The Iola register., 1881-07-29
THE RAILROAD ROBBERi IN MIS-.
SOURI,.

THE RAILROAD ROBBERY IN MIS-.
SOURI,.
A R0ek leland Passenger Train Bearded IN
Missouri by Bandits-Cold- -BIooded Mur-
der q Conductor Westfan and Man
Named AcAzlllan-The Robbers secure
Brethers Believed 70 Have Been Com
eerned In the Outrage.
It was at nine O'Clock Friday night,
ut . lonely switch station, west of Winston,
that twelve or fifteen men boarded the train.
They were taken to be ordinary passengers,
laborers or stockmen, and attracted no spe-
ciai attention. Just east Of Winston Station
the train came to q sudden stop. Conductor
Westfall stepped of to see what was the
matter, when the train moved on again.
He jumped aboard again, and as he was
about to enter the front door OF the smok-
ing.car two men confronted him, and one
Immediately leveled revolver at him and
fired. The ball struck Westfall in the arm,
through the smoking coach, the men closely
pursuing and firing upon him. Two more
shots took effect upon the conductor, and
upon reaching the rear platform Of the car
he fell dead. A passenger named Mcmillan,
a stone-mason employed on the railroad,
tried to escape from the coach by the same
door which the murdered conductor went
out of when he fell dead upon the platform,
and he was also shot and killed, whether by
stray shot or purposely is not known.
While this tragedy was being enacted, .
gang Of eight or ten men went through the
coaches, firing their revolvers at random
through the roofs and sides of the cars,
and threatening to kill any passenger
that dared to move. A part of this
gang went into the baggage-car and
attacked c. H. Murray, the express messen.
ger, and his assistant, Frank Stampes. The
assistant was dragged from the car. and
Murray ensconced himself on the floor be-
hind some trunks to escape being hit by the
flying bullets. The train ran about half
mile before he was discovered, and the rob-
bers then dragged him from his place of con-
cealment, and, placing their revolvers at his
head, demanded of him, upon pain of in
slant death, to open the express safe. The
leader of the gang produced a bag from his
pocket, and the contents of the safe, about
$1,000 in currency, were deposited in it.
They then demanded Murray to show them
where they could find other money, and he
informed them that they had all of value in
the car except fifteen bricks of silver bullion
that lay on the floor Of the car. The robbers
did net cucumber themselves With the bull
ion.
After the bandits had completed their
work of robbery and murder, they deserted
the train and dispersed in all directions, and
man had been overpowered and kept in
subsection by two men with pistols, who,
when they wanted the train slowed up,
would place their weapons to the engineers
head and commanded him to use the lever
as they directed.
The passengers in the coaches were panic
stricken, overpowered by the large gang Of
well-armed and desperate men, and perfect
ly helpless to help the conductor or present
the robbery.
As soon as news Of the mNrderous out
rage reached the officers of the Rock ISL
and Road, they offered a reward Of 5000
for the apprehension of the highwaymen.
On the afternoon of the 10th Chicago re-
porter called upon Mr.. Frederick Henckle,
q gentleman very well known in Chicago,
who was in the baggage car when the as.
sault of the robbers occurred.
81 was pretty well excited" said Mr..
Henckle, land may not remember all the
details. think that it was twenty minutes
past nine o'clock had just had my sup
per, and was enjoying cigar in the smok-
sry Il think that tho SfafiOv, ia
ton, Mo-, where we had our supper, some-
where between Cameron and Winston Sta
ton. About the time we. arrived there we
noticed a crowd of rather hard looking
characters about the station. They
were together in groups Of twos and
threes. When we were through sup
per they yelled 'All aboard The first we
knew, the train was flying along at rapid
rate, and q man, very large, thick, heavy
set, with black beard, short, but thick,
came in, followed by couple Of others. He
was dressed, as far as I could notice, in
linen coat and straw hat, and the other
parts of his clothing don't recollect. The
trio came in by way Of the front platform Of
the smoking car, and one Of them, the man
with the black beard, had a revolver, cooked,
in his hand. He mukered something, and
commenced to fire at the conductor. He
ran out, and the others crowded I'D to
him.
(which way did the conductor run?''
asked the reporter.
"He ran toward the rear platform o1t of
the door, where heard more shooting. We
all ran back to the sleeping cars wnere we
belonged and threw ourselves on the floor
only saw the gang at the station while they
were in knots, and I should suppose that
there were at least dozen of them. IshouId
think that there were four of them who
came into the smoking car. After the
trouble was over we found the conductors
lantern and his brains on the rear platform.
'As SION as the train was in possession OF
The robbers the passengers jumped down on
The floor. Some of them hid under the
.ca,s. You see, it was unhealthy to be up
on your feet at that time. 1t rained lead,
and lead diet is unhealthy. There were six
alies in the sleeper, and as soon as they
heard the shooting they just dropped on the
floor like the other passengers. They wge
frightened, but they showed as much grit
rs the men. We couldn't show much, for