St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-07-27
A CLEVER CATCH.
A Frustrated Express Robbery That
Night Have Rivalsd Jesse
James Exploit.
Concealed in a Box, an Armed Thug
Has Himself Shipped by
Express,
But is Forced to Discover Himself
Faced by Battery of
Revolyers.
Fortunate Discovery OF Daring
Attempt to Rob the Chicago
Express.

The details were learned in Minneapolis
yesterday of well-Dlanned attempt to rob
the American Express car ON the road
which was Frustrated only by the extra
ordinary caution and GOODNESS on the part
of the express manager. The American
express car attached to the Chicago train
on the Omaha road which left Minneapolis
at noon. Friday, was in charge of Mai.
Pierce, the messenger. At Black River
Fails large black box was put on board
the ear, which in size and appearance re-
Sembled an emigrant ''keySter."
In some way Mr.. Pierce was lead to
believe that the box contained human
freight and he said to his helper there's a
man in that box. and I'm 90
ing 10 bury it," They accordingly
piled about 800 pounds of freight upon the
suspected box, and at the next station tele-
graphed 10 ElrOy for posse of armed men
TO meet the train. Arriving at that place,
SIX DETERMINED MEN
climbed into the car, and preparations were
made 10 solve the mystery. The freight
was removed from the box and il was pulled
out into the middle of the car. One of the
men struck the cover with an AK, making a
slit about two inches wide. The aperture
revealed mans knee. A second blow of
the AK enlarged the hole. into which
loaded revolver was instantly thrust by
another of the party, who cried out to the
unknown occupant, Are you armed?''
There was no answer. Again the 0ueS-
ton was repeated, accompanied by the an
nOuncement that the revolver would be
discharged. At this Sullen yes was
heard from the interior.
Hand ont your weapons, then, " was the
stern demand. In response revolver was
passed through the slit and then another.
y third blow of the axe cleared away the
cover and man attired only in his under
clothing was exposed. At an invitation to
get up. tall, slim man apparently SIS years
old. with sandy muStache, slowly m-
doubled himself and stepped out A suit
Of clothes was i'm the box and in the face of
a battery of a half-dOzen revolvers the
would-be express rOb5er proceeded to dress
himself, only Temarking: you've got me
and don't want TO fight" He was eS-
cOrted to the lookup at Elroy and there
remains a prisoner, with ShackleS on his
arms and legs and chained to the wall.
Subsequent investigations prove that the
box came from Eau Claire Wednesday last
TO Beaver Falls and was called for by the
man who was so cleverly captured. After
was finally paid, the man ordered the box
taken to his room at Lakes hotel. About
twenty minutes before the arrival of the
Chicago express, which gets to Black River
Falls, he went 10 his room, leaving word at
the Office that there was box and a valiSe
To be taken TO the train. At his room he
disrobed himself and put on suit of silk
tights taking the precaution to place his
clothing in the box. He also placed i'm the
box tools for use in CARRYING out
his evident designs on the
safe in the express car two
revOlvers, a billy, a bottle of acid and
bottle of chlrofOrm. He then got in and
CLOSED THE LID,
which was so arranged that by pulling n
string it would fly open. Holes bored
under the handles which were not visible
from the outside admitted breathing pur-
poses. although the confinement must have
been rather too close for pleasure. The box
was carried down stairs and loaded onto an
express wagon and conveyed to the train,
where it was turned over to Major Pierce,
the express messenger.
Another peculiar matter in connection
with the affair is that the same man
was, about two months previous.
thwarted i'll another attempt to
rob an express car on the same road. That
time he hired an old farmer at Camp Doug
las, which is the junction of the Chicago.
Milwaukee < st. Paul and Chicago &
Northwestern roads, to carry a similar box
to the train. The agTiculturist. however
became suspicious when he called for the
box, and, after a consultation with his hired
man, decided the box contained dead body.
The two started off to notify the authorities
and in the meantime the occupant, who had
heard all their conversation, got out of the
box and disappeared.
Mai. Peirce, the messenger to whom is
due the credit for preventing the eonsum-
nation of the daring attempt at robbery. is
a young man whose parents reside at ElrOy.
Wis. where his father engages in the fruit
business. He is 20 years old, and has been
in the service of the express company. He
stops at the Clark house while i'm the city,
Probably his watchfulneSs prevented an
other Wabash horror. The amount of
funds in the safe in the car is said to be
about eight thousand dollars.
LEARNED IN ST. PAUL.
Superintendent Naylor of the Minnesota
division of the American Express company,
seen last nigh;, said he obtained his in
formation from s. a. StOckwell. a meSSen-
ger who returned from Madison yesterday,
the facts of which are substantially as fol-
lows: On Friday the agent at Black River
Falls received a call for corpse and sent |
out for it and had it brought to |
the train, it being consigned to |
Chicago. Ii is not known whether GER !,
titicate was given as the rules of the COM
pany require but there must have been one |
given, and another posted on the box, else |
it would not have been accepted. 1t hap |
pened that there was an unusual load of |
blueberries being shipped that day. and !
Maj. Pierce, the messenger, had occasion to /
pile boxes on top. at the side and elsewhere |
Some says Pierce expected something was |
wrong.
An attempt at robbery was made with him |
some time ago. a squeal, caused from the |
pressure on the coffin. or rather pine box. |
gave away what was inside; but. not letting |
on. he telegraphed to ElrOy FOR officers to /
be in watching. When the box was opened |
a man, as before described, was taken out, |
also three TevOlverS, a knife and billy, |
which he had ready for action.
He had the box arranged with but |
tons so that when he pushed on them at !
the side or end the cover would fall. Pierce |
will be back to-day at 2:25 p. III. W. S.
Dallibe, superintendent of thht division of /
the FprXesS cOmDanV will investigate the /