Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1881-07-26

open the safe and drop money packages
and the other contents into sack which
they held open before him. They threat
ened to blow out his brains if he did not
show up everything. lie 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. | think, not
withstanding the stories told to the con-
trary, that the robbers did not strike him
at all. The platform Of the smoking car
was stained with blood in several places.
1t was there that conductor Westfall and
passenger Mcclellan were killed lie
probably knew them, and as he would be
able to identify them they decided to put
him out of the way, and in doing so Nc
Clellan was accidentally shot as any 9TH
er passenger might have been. The bod
les of the two men were probably rolled
off Of the platform by the robber who did
the shooting, after the passengers had
fled to the rear cars. The train did not
come to halt, but the movement SEEM
ed 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 train
man in sight the conductor of the
sleeper 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 answer. 1t was not known
what fate had befallen the conductor,
whether he was killed outright or had
been wounded and jumped to the ground
until we reached the next station, Gala
tin, some five or six miles distant, when
the operator showed us u dispatch stat
ing that the bodies Of Westfall and Nc
Lcllan had been picked up and carried
into the section-hose. What became of
the forward brakeman and the news
agent Is more than can say. They dis
appeared from the train while the shoot
ing was in progress. Before the crack
of the pistols had ceased echoing, almost,
some Of the passengers were around so
Letting signatures to paper commend
ing the rear brakeman for his bravery.
l refused to sign 1t because ! couldn't
see why lie should be called brave for
simply swingn his lantern and telling
me not to show my shooting iron. This
morning examined the cars carefully
for bullet holes. found three in the
roof of the smoker and one through the
glass door at the front end. This bullet
lodged in the door of the baggage car
In the express car ] found two bullet
holes. 1t looked to me as If the robbers,
as n parting salute after jumping off, had
fired two shots through the door of the
express car. don't believe there were
fifteen shots fired all told. The robbery
although successful, was bunglingly eX-
ecuted, and apart from the tragic taking
Off of two valuable lives, the scene had
an extremely ludcrous side.
"J0hn Broadfoot, broad-shouldercd
Canadian, from Brussels, Ont, made his
exit from the smoking-car with the con-
ductor. lie told the reporter that the
conductor, after he had been shot, at
once lowered his head and "butled' the
robber who had fired, nearly knocking
him Off his feet lie and Westfall IN
their flight reached the rear door Mt the
same instant, and the conductor fell up
on the platform and he stumbled over
him."