Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1881-09-16
ANOTHER TRAIN ROBBERY.


Robbed In rlissopri-Tho Express
Car aud Passengers Plundercd-Thc O
Villains Declare Their Intention 20
Break Up the Alton a. Rock Island
Railroads. , 4..-. .....
KANSAS CRY, NO., September Z.
Shortly after nine o'clock tonight the i'm
coming Chicago & Alton passenger train
that left Chicago Tuesday at 1880 was
stopped and robbed by band OF robbers
three miles east Of Independence and four-
teen cast OF Kansas City. The train was
tagged and then ten or twelve men entered
the cars and robbed the express-car, bag
| gage-master, conductor, Pullman conducts
or, and all the passengers, except in tho
| rear car.
The ladies In the sleeping car, some If
teen In number, were relieved Of diamond
earrings, rings, watches and money. They
got about 80, 800 from the passengers, and II
is thought about the same amount from the
express safe. The express messenger, II.
a. Fox, was terribly beaten over the lead
with revolver, and at last gave up the
Seys Of the safe, and the robbers took all the
contents. When they entered the Pullman
car, five In number, all were masked, and
while one held an open bag or pillow case,
each person was relieved of his or her valu-
ables, which were thrown indiscriminatey
into the bag. The car conductor, j. j.
Price, lost his watch and chain and 800.
j. Nj. Iazelbacher, the train conductor
ran through the train, alarming all passcn-
gers, and telling them that the robbers were
ON board, and then ran back and tagged
freight train, running very close. He then
came back to the train, and was at once
searched, but had thrown his watch into the
ladies' closet. and so they got nothing. One
OF the robbers poked revolver into his
face, and said: 90 That is the pistol that killed
Westfall, on the Rock Island Road, and it
| will kill you IL you STIR" The same man
said he was Jesse James, and that they
robbed the Alton train because IL had
| Joined with the Rock Island and
| others to capture the outfit. He also said
| they would burn the cars and bridges IL an
| organized pursuit was made. Another man
| In the gang also said he was Jesse james,
and, after robbing the engineer, Choke
| Foote, gave him back two dollars and told
him that, when he reached Kansas City, to
| go and get Il drink and quit railroading out
in this section or he would be killed the
next time. The robbers talked all the time,
and all wore white masks. Some had hats
on, and some had not, but all wore long
busters. They were armed with shotguns,
old-fashioned blunderbusscs and pistols,
and had on high-top boots and farmers
| clothes. ......
The place where the robbery took place is
in deep cut, near where the Missouri Pa
cfic track crosses it, and the country is
hilly and well wooded, and Just suitable for
| such robbery. 1t is only few miles from
nlA hi. Il
| in 1879 by Jesse James and gang, when they
secured nearly $4,000.
| As soon as the robbers had gone through
| nll the passengers, they told the engineer to
pull out, and aid: "Good night, this is the
last of the James boys gang.n The train
came at once to Kansas City, and posses OF
men have already left by special train and
| on horseback to head off the highwaymen,
| il possible.
It. F. or Frank Burton, the brakeman,
made the following statement of the rob-
berry:
al was standing on the front platform OF
the sleeper when the train stopped, and j
heard voices and oaths on the back plat.
form. 1 said, in n moment: we are goin.
to be robbed Then one of tue robbers
cried out: We are coming in and going
through you ALL 1 remember that the
freight-train was Just behind us, and
heard 1t coming up. Jumped off and ran
with my lantern down the track. They
commenced shooting at me. The bullets
whistied all around me, and struck the
rails and stone. They must have
| fred twenty five shots. The engineer
said: For Gods sake, don't shoot
the boy. lie is saving the lives of these
people, Then one of them threw up his
arms and cried: stop shootingv 1 rolled
into the cut and waved my lantern. The
freight-train was stopped only car-length
off. When 1 came back one of the robbers
said: Have you lost anything?' answered,
| Fifty cents.' He gave me one dollar and
| fifty cents for interest. Then heard one
| Of the robbers say to the engineer:
'Choppy Foote, you are too good q man
to keep up this business. Here's 81 to buy
drink in the morning, and to drink
1t for Jesse james. | warn you you'll be
killed II you don't leave this road. We
are going to tear up and bust the Alton and
the Rock Island Roads, for they've been Of
fering rewards for us. We've no grudge
against the Pullmans, and We'll switch of
their cars and burn all the rest. / am the
| lnuh WuO huiCu w tSilahcs hb w lilsIUU. he
was too smart, and drew revolver.v Bur-
ton did not believe it was Jesse James, nor
any Of his gang. They all acted green at
the business, and he thought they were men
living in the vicinity. They made no attempt
to disguise their voices.
Frank Lombard, the news-agent, was in
terviewed by Tribune reporter and said:
90 was sitting In the smoking car talking
with the conductor, Jack Hazelbacher We
were then on the up grade, about four miles
from Independence. All of q sudden the
train came to stop. said to Hazelbacher:
There Is another freight train in our way,
suppose We heard loud voices and pis-
tol shots. looked out and saw lanterns
flashing. We knew that train robbers were
on us. HaZelbacher ran back into the train
and warned the passengers. They were all
looking out of the windows until the rob-
bers called out to them to pull in theiI
heads and keep quiet. The rob.
bers had stopped the train by putting
an obstruction on the rails and signaling.
am sure there were dozen of them
and some of the passengers place the
number at sixteen. Everybody was panic.
stricken and helpless. / ran out OF the cal
and found the men guarding the engineer
and fireman. They were poorly masked
but all armed with Henry rifles. Thev were
swearing loudly and shooting at random
Some of them passed into the mail-car, but
did not touch anything. Express Messen.
ger Fox In the meantime had barricadet
the express car. They climbed upon the Car
ran around and began 10 shoot. They broke
Into the car and knocked Fox down by
violent blow on the head. They then robbed
the safe OF everything. ran back into the
smoking car and hid most of my money
The robbers came in and ordered me, Will
an oath, to lie down. I did so, and they
showed gun up TO my head and told me I,
fork over ! said my money was under tn,
cushion. They told me to get it, and go
II In hurry, you bet. 1t WAS about ffteci
dollars. They then told me TO sit still, ant
they went back 10 the other cars. The.