The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-07-19
THE TRAIN ROBBERY.
The Story Told by a Police officer.

O~ASS
CHICAGO. July 1S.-Some of the passengers
who were on the train of the Chicago, Rock
Island 81 Pacific Railroad which was robbed
near Winston, Friday evening, arrived here
Saturday night. One of them, G. f. Chase of
the Topeka Police Department, gives the fol-
lowing narrative of the affair:
The train consisted, l think, OF the engine,
express and baggage car, smoking car, coach
and Pullman sleeper. was in the coach
next behind the smoking car. Conductor
Westfall was forward; the brakeman, Thomas,
and the news agent, whose name have for
gotten, were in the smoking Car. The train
halted at Winston for a couple of minutes.
This was about $50 o'clock in the evening.
Just after the train got in motion again heard
two or three shots. The shooting seemed to be
in the smoking car. AT the same instant the
passengers in the smoking car came tearing
through the coach like mob. The stamped
ers were heading for the tail end of the train.
AS they rushed through some of them kept
pulling at both the air-brakes and the bell
rope. was carried along the aisle by the
crush. ventured, while struggling to keep
my feet, to inquire what had happened, and
was answed by the shout of "robbers!'
On the rear platform OF the coach met the
rear brakeman. He was signalling with his
red lantern to the engineer to stop the train
He did not know what had happened, either;at
least he pretended not TO know. Subsequent
" he said that there were robbers around The
train in the meantime had slackened little. I
and as 1 did so I remarked that [ did not pro.
pose to permit anybody to rob me. This alarm
ed the brakeman, who ordered me to put up
my weapon, as its exposure would draw fire
from the attacking party. didn't put it up,
all the same. looked in the coach and saw
only two or three persons, and they were lying
under the seats. One man crowded under
seat in the smoker, and laid there until after
we had run 10 or 20 miles. Three girls, who
had taken seats in the smoking car-for what
Il ,,tI ,l.z
GOODNESS, and did not attempt to go back in the
train until after all the other passengers had
tied precipltate]y, excepting the chap who took
refuge under a seat.
After q few seconds saw man in his shirt
sleeves coming from the forward end of the
train. He stopped in the coach and rested on
the arm of one Of the seats. This was the ex-
press manager. His face was very pale
Went up to him and said, "Have they been
coming the John Rodden over you?" He
they had got everything in his safe and he
again answered "yes." | then asked what the
amount was. He replied that he could not say
as he had only receipted for the way bills.
led the way and we went forward to the ex-
press car. The car was dark, but the side
doors were opened, We struck light and took
a look at things. The top of the little safe
was thrown back and the contents gone. I
asked the messenger to tell me how the rob-
berry was accomplished. lie stated that seven
or eight men came into the car pointed pistols
at him, compelled him to get down on his
knees and open the safe and drop money pack
ages and other contents into a sack which they
held open. before him. They threatened to
blow out his brains if he did not show up
everything. He assured them that he had
given up everything except the bricks of silver
bullion on the floor The bricks they did not
want. There were no marks of violence about
the body OF the messenger. I think, notwith
standing the stories told to the contrary, that
the robbers did not strike him at ali
The platform of the smoking car was stained
with blood in several places. 1t was there that
Conductor Westfall and passenger Mcmillan
were killed. My idea is that the robbers in
tended to kill the conductor. He probably
knew them, aid as he would be able to identi-
ty them they decided to put him out of the
way, and in doing so Mcmillan was acciden-
tally shot, as any other passenger might have
been. The bodies of the two men were proba-
bly, rolled off the platform by the robber who
did the shooting after the passengers had fled
to the rear cars. The train did not come to a
halt, but the movement seemed irregular up
to the departure Of the highwaymen, when the
engineer put the engine to very good speed.
asked the rear brakeman, who was the only
tralnman IN sight-the conductor of the Sleep
er having taken refuge in his car-why he
didn't back down to where we were when the
shooting occurred in order that we might learn
what had become OF the conductor and the
other man. He vouchsafed no answered. It
was not known what fate had befalen the con-
INSTRUMENTATION ne had been killed outright
or had been wounded and jumped to the
ground-until we reached the next station,
Galatin, some five or six miles distant, when
the operator showed us dispatch stating that
the bodies of Westfall and Mcmillan had been
picked up and carried into the section house.
What became of the forward brakeman and
the news agent is more than can say. They
disappeared from the train while the shooting
was IN progress. Before the crack of the pis-
tolls ceased cchoing almost some of thejpassen-
gers were around, soliciting signatures to a
paper commanding the rear brakeman for his
bravery. L refused to sign it, because could
not see why he should be brave for simply
swinging his lantern and telling me not to use
my shooting iron.
This morning / examined the cars carefully
for bullet holes. | foun three in the roof of
the smoker aud one through the glass door at
The front end. This bullet lodged in the door
OF the baggage car. In the baggage and in the
express car found two bullet holes. 1t look
ed to me as if the robbers, as parting salute
after jumping off /, had fired two shots through
the door of the express car 1 don't believe |
there were 10 shots fired all told. The robbery
although successful, was bunglingly executed,
and, apart from the tragic taking off of two
valuable lives, the scene had an extremely lu- |
dicrouS side.
John Broadfoot made his exit from the |
smoking car with the conductor. He told the |
reporter that the conductor, after he had been |
shot. at once lowered his head and "butted" |
the robber who had fred nearly knocking him |
off his feet. He and Westfall in their flight |
reached the rear door at the same instant. and |
the conductor fell upon the platform and he |
stumbled over him.