The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 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.
lChiceeo telegram

4
ing and exceeds in brutality most Of the
robberies common 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
went 10 work more coolly and deliberately
to plumber, and, if necessary, to kill, than
did the robbers who murdered Kellogg
Nichols, messenger OF the United States
Express Company, and robbed his safe of
S2l, 900 in money and several packages of
jewelry, supposed TO be worth at least
| $4,000
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 ut 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 tremoI
in every motion. When asked what was
the matter he could not for a moment
explain, SO great was his terror and ex-
element. 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 a few minutes he
| knocked ut the door, and, getting no
response. opened it with his key and Jump
I'd in the car. After calling out for Nichols
| aud looking around the car he was struck
with horror TO see the express messenger
lying covered with blood and battered TO
death in n 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, "a
the shape of papers, packages, and ell.
velopes, scattered near and around il. BY
this time Watts, the baggageman. had re
covered enough composure to tell his story
He said: Il 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 mp his runs. / sat on a
trunk, and just after they had whistled for
Minooka heard sort of 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 a man said:
You open your mouth or move a muscle,
and I'll blow your brains out / could only
see the lower part of his face; it was COW
cred with some cloth or paper. / sat look
ing toward the back part of the car toward the
rear of the train, when heard some one Mt
the safe, which was behind me, and could
hear the rustling and tearing of papers.
This went on for while, and the man who
stood over me said to me, If you move or
III. L. Co. -. q. -
| Morris that man up there will blow the top
OF your head off,. l rolled my eyes up, and
there was n mans hand stuck through the
ventilator with gun in it. In about five
minutes, as il seemed to me, the train
slowed up for Morris, and l looked up.
The hand was gone, and l jumped on of
| the car. / heard no noise, nor any shoot
ing. The first | heard was, as / said, the
man speaking to me, and mt 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 fired"
30, 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
wrench and together they went into the
car where Nichols lay. In n statement
made at Davenport, Engineer Woods said:
The distance from my place in the cab
% the spot where the dead messenger lay
rs about twenty feet. There was door in
he end of the car next the engine, but
hat end was piled full of goods, which
would serve TO deaden the sound of the
shooting. il any occurred. There was
strong wind blowing from the west, and be-
sides we were running pretty fast. From
| the looks of the car a 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 chair at the farther end of the
car. Nichols lay on his back, the
head toward the engine, his feet
| tangled in the chair. aud his
face and body cut all to pieces.
There was n bent piece of iron n foot
long and ven-eighths of an inch thick.
From appearances he had been beaten with
this and cut with some sharp instrument
ike matched. He was horribly mutilated.
He might have been shot, but of this | am
| not sure.
AS to the night and speed of running
he engineer continued, 1T was showing
tile aud the night was very dark. II is
mostly prairie country from Joliet to
| Morris, but west of Morris there is heavy
| belt of timber. From Minooka to Morris
is down. so could run fast, and did so.
came into Morris Mt high rlte of speed.
and when the train stopped il SIMPLY
| dropped. 1 do not believe any peis
| could have left the train n block from the
point of stopping with safety"
| According TO Engineer Woods computa-
ton the robbers did not have more than