The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1886-03-24
THE MURDER on A TRAIN.
Four Men Suspected of Having Killed
the Agent.

New YORK, March 21.-A dispatch rom
Joliet, Illinois, says: The theory which
meets with most favor is that the train
robbery on Saturday was committed by
four suspicious-looking men who were taken
particular notice of by Conductor Wagner
and some OF the passesgers. Three OF the men
were on the train when it left Chicago, the
fourth one getting on at Blue Island. They
were playing cards the most of the time,
their conduct and conversation being OF
such nature that the conductor epotted
them as monte men, and remembering that
one OF the four had exhibited a pass which
he and his partner were riding on, the con-
ductor asked to see it again. After
q careful examination he pronounced
it worthless, and took it up. The
1874 to 1885 by a paster. The forged
pass was made out to r. D. Martin, and
one read: "Good between Chicago and
Kansas City," where one OF the party was
heard to say that he was going to engage
in the real estate business. just before the
train reached this point the four men quit
playing cards and all OF them took drink
from a bottle that was passed around by
ore of their number. They theh stepped
out OF the train, and the telegraph opera
torsays that while the train was standiug
dL tuc ucPOU u 6OA duSC hANA S0AIOu oSo VAo
ticket office window and inquired where he
could get a cheap p boarding house. The op-
orator directed him to one near by, but no
strange man showed up there on that
night. It is thought that If these were the
persons who committed the crime they
must have got on the train again between
the baggage and express car, on the oppo-
site side from the depot. and just as the
train was pulling out.
The excitement in the city over the rob-
berry and murder is still unabated. The
police and detectives are very reticent on
the subject, but are working on. the case
the city is put under surveillance. and has
to give an account of himself before he
sCaIcAso, March 21.-Grundy County is
swarming with detectives, local and other
wise, many of them inspired by the reward
of $40, 900 which the railroad and express
companies have offered for the arrest of the
murderers. The clues, SO far as disclosed
by the Pinkertons, who are working on the
case for the express company, and the rail-
road detectives are very slight.
Some tufts of hair are said to have been
found in Nichols fingures, and that is about
all there is to work on. There is one man,
however, who is practically under deten'
tion, and that is a brakeman.
The Rock Island employees are very care.
fully disciplined. and among other maxims
inculcated is the one which says there is a
place for everything and everything in its
place. The bloody poker, with which 1t
is conjectured Nichols skull was fractured,
was hanging on it's nail on the side OF the
car.
just what would induce murderer to
hang up poker with which he had killed
a man It is hard to imagine. Aman trained
to hang or put piece Of furniture away
when he had taken it down might, even
under strong excitement, return it to its
place. =,
Another circr instance pointing to rail
road men az the murderers relates to the
hand which brakeman says was thrust
through ventilator in the top OF the bag
gage car. Very few men not familiar with
the cars know that there is any such open
ing in the roof of cars, There is nothing
in the appearance of the car from the
ground to suggest such hole.