The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-10-04
J
THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY.
Full Particulars Of the Raid OH the
A4ll -Uhion ,PaciHic. EAT
OMAHA. NED. Sen. 10

OMAHA, NEB., Sep. 10.
The Union Pacific east bound express
train, due here this afternoon, was robbed
last night between 10 and ii o'clock, at
Big Springs Station, three hundred and
sixty miles west of Omaha, by party of
masked men, who got away with over
100000. Four masked men, holding four
reyolvers, walked into Station Agent
Barnhart's Office few minutes before
train time, and one of them directed him
TO cut off all telegraph communication by
tearing up his instruments. Barnhart
endeavored 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. Barn
hardt, under cover of the revolvers, and
next hung ouE his red Ugh: &c stop the
express, which, soon = came up and
stopped. SBarnhart was rushed TO the
door of the express car by the four rob-
bers, who made him knock for Express
Messenger Miller, who opened the door
o few inches.
The highwaymen then, by some means,
showed the door clear open, jumped in,
and coyerd Messenger Miller with cooked
revolyers. They took Miller's revolyers
away from him, bruised him about the
head considerably, and then opened one
safe, from which they obtained I'll the treas
ure boxes containing $4,000 in gold
coin, which was shipment from Cali
fornia, and S458 in currency. They tried
to make Miller open the through safe,
which has combination lock, AID is not
opened anywhere between the fermini of
the road, but as the messengers do not
know the combination he could not COM
ply with the demand, and they let him
off after explaining.
While tilis was going on in the express
car, the .9ieF part lofthe gong had cap
tture1 the epSiReer and fireman, and put
| out TIE fire ins the engine, and Che mo-
ment Conductor Patterson stepped on the
| platform to see what orders were await
ing him, as indicated by the red light
signal to stop, be, too. was corralled,
| being covered by cooked reyolveFs and
ordered to throw up his hands. Patter-
! son says there were from ten to fifteen OF
them. After plundering the express car,
the robbers went into the passenger
coaches aud began robbing the passen-
gers. securing about half dezen gold
watches and nearly five hundred dollara
4
| freight train now approaching from the
rear, Conductor Pattersof, was conducted
! by guard past the sleeping coaches q
short distance up the track, so that hc
could flag the approaching train to PEE
vent a collision. The guard then left
him and Joined the main body, who ths
retreated. from the cars. They Lnd
horses in sight, but had them conc e,i
some little distance off. They soon dis
9ppeafed AS mysteriously az they had
appeared, going north, as was shortly
ait5T ward learned.
| Conductor Patterson cent the freight
engine out at once TO size the alarm at
the next station, and as soon as the fire
was up in his own engine resumed his
trip. By o'clock this morning, Super
intendent Clark having learned ell the
pegtienlhrs, had telegraphed everywhere
and offered $40, coo reward.
Sheriff McCaTty, of Sidney, and Sheriff
Bradley, of North Platte were sent out
with q large force of mounted men
Sheriff Bradley seems to have get on the
trail, IN it IS said Inat ne found two re-
volvers and one empty coin box ten
miles north OF Big Springs. 1t 10 sas-
pected that these men are the same who
/ have been robbing the coaches OF the
Black Hills stage line. It is yet mys-
terry how the robbers opened the door OF
the express car, as it is 90, arranged as to
open only six inches when the machinery
Is all right. It is also barred with boiler
iron, and messenger, il on the lookout
for such an emergency es this, could hold
the fort against dozen.
| There were thirteen In the gang, and
six Of them went into the passenger
coaches and ordered all TO hold up tke::
hands, which they did. Then they went
through the passengers systematicaiiS,
collecting 81 300. according to the figures
of Conductor Kelly. One man they
ser=chei threa times, but he managed to
conceal 500 in largo bills betweeGa his
| fngers.
The robbers tried to get into the sleep
| ing car. bpt the doors wa.