Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-09-09
THE JAMES BOYS.
RAID UPON A RAILROAD TRAIN BY
TWELVE MASKED MEN.
We Will Go through You AlI-"0rink a
Health 10 Jesse James"-An Express
Messenger Roughly Handled
Gov Crittendsn's Proelama-
tion--Six Of the Rob-
bers Captured.
WE WILL BURST UP THIS ROAD"
TRAIN ROBBED
BY Twelve Masked Men.

ST. LOUIS, September s.-A Republican
Independence, Mo-, special, received at
half past three o'clock this morning,
says: Passenger train No. 4S, on the
Chicago & Alton Railroad, was stopped
and robbed by twelve masked men, 4
miles east Of Independence, and IA
miles from Kansas City, at s o'clock last
night. The express car was broken
open, and the messenger, for refusing
to give up the key TO the safe, was 30
terribly beaten that he can not live. The
amount taken is not known, but is esti-
mated at from 5000 to $4,000. After
going through the express car all the
passengers were robbed Of their money
and watches, amounting to several
thousand dollars. The robbers, having
been armed, kept up continual firing
OF pistols to
Intimidate the Passengers.
Several shots were fred at Conductor
Hazelbake, but he escaped unhurt.
The whole affair occupied less than Is
minutes, and was done very systemat-
ically. After securing the booty the
whole party rode off into the woods.
The train men made a show OF resist
ance, but being unarmed they could
effect nothing. The spot selected for
the deed was in dense woods two miles
from any habitation. The train was
stopped by red lantern and obstruc-
tions on the track. The train ran into
Kansas City and gave the alarm, and
chief Of police Speers started at once
with fifty men on horseback. A special
train with posse under Marshal Muir
ply also went Immediately to the scene
OF the robbery, and large bodies OF men
are being sent out from all points in ev-
cry direction. The whole country was
aroused and
Intense Excitement Prevails.
The leader OF the party answers to the
description OF the leader OF the party
that robbed the Chicago & Rock Island
train at Winston, July II. Frank Bur.
ton, a brakeman, says: 81 was stand.
ing on the front platform Of the sleeper
when the train stopped, and heard noises
and oaths on the back platform. | said
we are going to be robbed then one
OF the robbers cried out, We are coming
iu ard going through you all I Iremen-
bered that the freight train was just be-
hind us and heard it coming up. |
Jumped off and ran with my lantern
down the track. They commenced shoot.
ing a. me. The bullets whistled all
around me, and struck the rails and
stones. They must have fired twenty
FIVE shots. The engineer said: "For
Gods sake
Don't Shoot the Boy;
he is saving the lives Of thes. people"
Then one OF them threw up his arms
aud :cried: Stop shooting rolled
into the cut and waved my lantern. The
train was stopped only car length of.
When ! came back the robbers said:
Have You lost anything / answered,
Fifty cents He gave me 81 80 for in
terest' | heard one OF them say to the
engineer: 'Choppy Foote, you are too
good a man to keep up this business.
Here is two dollars to buy drink in
the morning and drink it for Jesse
James. warn you you will be killed
il you don't leave this road. We are
going to tear up and burst the Alton and
Rock Island roads, for they have been
offering rewards for US. We have no
grudge against the Puimans and will
switch off their cars and
Burn All the Rest.
am the man who killed Westlake at
Winston. He was too smart and drew a
revolver" Burton did not believe that
it was Jesse James or any OF his gang.
They all acted green at the business,
and he thought they were men living in
the vicinity. They all seemed quite
young, and made no attempt to disguise
their voices. The passengers tell sub
stantialy the same story as the above.
The Post dispatch Kansas special gives
a description Of the robbery, which dit.
fers froui those already sent Itisby L.
Foote, the engineer. and is as follows:
Between three and four miles east OF
Independence is deep cut over which
the Missouri Pacific track crosses the
Chicago and Alton, and it was just be-
fore entering the deepest part OF this cut
that
saw Pile Of Stones
probably FIVE feet high, on top OF which
was q stick, to which was attached red
rag, and behind the whole stood the
leader OF the robbers. Ofcourse | stop.
ped. was then approached by four OF
the gang besides the leader, who
said: "Step down of that
engine and do as l tell you, or / will
kill you, he then told me to get the
coal pick, which dill after some party.
ing, but as q revolver was pointed at
my head could not refuse to obey.
They then marched me and John Stead
ing, the fireman, to the express car, and
told me to break the door down, which
did. Messenger Fox bad hidden in
the weeds by the roadside, but they
swore they would Kill me IL he did not
come out, and 80 ! called for him, and
he entered the car with two OF the rob-
bers, who forced him 70 open the safe
and pour its contents into sack. They
were disappointed at not getting more
booty, and
Knocked Fox Down Twice
with q Bullard navy revolver, cutting
his head in q fearful manner. They
then marched Us to the coaches, where
they kept rs covered with reyolvers
while they robbed the passengers. Al.
ter the last car was gone through, they
marched rs back to the engine. when
they said: Now get back there. We
will remove the stones. You have been
q bully boy, and here is little present
for you, and he handed me two silver
dollars. / told them would remove
the distractions, and the gang slipped
up over the embankment and we're out
Of sight in Q twinkling. Up going through
the passengers, each one was made to
hold up his hands, and what was taken
from them was put into Dushel sack,
which Was nearly full Of watches. money
and other valuables. They didn't take
anything from me.
A dispatch TO the Associated Press
from Kansas City, says: J. B. Treat,
agent Of the e. s. Express Company at
Kansas City, states that he cannot tell
how much money the robbers got from
the company's safe, as they took all the
way bills, but he thinks not more than q
few hundred dollars. Fox. the meesen-
ger, although very badly wounded about
the head, be having received sevenl
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