Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1877-10-20
THE MASKED TRAIN ROBBERS.
A PAssENaEk's sToRY-How HE Es-
CAPPED BEING PLuNDRRED.;

A PASSENGERS sroRY-How HE Es-
CAPPED BEING PLuNDKRED.
lFrom the Omaha Herald.]
On THE ROAD, Sept. 2o.-That train
robbery at Big Springs Station was an
interesting occasion and no mistake.
I was there, but not by special invita-
tion. Not being accostumed to that
kind of diversion, had known what
was to happen think I should have
waited for the next train.
We rolled mp to Big Springs depot Us
usually. The night was beautiful, and
the moon shone brightly. As tho train
stopped went ont on the platform Of
| tho car, where 1 found an Omaha mer-
chant, and we stood and talked there
about two minutes, when there suddenly
appeared before us on the ground four
masked men, with q cooked revolver in
first thought it was some joke, but
when the devils ordered us into the car
"d-quick," and to hold up our hands
and make no 'break," and called Us hard
names, concluded it meant business,
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 I had
business inside Immediately.
As /, closed the car 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.
The robbers followed us. One fired off
his pistol in the car, probably to give
emphasis to his remarks, which were
moro rciblo than polite. They station
I cd one man at the front end of the car,
one at tho rear each with two pistols,
and each of the remaining ruf6ians was
allotted the task of robbing q row of
seats which they proceeded to do each af-
ter his own style.
The first man robbed WAS q drummer
from New York house. He was order
cd to "stand up, hold mp his hands. and
keep his d. mouth shut" and the search
commenced. They took from him $3.50,
and n gold watch valued at $500. The
| next man had only one arm. The gen.
tlemanly villain that was searching him
happened to notice the empty sleeve.
"H-l," said he, Shave you only got one
arm?"
"Ouly one, SIR" replied the man. i.
"Wcll, d you, take back your stuff
we don't want your money. Sit down
and keep STILL"
One of the brignnds yelled out as they
came in the car; "Hold up your hands,
every and keep still; VIC
| want your money, but will give each
| man 80 back, and we wont hurt a man
| unless he makes a break. We've kill one
| man, and don't want to kill any more.
| but your money We will have; so, d
you, keep still and give it up-all of it,
auiotly"-and much moro talk of like
| character.
1t was queer scene-about forty men
| of us sitting there quietly to let -four
masked scalawags 60 quietly through us
that way; but what could We dot Not
| a revolver in the car except one, and that
at the bottom of o valise. There was no
! use for any one to make a start. Tho
two men at the end of the cars covered
everybody nearly with two cooked revolv-
ersliable to 60 off any moment, for their
hands tren,bled violently, showing that
they were themselves excited. So we
obeyed orders to certain extent, but not
fully. didn't. 1 had my hands up
most of tho time, but found time to put
nv pocket-book with $500 in it down be-
hind q ladies' work basket, who occupied
tho next seat after doing which walked
back about four seats and managed to
GET nv watch and chain, off and down
behind nv vslise on the car floor, after
which little performance my hands we, 9
ND good and steady. then had nothing
on my person that l thought the thieves
would take, except about $40 in coin in
one pocket, and finally worked up a
scheme to beat them out of that. The
man who was robbing the row of seats
opposite mo was much more expert than
the other, and got away ahead of him.
After he had passd mo about four seats,
! and while the other one was at least four
seats from me the other way, got up
leieurely and crossed the aisle and took
q seat with a man who had been robbed,
and the villain whose plain duty it was
to rob mo, overlooked me entirely 30
was not touched, and was tho only man
in that car who was not ''gone through
I think it took them about fifteen min
utes to work that car.
In CONJUNCTION with that of TIE