The Dawson journal., 1885-07-23
AN AUDACI0US ATTEMPT
To Rob the Pay Car of the Richmond
and Danville Road-Particulars of
the Affair.

! clouS roDDerles ever KNOWN IN tnlS
country perhaps, was attempted
here this morning and barely fail
ed of success, 1t has put Atlanta
agog, and stirred mp a large corps
of able detectives.
Yesterday evening Paymaster
eraser, of the Airline railroad,
reached here with $4,000 in
currency, and he was to start out
on the road this morning and pay
off the employees along the road
from Atlanta to, Richmond. His
pay car and supply car, the latter
in front, were side tracked near
the Pryor street crossing, within
forty yards of the depot, ready to
start out this morning. About 2
O'Clock this morning a gravel en-
gine belonging to the Georgia
railroad backed UP gently to the
paymaster's trsin, coupled and
pulled out on the main track of
the Georgia road. Before the
train reached Kirkwood, the first
station, Paymaster eraser, who
was asleep in his car, and Patrick
Ward, negro porter, were wax
ened by the motion, and could not
understand what the matter was.
At kirkwood the water in the EN-
gine gave out, or something hap
pened to the engine, which the
parties on the cab could not man
age, and the train stopped. Pay
master eraser leaped off. and
started to the engine to see what
was being d one. He met one of
the men coming and asked what
he was doing. He said he was
taking the train to Bellwood juno
ton to begin paying Off The pay
master responded that it was too
early for that and again demand
ed what he vas doing. The man
replied with an oath: "You know
what we want-that money-and
we are going to get it." The pay
master leaped OH his car, told the
porter, who had a pistol, TO- stand
his ground and not let anybody
get on the car or disturb anything
while he went for assistance. He
leaped off and ran a short distance
off to some houses near the sta
tion for help. While he was gone
the robbers got the train started
again and pulled it out few rods,
when they uncoupled from the car
and ran off fifteen or twenty yards,
and came back with full steam
with the intention of breaking in
the front end of the pay car. In
this reckless scheme there was a
miscalculation. The collision
damaged the pay car, but ditchad
the engine. The robbers then be-
came alarmed and fed
The paymaster succeeded in
arousine Messrs. c, T. Weather
be, Sam and r. F. SWAIN, who
live at Kirkwood. The party has
tened to the scene, well armed, but
when they arrived the boldj bad
robbers had disappeared, the sup
ply and pay car, the treasure; the
negro porter and the ditched en-
gine were all there. The fireman
of the Pendleton Guano Works
was called up and after a short
time he succeeded in getting the
engine in condition to pull back
to the city, which was done with
out delay. Here the alarm was
given, and plans Immediately put
in operation for the capture Of the
robbers. Chief Connolly used the
telephone to Decatur and learned
that a suspicious looking white
man had got Oh the Georgia train
there this morning. He bad been
oyerh card talking with q negro at
the station about an accident to
an engine between Decatur and
Atlanta, but when approached and
questioned he was very eyasiye
and would not talk. His conduct
excited suspicion, The chief tel
egraphed a description Of the map
to the conductor of the outgoing
Georgia train, with instructions t9
place him under arrest, and send
back to Atlanta. Deteetiye Bill
Jones was on the train and arrest
ed the man when the train reach.
ed Conyers and brought him to
Atlanta. They reached here at !
o'clock, and the prisoner was lock-
ed up He proved to be a anotori-