Morris tribune., 1886-03-17
A BOLD TRAIN ROBBERY.
oESPERADoES GAIN ADMlTTANCE TO
A UNITED STATES EXPRESS SCAR.

The Messenger Found with His Head
Beaten t9 Jelly and His Throat Cut,
from Ear to Ear-The Murderers Secure
$a5, OOO-No Clew as Yet.
JOLIET, Ills, March 15.-One Of the most
daring and bloody express robberies ever
.perpetrated in Illinois occurred on the CHI
cago, Rock Island & Pacific west-bound ex-
press Friday night between this place and
Morris
The facts as learned from the baggage
man are that shortly after the train which
leaves here at t2:45 a M had left this city
Friday night he heard rap at the baggage
car door, Thinking it was the express mes
sanger, he opened the door, and was met by
masked robbers, who covered him with re-
volyers and demanded his key to the ex,
press car.
The key was given up, and the robber,
who was ON top Of the baggage car, held
revvlver on the baggageman through
transom in the roof of the car while his con-
federares turned their attention to the ex-
press-car 1t is thoughtthat they raped on
the express-car door and informed the mes
senger, Kellogg Nichols, that the baggage
man wanted to get in, At any rate, the ex-
does entered.
Being confronted by the murderous vii
lains, the messenger fought for his life and
the property in his trust The
interior of the express-car showed that he
fought the robbers from one end
to the other, but ct 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. Not satisfied with the work already
done the villains cut Nichols throat from
ear to ear, probably with a hatchet or some
blunt instrument, as the wound presents
Jagged appearance The thieves rified his
pockets of the keys to the safe, which they
robbed of all its contents variously estimated
at from S2O,0O0 to $751; Checks and
valuable packages not containing money
they left scattered about ths floor.
Nothing was known of the occurrence
until th' train reached Morris, the first
stop west of here except the coal-chute,
where ths ain stopped to take in coal AT
Morris the local express messenger raped
ol the express car door, but, as the sum-
mons wa not answered. it was thought the
Eaia messenger was asleep. Upon the door
OF t, e car Icing opened the horrible evil
denies OF tho desperate struggle and the
de I'd tod of Messenger Nichols were dis
covered
In one hand the dead man clutched a
lock of d r.1-colored hair, which must have
been torn from the head of one of his assail-
ants.
News was at once telegraphed to this city.
Sheriff Reitz and Chief of Police Murray at
once organized posse and started on a spe-
cial engine for Morris, stopping on the way
at the coal chute, two miles west of here, to
see if they could find whether the desper-
ADDE'S boarded the train at that point. Snow
was falling lightly at the time, and the
tracks, if any, were covered.
large of force of officers and men from
this place and Morris are now securing the
country, and it is thought the guilty men
will be captured in which event they will
probably be lynched, as public opinion in
this town is at fever heat, and it will not be
safe for the murderers to be brought here.
The dead messenger was a-married man
and lived at Chicago He has been in the
service of the Unitel States Express COM
pany about ten years and was one o. their
most trusted employees
As to where the robbers boarded the train
is all as yet mere speculation. Conductor
Wagner does not remember having seen any
suspicious characters aboard, but the gem
erai opinion is that the gang got on the
train at the coaEchute, two miles west OF
here, and jumped of just before the train
reached Morris.
At n O'Clock Saturday morning the Rock
Island company issued the following cir
cular:
Several persons entered the express car
on the passenger train moving west on the
Chicago, Rock Island s Pacific railway be-
tween Joliet and Morris between 1
and a. m of Saturday, the 18th
day of March, and murdered the
messenger of the United States express COM
pany and robbed its safe of considerable
amount of money, The Chicago, Rock
Island & Pacific railway company will pay
a reward of 5000 for the arrest of any one
of the parties guilty, if but one shall be ar
rested, and $4,000 for the arrest'of all Re-
wards to be paid when the party or parties
are arrested and finally convicted.
"A. KIMBALL,
General Superintendent"
March IL 1885,