The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-03-17
FAITHFUL TO HIS TRUST.
An Express Messenger Defends His
Car With His Life.


CHICAGO, March PA joliet, ILL.,,
special to the Erening Ne,rs says
One of the most daring and bloody
express robberies ever perpetrated IN
Illinois occurred on the Chicago,
Rock Island & Pacific west bound
express last night, between this
place and Morris.
The facts, a5 learned from the bag
gage man. are that shortly after the
train, which leaves here at l2:45 a.
m., had left this city, he heard a rap
at the baggage car door. Thinking
it was the express messenger, ne
opened the door and was met by
masked robbers, who covered him
with revolvers and demanded his
key to the express car. The key was
given up and one robber, who was
on top of the baggage car, held re-
volver on the baggageman through
a transom in the roof OF the car,
llS hhS-i
attention to the express car.
1t is thought that they raped en-
the express car door and informed
the messenger, H. 5. Nichols, that
the baggageman wanted to get IN.
At any rate the express car door was
opened and the desperadoes entered.
Then occurred one of the bloodiest
and most desperate struggles on rec
ord. Being confronted by the mur-
derous villains, the messenger fought
for his life and the property in his
trust. The interior of the express
car shows that he fought the robbers
from one end of the car to the other.
but at last the murderous blows
that they rained on his head with
an iron poker forced him to succumb
and he was left dead in the car. The
robbers rifled his pockets of the keys
to the safe, which thev robbed OF all
it's contents, variously estimated at
from $4,000 to 100000. Cheeks
and valuable packages not contain
ing money they lett scattered about
the floor.
Nothing was known of the occur
renee unlil the train reached Morris,
the first stop west of here, except the
coal chute where the train stopped
to take on coal. At Morris the To-
cal express messenger raped on the
express car door, but rs the sum
mons was not answered 1t was
thought that the train messenger
was asleep. Upon the door of the
car being opened the horrible evi,
dence OF the desperate struggle and
the dead body OF Messenger Nichols
, were discovered. In one hand that
was clutched the dead hero had a
lock of dark -colored hair that he
must have torn from the head of one
of the assailants.
The news was at once telegraphed
TO Ottawa, and Sheriff Reilly and
lChief-of- Police Murray at once or
ganized posse and started on q
special engine for Morris, stopping
or the way at the coal chute two
miles west of here, to see If they
could find where the desperadoes
boarded the train. At that point
snow was falling lightly and the
/ tracks, il any, we're covered.
4 large force of officers ana mer
from this place and Morris ara now
securing the country, and 1t Ii
thought the guilty men will be cap.
tured, in which event they will prob
ably be lynched, as public npiniaa
I in this town is at fever heat and Il
will not be safe for the murderers to
be brought here.
The dead messenger 'sas married
man and lived in Chicago. He has
beea 10 the service of the United
States Express Company about ten
years and was one or their most trust
ed emplcJes.
Where the robbers boarded the
! train is as yet mere speculation
Conductor Wagner does not remem-
Der Of having seen any suspicious
characters aboard that night, bnt the
general opinion is that the gang got
on the train at the coal chute two
miles Eest Of here and jumped of
lust before the train reached Morris.
CHICAGO, March l3.-.fhe EceSiqg
Journal has information to the eff
feet that the Rock Island Road will
offer reward ofs10,000 for the cap
tqre qfthe men who comxitted the
express robbery Ibis morning, and
$1,000 for the arrest Of any sfs 81
them.