The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-03-15
KELLOGG NICHOLS.
Saturdays Terrible Tragedy.
Chicago Papers Version OF the Case
..Complete Sketch OF Nichols
Life.
Report that the Perpetrators OF The
Foul Deed have been Captured.
REVIEW OLE TIE CASE.


messenger. Ke llogg Nichols, and the bold
robbery of his safe of over $50 900 on Sat>
urday morning, was the subject of I'M
abated conversation on the streets Satur
day evening and yesterday. The ARGUsb be
ing the only Saturday night paper in Dav-
export or Rock Island, was in great de-
mand. Bows were sent to Davenport and
Moline with the edition containing full
account of the tragedy, and hundreds OF
copies were sold, and papers were eagerly
sought for after the regular and special
editions had been exhausted
AS a rule the Chicago papers or yester.
day morning contained accounts corrob-
Grating the report of Saturdays Argus,
which had been made one hundred and
thirty miles from the scene, and within
half the time allowed the Chicago papers,
only fifty miles distant from the occur
renee. The only point at variance
seems 10 De as TO tne
LOCATION OF THE SAFE
which was robbed, it being, Judging from
later accounts, in the second car instead
of the one in which Nichols met his
frightful death. Mr.. Miller, of this city,
who was an intimate friend of Nichols
and had made several trips with him, in.
formed an ARGUS reporter Saturday even
ing that he believed such to be the case
but the train men interviewed Saturday
morning were in such a state of excite
ment that it was with difficulty that anys
thing could be obtained from them, much
less exact facts, even as they knew them
The Chicago papers therefore had the ad-
vantage in being on the ground and in IA
position to interview the train men later
in the day, when they had had time to col
lect their ideas.
The Chicago Herald contains the most
concise and apparently complete report,
and from it, abstracts are here given:
There is deep sorrow in neat little
cottage, 4j9 North avenue; a widow of a
day is nearly distracted with grief; a hor-
ribly mutilated body at the undertaker's
tells mute story of bloody crime, and
the community is shocked by what proves
one of the most tiendish deeds perpetrated
for wears. The murdered man is Kellogg
Nichols, up to a day ago Il trusted mes
senger in the employ of the United States
Express company. On his way out to
Davenport early Saturday morning, be-
tween Joliet and Morris, the express car
in which he was was entered by train rob
bers, who, after desperate fight killed
Nichols, took his KEYS from him, walked
into the next car, where the baggage
master, Newton Fl. Watt, had previously
been placed under guard, opened the
safe, stole nearly S22, 900 in cash, large
amount of jewelry, and decamped. The
robbery was discovered at Morris, live
little town southwest of Joliet, and im>
mediately officers were dispatched from
both places, supplemented by large
number of detectives from this city, as
soon as the news of the crime reached
here.
The train of Friday night consisted of
the locomotive, two baggage cars, which at
the same time served as express cars, two
sleepcrs and three coaches Conductor
Wagner was in charge of the train; kel>
l0gg Nichols was the express messenger.
and Newton Fl Watt was in charge OF
the baggage for which the railroad CONS
pany was responsible After the train
had passed Joliet Watt was in the second
baggage car, in which was also the ex-
press c0mpanys safe, containing the walls
uables; Nichols was in the car ahead.
The rear door of his car was locked and
barred With chain from the inside; the
front door of the second car was not
locked. From all that can be learned,
THE TRAIN ROBBERS.
six or seven IN number entered the train
between Joliet and MinoOka, ten miles
out from the former. Presumably the
point where the robbers boarded the train
was the coal chute, two miles west of
Joliet, where there was momentary stol
for coaling. Watt, the baggageman, was
sitting on trunk as the engineer whistled
for MinOoka, and he had Just risen when
he heard a slight noise above the rafting
of the train The glass of one of the
windows between the roof of his
car and the raised portion, serv>
ing for purposes of ventilation, was
broken, the arm of a man, who must have
been lying flat on the roof of the car,
reached through, a revolver was pointed
at Watts head and he was commanded to
remain in his position at the peril of his
life. Watt, who is about twcnty-four
years of age, implicitly Obeyed. A few
moments later, when the baggageman
heard a ruslling noise from the safe, to-
ward which he had turned his back, he
made Il motion as if to face about; the
warning was repeated, and again the
trembling man obeyed. lie remained in
this position for about five minutes until
the train slowed up for Morris. Looking
up, he saw that the arm and revolver
were Withdrawn. The safe was open,
books and papers Uttered the floor, and
Watt jumped out. When Nichols failed
to deliver his express packets to the agent
at Morris, the latter opened the first car,
and the
HORRIBLE SPECTACLE
which met his eyes at once told the story
of the crime. The body of the unfortu-
nate express messenger was lying in a
pool of blood, spatterings Of blood COWS
cred the Ioor and sides of the car, and
books and papers were strewn about, and
the whole condition of things spoke
louder than words, Of fearful struggle
in which Nichols, after heroic fight,
had finally succumbed to superior num-
bers. paying with his life for the trust in
which he had never been found wanting
for twenty years.
NO WITNESS TO THE DEED.
1t is doubtful whether the true story of
the fight will ever be told, unless it be by
the confession of some one of the rob-
bers. 1t seems, however, clear that
Nichols was already dead man when
the baggageman was paralyzed by the re-
volver being thrust close to his head
FDhAua . OF