St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-14
Express Messenger Nichols of the Rock
Island Road Brutally Slain for
Purposes of Robbery.
His Throat Cut From Ear to Ear and
His Skull Fractured-0ver $780,
600 Stolen.
A Brace of Threatening Revolvers
Force Baggagemaster Watt to
Hold His Tongue.
Suspicion Directed TO Six Persons
Who Bought Tickets From Chi
cago to Minook, Ill.
A Daring Murder and Robbery.

daring and bloody express robberies ever
perpetrated in Illinois occurred on the Chi
cagO. Rock Island 81 Pacific west-bOund ex-
press last night between Joliet and Morris.
The facts, as learned from the 1aggageman,
are that shortly after the train which
leaves Joliet at 1915 a. IN. bad left the
city he heard rap at the bag. age cur door.
Thinking it was the express messenger he
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 express car, held a re-
volver on the baggageman through tran
som in the roof of the car, while his con-
federates turned their attention to the ex-
press car. It is thought they raped on the
express car door and informed the meSSen-
ger, III. S. Nichols, that the baggageman
wanted TO get in. At any rate, the express
car door was opened ana the desperadoes
entered. Then occurred one of the most
bloody and desperate struggles on record.
Being confronted by the murderous 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 they rained
on his head with an iron poker forced him
TO succumb, and he was left dead in the
car. The robbers Tifled his pockets of the
keys to the safe. which they robbed of all
its contents, variously estimated at from
S25, 900 to 500, 600. Checks and val
liable packages not containing money
they left scattered about the floor. Moth
ipsr lynn Of ta
train reached Morris, the first stop west
of here, except the coal chute. where the
train stopped TO take on coal. At Morris
the local express messenger raped on the
express car door, but as tine summons was
not answered it was thought the train mes
senger was asleep. Upon the door of the
car being opened the horrible evidences of
the desperate struggle and the dead body of
Messenger Nichols were discovered. In
one hand that was clutched the dead hero
had lock of dark-cOlOred hair that he
must have torn from the head of one of the
assailants. News was at once telegraphed
to Ottawa, and Sheriff Reitz and Chief of
Police Murray at once
ORGANIZED A POSSE
and started on a special engine for Morris,
stopping on the way at the coal chute, two
miles west of here. to see if the deSpera-
does boarded the train at that point. Snow
was falling lightly at the time, and the
tracks, if any, were covered. a large force
of officers and men from Joliet and Morris
are now securing the country. and it is
thought the guilty men VII, he captured, in
which event they will probably be lynched,
as public opinion in Joliet is at fever heat,
and it will not be safe for the murder
ers TO be taken there. The dead
messenger was a married man, and
lived at Chicago. He has been in the SER
vice of the United States Express company
about ten years, and was one of its most
trusted employees. Where the robbers
boarded the train is as yet mere speculation.
Conductor Wagner does not remember of
having seen any suspicious characters
aboard last night. The general opinion is,
the gang got on the train at the coal chute,
two miles west of Joliet, and jumped off
just before the train reached Morris.
CONDUCTOR WAGNER SAYS:
AS the train came TO a standstiu at Morris
at 1:35 this morning. got out on the plat
form about the same instant Watt jumped out
of the baggage car, as white as a sheet and
gasped out. my God; look in there. The
safe is all gone and the papers are all over
the car" i looked In with my lantern, and
the safe was standing open, the waybills were
all scattered around. and the drafts and other
papers, some of them torn up, were all
around on the floor. 1 took my key and
went to the other car and called
''Nick," but there were no answer.
AS swung my lantern into
the car q horrible sight met my eyes. There
was blood scattered around everywhere. and
and on the trunks. The local waybills were
were all covered with blood, and the legs of
the chair were bloody. In the forward part
Of the car l found Mick" The face was
covered with blood, and a pool was under
dv snsa
car showed that there had been a big fight
from nearly one end TO the other. Ona hook
hung big poker. which was also covered
with blood. Nichols lay with his hands
clenehed, and between the fingers of one
hand he held lock of black hair, while IN
the other hand was a lock of red hair.
GOT ON AT THE COAL CHUTE.
The conductor thinks the robbers got on
at the coal chute near Joliet. and jumped off
just as the train slowed up at Morris. The
news of the robbery of the express car and
the murder of the express messenger pro-
duced the greatest excitement in the Rock
Island Office in this city this morning. Di-
vision Superintendent r. n. Chamberlain
was in receipt of dozen dispatches detail
ing the particulars of the affair. The officers
of the road held a consultation. and it was
agreed to send special detectives
on the track of the rufliians at
once. The train (No. 81 left the depot
last night at IL o'clock. Ii consisted of
the locomotive, two baggage cars, two
sleepers and three coaches in charge of
Conductor Wagner. Kellogg Nichols of
this city was the express messenger. Ii
Is thought that the men who committed the
robbery and murder are convicts lately re-
leased from the Joliet penitentiary. The
brakeman of train No. 10 says he saw six
men walking along the edge Of the woods
near AuSable, which is near Morris. Offic-
ers from Joliet are out after the men. They
left nothing in the car by which they might
be identified, except
A STOVE POKER.
which was used by one of them as a
weapon. Supt. Chamberlain left for Morris
at o'clock to investigate the affair and
take charge of the body, Nichols was 45
years Of age and married. He lived on the
North Side. The first authentic informa-
ton of the murder reached the express
Office, on Washington street, this morning,
when the incoming messenger, W. Nj.
Turner, reached here. His train met the
one on which Nichols was killed at Morris,
and Mr.. Turner reached the place soon
after the murder was discovered.
The widest excitement prevailed about
the depot at the time. Nichols
was found with his throat cut
ffom ear to ear. the wound being jagged.
uneven cash. as if it had been inflicted
with a hatchet Turner had to leave for
Chicago before the investigation was well
under foot. II was found, however, that
everything was all right when the train
drew up at Joliet. 1t started promptly,
and according to schedule time was due to
arrive at Morris at 1:30 in the morning. No
stops were made between the two places.
and for that reason it is thought the muir
derers boarded the train at Joliet. Arriv-
ing at Morris, Nichols, as was his wont,
DID NOT APPEAR