The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-03-20
rHE EXPRESS MURDER AND ROBBERY

clfic train going West, it was generally be
tieved such crime could not he commit
ted in Illinois. Whatever might be done
in Missouri or Minnesota by the James ~
Younger brothers it WAS not thought 81
bold crime would ever be attempted IN
this state, much less consumated, II Is
this fact, not less than the attrocity OF the
murder and the success of the robbery
that has occasiOned so great an excitement
amongst the people Of this section OF the
state. who have read with undated Interest
every account Of the crime ublished by
the city and local papers. The Omaha
Epress left Chicago promptly at eleven
O'Clock, on time, Friday eyesing and until
passing Joliet and stopping At the coal
chute mile west Of that city for coal no.
thing OF note occurred. After taking on
the usual supply OF coal the train again
started west Within few minutes after
leaving ibis point and shortly after passing
MinOoka the express car was entered 10y
masked men, wha, ii is thought, boarded
the train at the coal shute. The entrance
to the car was obtained by rapping at the
rear doc. and thus leading the messenger,
Kellogg Nichols OF Chicago who was in
charge of it, to believe TINT the baggage
man desired 10 enter, ii being customary
for the parties in charge Of the two cars 10
a loo e., hI
ter entering the car il is evident that very
severe struggle ensued, resulting in the
death Of Nichols who was shot three dill
ferent times in the head, breast and arm.
His right arm was badly broken at the
wrist ans his skull fractured and crushed
in with poker. After the killing of
Nichols and securing the keys of the safe
the robbers passed into the baggage car
where the safe was kept, confronting vii
liam Watts, the baggage man, who at the
time was sitting upon trunk busiiy en-
gagged in sorting over his way bills No
sooner had the men entered than the win
dow of the yentlatOr was broken in from
above and a man from the top Of his car
thrust a revolver down through the break
in the glass and ordered Watts TO remain
where he was and not 10 utter a word or
he would be shot Frightened out Of his
senses, Watts remained perfectly quiet,
whilst the men, whom he could not recog.
nize, went through the safe securing about
$4,000 in money and several packages Of
jewelry that were being expressed to Pc.
ora When the train slowed up at Morris
the robbers jumped from the car and sue
cessfully escaped with their booty At
Morris the baggageman hurrying from the
car announced TO Conductor Waggoner
who was in charge of the train, what had
happened and together they went to the
express Car which they found unopened
Hastily entering i they found everything
denOting confusion. The way papers were
scattered over the floor, the sides of the
car despatched with blood, and at the
front end was the body of Nichols, pre-.
senting irightiul appearance. In his
head were wounds and gashes his clothes
were covered with blood, and gripped in
in his right hand was a turt OF coarse
hair, showing that he had not yielded with.
out hand to hand struggle. The flesh
was gouged from the back of his hands
and the wrist of his right arm broken in
such way as to show that II had been done
with heavy iron bar In the baggage
car it was found that the safe had been
completely raed and everything of value
taken from it, As soon as the affairs be,
at the depot,and on the receipt Of dispatch,
es at this point officers Frost and brennan
went 10 Morris and made a minute cNami
nation Of the car and its surroundings by
early morning officials Of the lnited States
Express Company and the Rock Island
road had arrived, and with them a number
of Pinkerton's detectives who proceeded
TO make thorough investigation of the
affair Watts the baggageman was closely
qeStioned but could give no clue or any
information Of definite character as to
the number or the appearance of those
who committed the act His own vague
ness, coupled with "A strong probability of
improbability in the reasonableness of the
story told by him has caused some suspi-
cion to fall upon him. and he is now in the
custody of Pinkerton, awaiting fuller de
An additional feature that
is tending to complicaie things is the dis
appearance Of the Stenographer who took
the testimony Of Watts at the Coroners in
quest. Waits thus far has borne a GOOD
and has been in the company
employ two year, ms a brakesman, his reg.
ular labor being that OF brakeman and
not a OaggagemVn. Nichols the murder
ed man. had been in the employ OF the
express company over twenty years, and
was one Of It's most trusted employees.
That he was worthy of the confidence re-
posed in him is evidenced by the fact that
he yielded his life rather than bc,rav the
trust of his employers.
lie leaves surviving him a widow bu, no