The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-10-01
Late News.
TRAIN ROBBERS.
A Brave Express Messenger.

DODGE CITY, Kan, Oct /. AT late
hour Saturday night two men named
Looney Chambers and Dean were cap
tured, and proved to be- the attempted
train robbers. They were brought 10
Dodge City by special train under a
heavy guard and have been placed in Jail;
but the excitement here is so intense that
the men will probable be removed to some
other point during the night In the ex-
press safe at the time of the attempted
robbery there was between $4,000 and
$50, ,00o, and but for the fight made by
Patterson the robbers would probably
have made q big haul, as before he drove
the man from the car the men in the en-
gfne had things all their own way. The
plan of the robbers was that while two
men captured the engine, the third man
was to kill the messenger and rob the
train, and then all three would escape at
once to some place between Coolidge and
Dodge City. The belated train reached
Kansas City Saturday night and Patterson
the express messenger, makes the follow
ing startling statement: "You are. of
course, aware that the raid took place at
Coolidge, station on the line Of the:
Atchison. Topeka L Santa Fe railroad,
about ten miles east of the Colorado state
line, between two and three o'clock Satur-
day morning There is an eating house
in the station. and the train stopped there
as usual for twenty minutes, in
order to give the passengers an
opportunity to get lunch. The train was
No 4, bound east, with Conductor Grnely,
Engineer John Hilton, Fireman Paddle
and Baggageman Johnson. When the
tram stopped, l put off some railroad
mail which1 had, and there being no ex p
press TO put off and no further work for
me to do, | lay down on the box just in
front of the side door on the side of the
car next to the depot After laying there
few minutes. dropped into doze
was lying on my back, with my aims
| folded. Both of the doors on the side of
car next to the platform were open, Bag
gageman johnson being seated in the
back side My revolver. a Colts Al
caliber double action. lay at my side. l
had taken it out of my scabbard and laid
it down, that I might be ready for any
emergency that might arise The pistol
lay where Icould easily lay hands on it.
1t was about time for the train to start
| when | heard the words, Come out oi
| there you" This woke me up, and ]
afterward learned that it was made by
Conductor Greeley TO a man whom he
noticed getting into the car. When
awoke | naturally glanced down the cal
and | saw standing within four feet of me
q man with pistol in hand. was lying
with my head toward the front end of the
car and the man was standing near my
feet. did not say. a word; in fact die
not have time to speak before he covered
me with a revolver and fired The buile
went over my head and | could feel thu
FIRE burning my face The man then free
out of. the doorway at the conductor.
then realized that the train robbers wert
going on and with the hope of making
him believe that he had killed me | I'm
clasped my hands, which were foldeo
over my bosom. and allowed them to fal
at my side. My right hand fell on tn
nuzzle of my revolver, and, realizing tha
it would never do to allow the robber Il
see that was about to defend myself
worked my hand slowly into position
until | had hold of the pistol. with m
right hand on the trigger. The robbie
did not noted this because it was quit
dark in that part of the car where | lay
Meanwhile the man was working his wa
toward the rear of the Car. evidently sup
posing that he had finished me, and IN
tending to kill the haggageman or an
one else who got in his way, So soon q
| got hold of my pistol | sprang into
sitting position and fired at the rob3el
jumped up then and walked toward tn
man. He raised his revolver as if to shoe
again, but it went off prcmaturely, tn
ball striking the roof of the Car. When
shot at him part of his body was bchin
the stove l aimed at his abdomen, an
I believed thatmy ball took effect. Abol
this time saw another man. who prove
to be ''pal'' of the first, trying to elm
in at the side door. No sooner had
! fired than he disappeared. and the man
shot ut jumped out on the platform froI
the rear side door. That was the last
saw of the robbers. expected that the
would come up to the front side doc
and seizing some freight barricaded Il
door In less than half a minute aft
the robbers left my Car, | heal
some shots at the engine. Three we
fired in half as many minutes. | stood
the front side door of my car, revolver
hand Just then Conductor Greeley can
up Have they gomez I asked. Thin
SO, said he, but the engineer and firemi
are hurt Going forward and returnir
to me he said, they are both killed. II
engineer is shot through the heart and Il
fireman through the neck. / then jump
out on the platform aud saw the engine
and fireman lying on the platform aloi
side of the engine. The fireman was st
conscious and Was taken into the hott
where | talked with him u few minute
The body of the dead engineer was p
aboard the train and taken to Dodge Cit
Before the train left / went into the te
graph office and sent dispatch to N
Patch. After considerable delay we got
new engineer and fire nan at Coolidge a
w started again on our journey We We
one hour and twenty minutes late.
Cimmaron, twenty miles distant, we n
special train from Dodge Gil
conveying a sheriff's posse to p1
sue the robbers" Marshal Math,
and G. s. Parsons, sheriff OF Bent count
Colorado, arrived late last night on
special train from Coolidge. Til
brought John Looney, cowboy belon
ing to the Arkansas Valley Stock co
panys ranch. and Lewis Chambers, Il
a cowboy, with Bates and Beal on tht
X brand. Both men have exceeding
hard characters about Coolidge. Cha
bers was armed with hammerless
calibre revolver, which when examn
showed to have been recently fired {
reloaded. Looney was unarmed. Nett
made any residence. Looney is sui
and rpfllsee To talk while Ghamhf