Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1886-03-25
SMITTEN AT HIS POST.
Murder of an Express Messen-
ger by Masked Train
Robbers.
The Assassins Capture Thirty Thou.
sand Dollars in Money and
Jewelry.
lChicago telegram. |

| ltnchgo telegram
A train-robbery which equals in its dar-
ing and exceeds in brutality most of the
roJbaries common q few years ago on
Southwestern roads was committed early
yesterday morning between Joliet and
Morris, on the Rock Island Road. None
Of the so-called Jesse James gangs ever
"eHU ~ wUrN Inuro ovvrIy uvEIDvIaVoIy
to plunder, and, if necessary, to KILL than
'i'' 'i--------i ii~-- '..L ->....5a~ad- Kallnno
Nichols, messenger Of the United States
Express Company, and robbed his safe of
$2l 900 in money and several packages of
iewelry, supposed to be worth Mt least
$500
Kellogg Nichols, an old employe Of the
United States Express Company, was in
charge of the express car of the night train
from Chicago for Davenport and the West,
and N. II. Watts, man about 25 years old,
was baggage master for the trip.
When the train arrived at Morris the con-
ductor of the train, +. L. Wagner, jumped
onto the depot platform, and at the same
moment, Watts, the baggageman, jumped
of, his face deathly pale, and with tremor
in every motion. When asked what was
explain, so great was his terror and ex-
citement. The agent at Morris, on going
to the express car, was surprised
to find the door of the car locked. Here
tofore he had always found Nichols stand
ing at the door ready to receive or deliver
packages. After waiting few minutes he
knocked at the door, and, getting no
response opened it with his key and jump
ed in the car After calling out for Nichols
and looking around the car he was struck
With horror to see the express messenger
| lying covered with blood and battered to
death in corner of the car. A glance into
the car next in the rear showed him that the
safe in the adjoining compartment had
been opened and most of its contents, in
the shape Of papers, packages, and en-
velopes, scattered near and around 1t. BY
this time Watts, the baggageman, had re-
| covered enough composure to tell his story.
He said 81 was sitting in the car; 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 locked, as the car ahead
was the one in which was the messenger.
He was checking up his runs. sat on
trunk, and just after they had whistled for
| Alinooka heard n sort of scraping sound
on the floor, but not much Just as though
| some one had rubbed his foot on the floor.
Il
poked over my shoulder, and a man said:
| You open your mouth or move q muscle,
a.sI mi How s0sn l,vai.As out onrild only
see the lower part of his face; it was COW
cred with some cloth or paper. l sat look
ing toward the back part of the car toward the
rear of the train, when heard some one at
the safe, which was behind me, and could
hear the Iustling and tearing of papers.
This went on for while, and the man who
stood over me said 10 me, If you move or
stir hand or foot before the train stops at
Morris that man up there will blow the top
of your head OFF, rolled my eyes up, and
there was mans hand stuck through the
ventiator with gun in it. In about five
minutes, as it seemed to me, the train
slowed up for Morris and l looked up.
The hand was gone, aud | jumped out of
the car. l heard no noise, nor any shoot
ing. The first heard was, as l said, the
man speaking to me, and at the same time
putting the gun over my shoulder. They
must have gotten into Nichols car first, and
got the key to the safe before they came in
TO me-"
"Why didn't you jump and get out of
ranger" was asked Watts. THE motion of
the train would make his aim unsteady,
anyway, even if he had fred"
40, the outlook was too dangerous, and.
besides did not suspect anything horrible
would have been committedif / kept quiet.
AS soon as Watts had told his story Con-
ductor Wagner went forward to the en-
gineer, G Woods, telling him that Nichols
had been murdered. The engineer grabbed
a wrench and together they went into the
car where Nichols lay. In statemePe
made ut Davenport, Engineer Woods saih:
The distance from my place in the cab
TO the spot where the dead messenger lay
was about twenty feet. There was door in
the end of the car next the engine, but
that end was piled full of goods, which
would serve to deaden the sound of the
shooting, il any occurred. There was a
strong wind blowing from the west, and be-
sides we were running pretty fast. From
the looks of the car n desperate and bloody
| battle had been fought. Nichols, the mes.
senger, was dead, but his hands were not
cold. He had evidently 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 a choir at the farther end of the
car. Nichols lay on his back, the
head toward the engine, his feet
tangled in the chair, and his
| face and body cut all to pieces.
! There was q bent piece of iron foot
long and seven -eighths of an inch thick.
From appearances he had been beaten with
this and cut with some sharp instrument
| like hatchet. He was horribly mutilated.
| He might have been shot, but of this am
| not sure.
"As to the night and speed of running" !"
| the engineer continued, "it was showing q
little and the night was very dark. 1t is
mostly prairie country from Joliet to
Morris, but west of Morris there is a heavy
belt of timber. From Minooka to Morris
| is down, so could run fast, and did so.
came into Morris at high rate of speed,
and when the train stopped it simply
dropped. I do not believe any person
could have left the train block from the
point of stopping with safety"
According to Engineer Woods computs-
ton the robbers did not have more than
thirty-two minutes to do their work.
/ LII. r...,.ri.,