The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-02-21
Attempt Of Jackson County
Bandits to Rob q Missouri
Petite Train.
Four of the Gang Behind the
Bars, but the Ring Lead
ers Escaped.
The Mode of Operations, Together
With How Their Plans Came
to be Given Away.

souri, Pacific passenger train, yesterday
afternoon, at 4::}0 o'clock, he little suspected
that before reaching Kansas City an at
tempt would be made to rifle the the express
car and rob the passengers in his charge, yet
such was the case, and had ii not been for
the Kansas City authorities it would un-
dOubtedly have proved successful.
The attempt, says this mornings Kansas
City Times, was the most sensational, des-
perate and peculiar ever recorded in the
annals of train robbery. The plans were
arranged with consummate skill. Every
detail was provided for. The party was
supplied with masks, lanterns and all the
paraphernalia of midnight mauraders, and
armed to the teeth with shot guns loaded
To the muzzle with buckshot, and immense
revolvers of antique make and the most
ferOcious appearance.
The spot selected was little Blue, about
six miles from Kansas City, where the L. Il
A. road crosses the Missouri Pacific
And yet, strange as il may seem, the
would-be robbers were all boys. Not one
of them was over eighteen years of age,
and the others ranged from sixteen to sew
enteen. They were boys with respectable
parents or widowed mothers living in Kan
sas City, but they were lying there at dusk
to ditch and rob train They had been
lead into the scheme by older heads, and
we're ripe for deeds OF desperate violence
As long as three weeks ago the Kansas
CITY police received information that des-
perate attempt would be made TO rob the
Missouri Pacific incoming express on the
night of February Is. The first informa.
ton came in a letter from New Mexico,
the writer stating that he had been asked
to Join the gang, and that the affair had
been planned to come off ON February ID.
He described with minuteness the details as
he had heard them explained, but failed to
give any names. For some days nothing
could be learned on the subject, and the
matter was kept very quiet. Then came
con6rmatory information that the train
would be robbed on February IA or Is. For
a time it was thought the night of the 18th
had been selected by the gang to do the
work, and plans for an ambuscade and cap
ture had been laid with great secrecy
Captain Malloy. of the Metropolitan police
force, was one of the first apprized of the
proposed attack, and had charge of the
work of capturing the robbers. At this
time, and unil last night, il was supposed
that it was the old gang who was prepar-
ing for the attack on the train.
At length on Monday night Capt NAL
loy received intelligence that the attempt
would be made last night, on the train
which arrives i'm Kansas CITY at $40 D. IN.
Pursuant to instructions, Captain NAL |
loy and a party of officers, consisting of |
Sergeant Snyder, Detectives Hunt and
Bryant and Officer Ben Nugent, left yester-
day afternoon at four o'clock, on the |
oG 81,
train about five miles east of Kansas City, |
TO lay in ambush for the expected train |
robbers. Their intention was not to wait |
until an actual attempt was made On the |
train, as i'm that case it might be ditched |
and many passengers injured, but to cap |
ture the robbers before the attempt, and, il |
possible, alive. The first plan proposed |
was, that the officers should be concealed |
on the incoming train and shoot down the |
robbers as they came up, but this was dis |
carded as unnecessary and blood thirsty.
Far down the track Captain Malloy and |
his band saw two men and thought they |
saw the glimmer of shot guns shining in |
the sun. They approached, and when
near enough, iound two young boys, one of
whom was armed with a shot gun, and the |
other with two huge revolvers. Questioned |
as to their errand, they gave no satisfactory |
answers and the police searched them. |
Their pockets developed load of ammu
milton, powder, cartridges, etc., masks for
the face made of black cambria cloth and |
other suspicious articles. They finally |
admitted that they were to rob train,
and five other men were coming to meet |
them in two separate squads. One squad,
they said, consisted of two BOYS no older
than themselves, and the other of three per-
sons, one boy only 16 years old. named |
O'Shea, and two men about % or 30 years
old, who were the ring leaders of the gang.
While they were talking, another party
was found to be approaching, and the lads
were hastily concealed in the underground.
and the approach of the others awaited
They proved to be two BOYS. also armed
with huge revOlvers, and one of the squads
expected to arrive as reinforcements. The
four youthful boys were disarmed and
placed under guard, and the party waited
almost until dark for the approach of the
ringleaders in the other squad These
failed to put in an appearance, and the
four already captured were marched to town
and locked up in the east cell at the cen.
tral station.
Near their rendezvous they had piled up
ties, rocks and railroad iron, and they said
hat it was their intention to pile them
npon the track to ditch the train.
Their plan, as they explained it them
elves, was TO place these distractions On
he track and take out two rails. They
Tould then 60 a few rods below and flag the
rain, and if the engineer failed to stop, it
would be wrecked and ditched ON the OBJ
beyond. hit- .tT -.., 80. sa |;
he one With = sbpi.eunMyas to eusrJ tbe
Engineer, four we're to make for the express
ar and secure the booty, ard two were to
vaik along on each side of the train, firing
If nvolvers to intimidate the passenesss.t
Had the train been ditehsd and wrecked, it
. impsssible to rforetell the damage and
oss Of Life which might have ensued. 90 /,
- VI : 81. 80
During the recent fire at Trenton a