The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1881-09-23

coming Chicago & Alton pas nger train
tpat LEFT ClicAgo Tuesday ~ ia.31 was
stopped and robbed BY band 81 robbers
three niles ea~l u Independence ana four
teen eat " Kansas city. The train was
Ragged aud then ten or twelve men entered
the cars and robbed the expre,>-car. bug
gage master. conductor, Pullman conducts
or, and ~ the passengers, except Ia The
1 rear car.
The Ia lies IN the sIccping-car, some III
teen IN number, were relieved ~ diamond
ear-rings, rings, watches and money. They
got about S..5v) from the passengers. and Il
u thought about the same amount nom tho
express safe. The express messenger, II.
A. Fox, was terribly beaten over The Lead
with revolver, and 1t last gave up the
keys Of the safe, and the robbers took ali the
contents. when they entered the Pullman
car, Ave In number. all were masked. and
| while one held an open bag or pillow case,
each person was relieved Of bis or her val.l-
abless which were thrown indiscriminately
into the bag. The car conductor, J. J.
Price, lost his watch and chain and 800.
j. NJ. IIaxelbacher, the train conductor.
ran through the train, alarming al pa~sen-
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 80 they got nothing. Ono
OF the robbers poked revolver into his
face, and said: That Is the pistol that killed
WestfalI. on the Rock Island Road. and il
will Kill you II YOU stir The same man
said he was Jesse James, and that they
robbed the Alton train because II had
Joined with the Rock Island and
others 70 capture the outfit. lie also said
they would burn the cars and bridges II 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 donars and told
him that, when he reached Kansas City, 10
20 and get 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
hiliy and well wooded, and just suitable for
such robbery. II Is only few miles from
Glendale, where the Alton train was robbed
IN 1879 BY Jesse James and gang, when they
secured nearly $1,000.
A soon . the robbers had gone through
all the passengers, they told the engineer TO
pull out. and said: ''Good night, this Is the
last Of the James boys gang The train
came at once to Kansas city. and posses Of
men have already left bv special train and
on horseback TO head on the highwaymeD,
II possible.
r.. +. Or Frank Burton, the brakeman.
made the following statement 81 the rob-
berry:
81 was standing on the front platform Of
the sleeper when the train stopped, and
heard voices and oaths on the back plat
form. ] said, In moment: We are going
10 be robbed Then one Of the robbers
cried out: We are coming In and going
through You all. ! remember that the
freight-train was ju.t behind ". and l
with my lantern down The track. They
commenced shooting N me. The bullets
whiStled all around me. and struck the
rails and stone. They must have
fired twenty-five shots. The engineer
said: For Gods sake, don't shoot
the boy. lie il saving the lives of these
people, Then one Of them threw Up his
arms and cried: stop shootingr | rolled
into the cut and waved my lantern. The
frcighf-train was stopped only 4 car-length
on. When | came back one ~ the robbers
said Have YOU lost anything!' answered.
Fifty cents He gave me one dollar and
fifty ri Than hard
Of the robbers say TO the engineers
sChoppy Foofe. you are too good MIN
to keep up this business. Here : - 70 buy
drink IN the morning, and 70 drink
II for Jesse james. warn Won you'll he
killed Il You don't leave MI road. We
are going 10 tear up and hu.l the Alton and
the Rock Island Roads, 90 they've been Of
fcring rewards for ~. We've no grlIdge
against the Puln il. and well switch on
their cars and burn all the rest. am the
man who killed Westlake, 1t Winston. He
ton did not believe ii was Jesse James, nor
any Of his gang. They al acted green q
the business, and he thought they were men
living IN the vicinity. They made no attempt
10 disguise their voices.
Frank Lombard, the news-agent. was In
terviewcd By Tribune reporter and said:
was sitting In the smoking car talking
with the conductor, Jack Hazelbacher. We
we're then on the up grade, about four miles
from Independence. All of sudden the
train came n stop. said 70 Hazclbacher;
There u ano Their freight train incur way,
lsuppose.' We heard loud voices and pis-
tol shots. looked out and saw lanterns
flashing. We knew that train robbers were
on us. fIazelbacher ran back into the train
and warned the passengers. They were ~
looking out 81 the windows until the rop.
hers called ont 70 them % pull IN their
heads and keep quiet. The rob
bcrs had stopped the train ~ putting
m 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 Gar
and found the men guarding the engineer
and fireman. They were poorly masked,
but eli armed with Henry rifles. They were
swearing loudly and shooting at random:
Some Of them passed into the maii-car, uut
did not touch anything. Express Messen.
ger Fox IN the meantime had barrIcanea
The express. car. They climbed upon the csrs
ran around and began 70 shoot. They broke
49, -. 11x1E ~