Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-03-18
FIENDISH DEED.
Robbery Of an Express Car at Joliet and
Murder Of Messenger Nichols.
From $50: 900 10 ss5, 900 Id money and
valuables Taken.

FRO" SSVVOOuO SSosUOO IN money ana
yaluables Taken.
One Of the most daring and bloody express
robberies ever perpetrated in Illinois, occurred
| on the Chicago, Rock Island 81 Pacific west
bound express on the night Of March 12th be-
tween Joliet and Morris. The facts as learned
from the baggageman are that shortly after
the train which leaves Joliet at 12.45 a. m had
| left the city, he heard rap at the baggage car
| door, he opened the door and was met by
| masked robbers who covered him with their re-
yolvers and demanded the keys to the express
car. The key was given DIP and one OF the rob
beers who was on top Of the baggage car held
revolver on the baggageman through the
| transom in the roof OF the car while his con-
federates turned their attention to the express
car. 1t is thought that they raped on the ex-
press car door and informed Messenger
Kellogg Nichols that the baggageman wanted
to get in, at any rate the express car door was
opened and the desperadoes entered. Being
confronted by the murderous villains the mes
senger fought for life and the property in his
trust In the lower end OF the express car 1t
shows that he fought the robbers from one end
to the other, but at last the blows that they
rained on his head with an iron poker forced
him to succumb and he was left dead In the
car. The thieves rihed his pockets Of the keys
to the safe which they robbed Of its contents,
variously estimated at from SIC, 900 to $25, 600
Checks and valuable packages not containing
money they left scattered about the floor.
Nothing was known of the occurrence until
the train reached Morris, the first stop west of
nj at tha nh airs
to take coal. At Morris the local express
messenger raped on the express car door, but
as the summons was not answered it was
thought the train messenger was asleep. Upon
the door OF the car being opened the horrible
evidence of desperate struggle and the dead
body Of messenger Nichols was discovered. In
one hand the dead man clutched lock of dark
hair which must have been torn from the head
of one Of his assailants. The news was at once
telegraphed to Joliet. Sheriff Reitz and Chief
of police Murray at once organized posse and
started on special engine for Morris, stop
ping on the way at the coal chute, two miles
west Of Joliet, to see If they could find out
whether the desperadoes boarded the train at
that point. Snow was falling at the time and
the tracks, If any were covered. A large force
OF officers and men from Joliet and Morris are
now securing the country.
A Chicago dispatch of the 18th says: The
news of the robbery of the baggage car and the
murder of the express messenger produced
the greatest excitement in the Rock Island Of
fees this morning in this city. Division Su-
perintendent Chamberln was In receipt of a
dozen dispatches detailing the particulars of
the affair. The officers of the road held a con-
et,1tn .,.1 IL
detectives on the track of the ruffians at once.
The Rock Island Road will offer a reward of
ten thousand dollars for the capture of the
men.
Baggageman N. II. Watt, who is a young
man about "A years OF age, told the following
story in response to various questions: l was
sitting in the car, and the chains were up on
the door which went back to the train but the
door in the front part of the car was not lock-
ed, as the car ahead was the one in which was
the messenger He was checking up his runs.
! sat on a trunk, and just after they had whis
tied for Minooka heard scraping sound on
the floor, but not much just as though some
one had rubbed his foot on the floor. Before
could turn around big gun was poked over
my shoulder and the man said: "You open
your mouth or move muscle and will blow
your brains out" could only see the lower
part Of his face. 1t was covered with some
cloth or paper. l sat looking toward the back
part or rear of the train. when l heard some
one at the safe, which was behind me, and I
could hear the rustling and tearing of papers.
This went on for while, and then the man
who stood over me said: If you move or stir
hand or foot before the train stops at Nor
ris that man up there will blow the top of
your head off. rolled my eyes up and there
was a mans hand stuck through the ventiat-
or with gun in it. In about five minutes, it
seemed to me, the train slowed UP for Morris,
and l looked up and seeing the hand gone
jumped out Of the car. heard no noise nor
any shooting. The first heard, was, as I
said, man speaking to me at the same time
putting gun over my shoulder They must
have gotten into Nichols car first and got the
key to the safe before they came to me.
d. c. Woous, the engineer, gives the follow
ing particulars. ave left Joliet little late
this morning, about ten minutes, making the
time of departure 12:55 a. m. We passed
through Minooka, ten miles distant, without
stopping, at is and arrived at Morris, TWEEN
ty-one and one-half miles from Joliet, at :3l,
thus occupying thirty six minutes in the run,
during which the robbery and murder were
committed. The first news had OF the affair
was when Conductor Wagner came up TO the
engine at Morris and said somebody had been
murdered. Igrabbed wrench and rushed
back with him. l entered the express car next
to the engine on the east side. The distance
from my place In the cab to where the dead
messenger lay was not more than twenty feet.
There was door in the end of the car next to
the engine, but that end was piled full of goods
which would serve to deaden the sound Of the
shooting if any occurred. There was a strong
wind blowing from the west, and besides we
we're running pretty fast. From the looks Of
the car desperate and bloody battle had been
fought. Nichols, the messenger, was dead,
but his hands were not cold. He had evil
IDENTIFY tried to reach the automatic
valve on the south side of the car at the right
hand of the door facing outward, and by this
means stop the train. There was chair at the
further end of the car. Nichols lay on his
back, his head toward the engine and his feet
fast in a chair, and his face and body were
all cut and pounded to pieces. There was a
bent piece Of iron foot long and seven -eights
of an inch thick, and from appearance Nichols
some SHARP instrument, Ike Ratchet He was
horribly mutilated. He might have been shot,
hut Of this am not sure. 1t was showing at
the time, and the night was very dark. 1t is
mostly prairie country from Joliet to Morris,
but west of Morris there is heavy belt o.
timber from Minooka to Morris. The grade is
down, SO ran fast. came into Morris at
high speed and when the train stopped it
simply dropped do not believe any person
could have left the train q block from the point
of stopping with safety. The robbers had not
more than thirty-two minutes to do their work.
There must have been two Of them, and prob
ably there were more. think that II one of
the robbers took his position on the roof Of
the express car he must have had hard time
time hanging on, at the rnte the train was go
ing"
NOT A POLITICAL ORDER. i
Master Workman Powderly says Phil.
adelphia dispatch, upon being shown the
statement recently published that the
n Y