The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1886-03-14
MURDERED IN HIS CAR.
WEsTERN BANDITS KILL 4ND ROE a.
BR4YE EXPRESS ArEsSENGER.
Daring and Bloody Deed-AA Fierce
Struggle in the Car between The
Messenger and Robbers-The Express
Company snslafns Large Loss.

A Daring and bloody DeedAA Fierce
Struggle in the Car between the
Messenger and Robbersz-Fhe Express
Company snstafns Large Loss.
EBy Associated Press to The TAr1IEal
JoLzr, H., March 1S.-One of the most
daring and bloody express robberies ever
perpetrated in Illinois occurred on the
Chicago and Rock Island and Pacific
west bound express last night between
this place and Morris. The facts, as learned
from the baggage men, are that soon after
the train which leaves here e 12.45 Il II.
had left this city, he heas rap at the
baggage-caf door. Thinking it was tie OK.
press messenger. be opened the door and
was met By masked robbers, who covered
him with revolyers and demanded his kew
TO the express Car. The key was given up.
and one robber, who was on top of the
baggage car, held q revolver on the bag
gageman through q transom in the roof Of
the car, while his confederates turned their
attention to the express car. It is thought
that they tapped on the express car door
and informed the messenger, II. IS. Nichols.
that the baggag man wanted to G lin. At
any rate the express car door was opened.
ana the dssperadOes entered, and then oc-
CURED one of the most bloody and
desperate struggles on record The in
terror OF the express car shows that the
the robbers fought from one end Of the
car to the other, but at last the murderous
blows that they rained on his cad with an
iron poker forced him to suceumb, and he
was left dead in the car The robbers
rihed his pockets of the KEYS to the safe.
which they robbed of all its contents. yari.
ously estimated at from sos, 900 to $780,
600. Checks and valuable packages not
containing money they left scattered about
the floor. At Morris the local express
messenger raped on the express car door
but as the summons was not answered it
was thought the train messenger was
asleep. Upon the door of the car being
opened the horrible evidence of the des-
perate struggle and the dead body Of Mes
senger Nichols were discovered. In one
hand that was clinched the dead hero had a
lock OF dark colored hair that he must have
torn from the head of one of the assaila1ts.
1t IS thought the desperate fellows got en-
the coal shute, two miles from here and
left just before the train reached Morris.
A large posse of men are now SECURING the
country for them. They are thought 70 be
convicts released from Joliet prison. An
Associated Press dispatch FROM Chicago
says that the Company will offer $40 600 re-
ward for their arrest. The dead messenger
was married, and had been ten years in the
service OF the country. At the Gompany1s
office IN Chicago it is said that Nichols
throat was cnt from ear to ear. and that
besides $4,000 in money, he had III his
keeping $1,000 or 1000 worth of jewelry
packages.
Baggage master Watt says he was setting
in his car, when his attention was attracted
by a noise. When he turned his head he
looked into the mouth of pistol. and then
saw q masked face. The masked man
threatened him with death if he moved.
He beard some one at the safe, and the
rustling and tearing of paper. eff you
move or stir hand" this man said as the
train neared Norris ssthat man up there 'el
blow the top of your head of !" Watt looked
up and saw hand stuck through the
ventilator with gun in It. In about FIVE
minutes the train slowed up at Norris. The
hand was gone from the ventilator and
Watt jumped from the car. The robbers
had evidently done their work in the
messenger car that was ahead, before they
went into Watts's, Tut he heard no pistol
shots or noise. l
Mr.. Wygant, the agent of the United
States Express Company, states this even
ing that the loss by this mornings robbery
will be inside of SIS, 600 There was a lit
tie over $40, 900 in money, and the balance
OF the stolen matter consisted OF packages
OF jewelry and other things, which, he
thinks, were not valued above S., 500.
eve have little or no protection on end
door cars" said one Of the messengers.
THE doors are chained, ii is true, but a
jimmy inserted will snap the little brass
clasp like pipe stem 1t is also presum>
able when he entered he recognized some
Of the gang. and they were compelled to
kill him. Last night when Nick checked
up $4,000 package, and in joking way
remarked that if he had that pile he would
take night of, he little Thought he would
lose his life while carving i.