The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-03-16
A DESPERATE STRUGGLE,
In Which an xpress nessen-
ger Was Assaulted and
Killed by Robbers,
Who Secure q Booty Estimat.
ed at From $685. 900 to
500. 900.

special To the Evening News says one of
the most daring and bloody express rob-
berries ever perpetrated In Illinois o CURED
on The Chicago, ROek Island & Pacific
west bound express between this place and
Morris. The facts as learne from the
| baggageman are that shortly after the
train which leaves here at l2:45 n m. had
left here he heard rap at the baggage car
door. Thinking it was the express messen-
ger he opened the door and was met by
masked robbers who covered him with re-
volvers snd demanded the key to the ex-
press car. The key was given up. One
rubber, who was on top of the b iggage car,
HELD A REVOLVER
on the baggage man through the transom
OF the roof of the car. while his confed-
crates turned their attention TO the
express car. He thought they raped
at the express car door, and informed the
messe ger that tie baggageman WANT to
get in. At any rate the express car was
opened and the desperadoes entered, and
then occurred one OF the most bloody and
desperate struggles on record. Being con-
frOnted by the murderous villains the mes
senger
| FOUGHT FOR HIS LIFE
and the property in his possession. The
interior OF the express car shows that he
Tough, 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 N the car. The robbers then
RIFLED HIS POCKETS
for the keys to the safe, which they robbed
| Of all its contents, yariously
estimated at from $4,000 to $780,
600. Checks and valuable packages
not containing money they left scattered
about the floor. Nothing was known of the
occurrence until the train reached uorris,
the first stop west of here, except At the coal
chute, where the train stopped to take on
coal. At Morris the local express mes
senger raped on the express car door as q
summons Not being answered, il was
thought the messenger was asleep. Upon
the door of the car being opened the hor-
rible evidences of the desperate struggle
and the dead body of the messenger were
discovered. In one hand
| THE HERO
had lock of dark colored hair that must
have been torn from the head of one of his
assailsnts. The news was at once tele-
graphed to Ottawa and Sheriff ReiI
and Chief of Police Murray at
once organized posse aud started on a
special engine for Morris, stopping on the
way at the coal chute, two miles west Of
here to see If they could find where the des-
peradoes DO ,rded the train. At that point
snow was falling slightly and the tracks
were nearly covered. A large force of
officers and men from this place and Nor
4 ris is now
SECURING THE COUNTRY,
and it is thought the guilty men will be
captured In which event they will pIoba-
bly, oe lynched, as public opinion in this
town is ut fever heat and it will not De
safe for the murderers to be caught here.
| The dead m ssenger was a married man
and had been In the service of the Unied
States Express company for ten years and
was one of their most trusted employees.
His home is at Chicago.
WHO He WAS.
| Chicago, Ills, March l3.-Mr Wygart,
the agent of the United States Express
Company, states this evening that the loss
by this mornings robbery will be inside of
So, 600 There was little over $4,000 in
money. The balance of the stolen matter
consisted OF packages OF jewelry and other
things which he thinks were not valued
above s, 500. Il is impossible Just now to
fix the loss exactly. The express company
is working jointly with the Rock Island
railway In endeavoring to catch the rob
bers. The $4,000 reward is offered Jointly
by th two companies. Assistant Agent
Hammond, of the United States Express
company's office In this city, said in re-
gard TO the murdered man:
"Mr. kellogg Nichols was a brave and
trusted emp DYE OF the company. He was
about 40 years of age, and had spent twenty
years with the company, being one of the
Oldest employees running on any road out
of this city. Mr.. Nichols wss q married
man. but had no children"
| The baggagemasler, n. III. Walt, who is
about "a years old, told the following story:
81 was sitting in the car. The chains
were upon the door which went back to
the train, but the door in the front part of
the car was Mt locked as was the car
ahead in which was the messenger. He
was checking up his runs. sat on 9 trunk
and Just after they had uhistled for
Minoks i heard a sort Of 4 scrsping sound
on the floor, but not much, just as though
some one had rubbed his foot on the door.
Before i could turn around, big gun was
poked over my shoulder and q man said
you open your mouth or move q muscle
and I'll
| BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT
could only see the lower part of his face.
Ii was covered with paper or some sort of
cloth. / sat looking toward the back
part of the car, toward the
rear of the train, when / heard some one
1T the safe, which was behind me. could
hear the rustling and tearing of papers.
This went on for awhile and the man who
stood over ME said: IF you move or stir
hand or foot before the train stops at Nor
ris that man up there will blow the top of
your head off, i rolled up my eyes aud
there was a mans hand stuck through the
ventilator with q quo in it. In aboutfve min
utes "A n seemedto me the train slowed IN