The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-10-27
BIG ROBBERY.
One of Adams Express Cars
Pillaged,
AND MORE THAN $4,000 TAKEN
! Most Daring Deed-The Messenger
Gagged and Bound and tee
Car Rifed.
Big Express Robbery.

CT. LOO4og OOtOOC4 A0dLlS "a
press car attached to passenger train
No. 8 on the st. Louis & San Francisco
which left this CITY at 8.25 last nigh
was robbed of over 5000 in cash be
tween here and Pacific, Mo. From
meagre reports it seems that before the
train left this city a man giving the
name OF Cummings presented letters to
Express Messenger rockingham, pur-
porting to be signed by officers of the
company, stating that Cummings was
about TO take a run on the line, and
asking rockingham to give him
the points. When near Mere
mac the stranger OverpOWered
bound him to the safe, after which
he coolly rIhed the car. He cut open
the bags, containing silver, but took
none of it. At Meremac the robber left
the train. The robbery was not dis
covered until the train reached Pacific,
when the express car was broken open
and Messenger rockingham found tied
to the safe. Express officials are reticent
but admit that over $4,000 was taken
The robber is imperfectly described as a
tall, dark man, of prepossessing appear
ance, dressed in black with very large
hands and feet. II IS a singular coin
cidence that he gave the name of Jim
Cummings, the only member of the
once celebrated James gang who has
never been accounted for.
The stranger gave the name of Cum
mings to rockingham, the messenger,
presented to him Cleverly forged let
ter bearing a perfect fac smile of the
signature of Barrett Route, local agent
of the express company at st. Louis.
The letter stated that Route had decided
to put an extra man on the route, that
the bearer was he and that FrOthIng
ham was directed to teach the details
of the business. The stranger was al
lowed to enter the car and took great
interest in all of the movements of the
messenger, apparently desiring to learn
quickly the ms and outs of the duties
which the letter stated he was expected
to perform. The two men busted them
selves with the accounts, ETC., and
all went well until a point between
st. Louis and Pacific, was reached,
and rockingham was busily engaged
over his accounts with his back turneI
to Cummings" In the course of time
1t became necessary for MIN to 60 to
the safe, and turning TO do so saw the
stranger calmly sitting in his chair,
with cooked revolver levelled at his
(Frothingham's) head. Cummings
cautiously approached the dumb
founded messenger, and told him if he
remained quiet and made or raised no
alarm, he would not be endangered.
rockingham had nothing 10 do but TO
submit, and the robber bound him hand
and foot, pressed a gag into his mouth,
cd ~ n nnFA l.
could not move. and proceeded with
his work. The safe had teenl # open
and it took but few minutes for the
robber to secure the bank notes and val
uables in the shape of jewelry, etc. The
road at this point runs directly along
the side of ign bluff, which in places
oVerhangs the tracks, making the dan.
ger of wrecks from collisions with boul-
ders, which occasionally fall from
above upon the tracks, very great;
trains, therefore, slack up at this point
and run slowly until the dangerous
places are passed. This the engineer of
train No. did, as usual, and thus of
fered the robber an easy means of
escape. He first lockeu all but one
door, stepped out on the platform,
locked the door from the outside and
jumped of. rockingham, in the mean
time, colld do nothing to re-
lease himself, not being able
even to call for help. Two
hours later the conductor tried the
door and hearing some one struggling
within, suspecte. something wrong.
burst the door open, finding Frothing-
ham as above described. He was
quickly released and told his ex-
perience. The robber had a start of
fully two hours and it was useless to
run back to try and find him, The
train, therefore, proceeded on its way
and arrived IN this city this morning on
its return trip. rockingham immedi- |
ately sought the superintendent of the
company and was clOseted with him for
some time, at the end of which he com |
meneed the preparation of his official |
report, refusing TO make any statement |
to outsiders regarding the robbery ex-
cept that the total loss would amount |
to something over $4,000. The officers |
OF the company have nothing to say of |
the affair.