Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-02-02

Dlstrlct OF COLUMBIA any Inherent now
from the Law thus laid down in 1909?
At the foot of Gad's Hill, on the Iron
Mountain railroad. the place where the
daring train robbery of 1875 took place,
another attempt to repeat that tragical
drama was made shortly after two
O'Clock Saturday morning. At the
point selected for the proposed opera
tione the robbers found an enbankment
about ten feet in height at the foot of a
steep grade fully mile in length with
out a curve, where the track was in an
unusually good condition. Here they
removed tie at the point where two
tracks were spliced together with
straps, which they also removed by
taking out the screws holding them to
their places, and placing them on q tie
near by. The taps were also taken
from the rails, which, by means of q
crowbar or some other lever, were
spread apart in such a way that the
first train passing over the road was
doomed to plunge headlong over the
steep embankment into the morass be-
low. The location of the train trap at
the foot of the grade indicated that the
robbers had made their calculations for
the down train, but the north-bound
Texas Express No. 2 and the south
bound Express No. 3 were both behind
time. AS result the plan failed. and
it was the former train which rushed
headlong into the trap. When No. 2
struck the foot of the grade at speed
Of fifteen or twenty miles an hour the
engine, quick as flash, rolled over the
enbankment, carrying with it tho ten
der and derailing the express and mail
cars. As the engine was going over,
the engineer, Mr.. Van Slack, leaped
from it aud escaped unhurt, while the
fireman was throw violently over a
fence On the east side of the track, and
injured slightly. The soft, marshy
mud in which he fell was only thing
that prevented him from sustaining
fatal injuries.
Mr.. E. J. Conwell, Of Parsons, Kas. D..
who had been on the train at the time
of the accident, was asked, on his ar
rival in st. Louie. by Republican re-
porter "How did it all happen?" at
happened very quick, I tell you," he
replied. cit happened SO suddenly
that It knocked me out Of my seat, and
sent passenger holding baby, in the
same car, over the seat in front of me
in the funniest kind of way, baby and
all. heard a jam and clash and rat
tie all at once. After I had been
thrown from my seat thought it was
time to be getting out, as some one
yelled train robbers got out very
quick, and 20 did every one else on the
train. Come men In the smoking-car
got out 20 quick. in fact, they struck
the ground on the marshy side of tho
track and sunk in the mud up to their
boot tops" "What happened after
you reached the ground?" the reporter
asked. 81 saw men rushing about like
madmen, who were passengers, I think,
flourishing rsvolvers in their hands, and
heard the head baggage-master shout,
Bolt the doors, boys; we are in great
danger The doors Of the baggage
car, after this command was given,
were holted. AS soon a. the doors had
been fixed the baggage men cooked
their revolvers and awaited the expect
ed attack of the robbers. I may also
.sdd every male passenger I saw ap-
psared to have his revolver cooked, as
wall IS the porters and brakemen. We
expected to have q desperate battle,
bat no robbers put in their appearance. )"
when asked "How about the mail
carr" Mr. Eonvell ssid: II saw the
men in that car hustling about in a
lively manner also. and holding their
revolvers in their Lands IS they locked
windows and door and threw sacks in
dark:corners. The mail car bad been
damned up against the rear end Of the