The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-09-13
Particulars Of the Train Robbery.


The train was q west bound express and
had on 100 passengers, all of whom lest some-
thing and many quite heavily. Frand Lom-
bard, news agent, says !: 81 was sitting in the
smoking car talking with Conductor Jack
Hazelbacker. We we're on the up grade, four
miles from Independence. or .. sudden the
train came 10 . stop and We heard loud noises
and pistol shots and saw lanterns flashing and
we knew that train robbers were on us. Ha-
zelbacksr ran back into the train and warned
the passengers. They we're all looking out of
the windows until the robbers ordered them
to pull in their heads and keep quiet. The
robbers had an obstruction On the rails. l AM
sure that there was a dozen Of then, although
some of the passengers place the number at
10. Everybody was panic stricken and help
less. I ran oat of the car and found men
numbering the engineer and fireman. They
were poorly masked, but all we're armed with
Henry rifles. They were swearing lively and
shooting at random. Some of them passed
into the mail cal, but did not touch anything.
The express messenger, Fox, had in the
meantime barricaded the express car. They
climbed upon the car and ran around and
began to shoot. They then broke into the
car and knocked him down by = violent blow
or the head. They robbed the safe of every
thing. l ran back into the smoking car and
hid most of the money.
The robbers came in and ordered me to lie
down. l did So They pointed a revolver
at ME and ordered me to "fork over" l said
my money was under the cushion. They
told me to get it and l got it in a hurry, you
can bet. They went back to the other car
made q wholesale robbery money, watches
and jewelry. Some passengers secreted their
money, but the majority lost all. Ladies
were compelled to sit down Oh the floor and
some had their earrings taken from their
ears and many. lost their jewelry. One man
lost $3.50. In the meantime the freight train
was coming up behind US, and Burton, the
brakeman, came down the track with a show
er of bullet At him.
He stopped the Etrain and probably saved
many lives. After the cars were gone through
the robbers jumped off and struck for the tim
Der where their horses were. The men in
front helped the train men to roll off the OBJ
structions and then joined their companions.
l should say We stood still for half an hour"
Frank Burton said II was standing on
the front platform OF the sleeper when the
train stopped and | heard voices and oaths on
the back platform. l said We are going to be
rohbed and than opa nf III. ,obhors ,r;od o,+
" are coming in and going through you ALL
l remarked that the freight car was just be-
hind us and l heard it coming up. l jumped
of and ran with my lantern down tho track.
They commenced shooting at me and the
bullets whistled all around me and struck the
rails and stones. They must have fred twen-
ty-one shots. The engineer said for Gods
sake don't shoot the boy. He is saving the
lives Of these people, Then one of them
threw by his arm and cried, stop Shooting
rolled into the cut and waved my lantern
and the train was stopped only a cars
length from the passenger train.
When l came back the robber said
Have you lost anything?' l answered, 80
cents He gave me one fifty for interest.
Then l heard one of the ROBBERS say to the
engineer: Charley Foote, you're too good a
man to be kept up in this business. Here's
two dollars to buy a drink Ia the morning,
and drink it, tor Jesse James warns you that
you will be killed if you don't leave this
road. We are going to burn up and burst
the Rock Island and Alton roads, for they
have been offering rewards for us. We've no
grudge against the Pullmans and will switch
Oft their cars and burn the others. am the
man who killed Westlake at Winston; lie
was too smart AMI drew his revolver Bur-
ton did not think it was Jesse James and
thought the robbers were not that gang
They all acted green at the business and
he thought they were men living in the vi
cinity. They all seemed quite young and
made no attempt to disguise their faces. The
passengers tell substantially the same story
as the above. Expressman Fox, who refused
to give up his keys to the train robbers at
Glendale, was terribly beaten and cannot
from the passengers and from five to twenty
thousand from the car. The whole affair
was over in a few minutes. The place was
right in the dense woods, two miles from any
house, Chief of police, Speeds, started from
Kansas City at once with fifty men on horse
back. A special train with a posse undc,
Marshal Murphy also went Immediately to
the scene OF the robbery and large bodies OF
men are being sent from all points IN ev-
cry direction. The leader OF the pa,ty An
swers the description of the leader of the par.
ty' that robbed the Chicago and Rock Island
train at Winston, July 18th.
More Of the Train Robbery.