.
How the Itighwaymcn Captured the
Express Train and Got at the
Treasure.
[Chicago Times /

afternoon, was robbed last night be-
tween 10 and IL o'clock at Big Springs
station, $50 miles west Of Omaha, by
party OF masked men, who got away
with over 1000. Four masked men,
holding four revolvers, walked into
Station Agent Barnhart's office u few
minutes before train time aud Que of
them directed him to cut off all tele-
graph communication by tearing up
his instruments. Barnhart enGleavored
to throw them off the track by taking
up only his sounder, but the men bade
him pull up the relay and hand it over,
which he did. The man who gave the
commands was captain, evidently q
telegraph operator. Barnhart, under
cover of the revolvers, and according
to the captains commands, next hung
out his red light to stop the express,
which soon came up and stopped.
Barnhart was rushed to the door Of the
express car by the four robbers, who
made him knock for Express Messenger
Miller, who opened tho door II few
inches. The highwaymen then, by
some means, showed tho door clear
open, jumped in, aud covered Messen-
ger Miller with cooked revolvers. They
took Miller's revolvers away from him,
bruised him about the head consider
ably, and then opened one safe, from
which they obtained the treasure boxes
containing $6O,OOO in gold coin, which
was Il shipment from California, and
$I5S in currency. They tried to make
Miller open the through safe, which
has a combination lock aud is not
opened anywhere between the termini
of tho road, but as the messengers do
not know the combination ho could
not comply with the demand, and they
f..A 1t. fk<,r, H..
While this was going on in the ex-
press car, the other part of the gang
had captured the engineer and flretnen
and put out the fire in the engine, and
the moment Conductor Patterson
stopped on the platform to see what
orders were waiting for him, as indi-
Gated by the red-light signal to stop,
he, too, was cOralled, being covered by
cooked revolvers and ordered to throw
up his hands. Patterson says there
were from ten to fifteen of them. After
plundcring the cS Spress Car the robbers
went into the passenger coaches and
began robbing tho passengers, securing
about half Il dozen gold watches and
nearly $500 in cash and some railroad
tickets. A freight train now approach
ing from the rear, Conductor Patterson
was conducted by guard past the
SolSASo " SINVl OlStduCO
| the track, so that he could flag the ap-
preaching train to prevent a collision.
The guard then left him and Joined the
main body, who then retreatetl from
the cars. They had no horses in sight,
| but had them concealed some little dis
| tance off. They soon disappeared as
mysteriously as they had appeared,
going north, :,s was shortly aftcrward
learned.
Conductor Patterson sent the freight
engine out at once to give the alarm
ut the next station, and rs soon as the
fire was up in his own engine resumed
his trip. By o'clock this morning,
superintendent Clark having learned
all the particulars, had teIcgraphed
everywhere, and offered SIC, 900 reward.
1t is suspected that these mon are the
same who have been robbing the
coaches of the Blacks Hills stage line.
1t is yet II mystery how the robbers
opened the door OF the express car, as
it is so arranged as to open only six
inches when the machinery is all right.
1t is also barred with boiler iron, and a
messenger, if on the lookout for such
an emergency as this, could hold the
fort against a dozen. .U..
There were thirteen in tho gang, and
six of them went into the passenger
coaches and ordered all to hold up their
hands, which they did. Then they
went through the passengers system
atically, collecting 81 300 according to
the figures of Conductor Kelly. One
man they searched three times, but lie
managed to conceal S4OO in large bills
between his fingers.
The robbers tried to get into the
sleeping car, but the door was too So
curely bolted for them. They did not
rob the women, and to two cripples
they refunded what they had taken.
KANSAS CITY, Sept. 13.-There are
good grounds for believing that the
train robbery last night on the Union
Pacific was pcrpetratcd by n gang from
southwest Missouri and this vicinity,
headed by two of the old guerriiias.
The friends of the three Youngers, now
in the Minnesota penitcntiary for the
attempted bank robbery at Northfeld,
have been planning for several months
how to raise Il fund by which the es-
cape of the boys might be effected.
The Toungers in their palmy days
never lacked friends who shielded
! them and they could always recruit II
gang for a bank or train robbery, from
men whose coolncss of nerve could be
relied OH for the periodical raids they
| made on banks and railroad trains