, 1888-08-19
The EastbOund No. 2 Attacked
Near Edison.
Beaten Qff--TWO Train Men are
Badly Injured.
Gallant Conduct of Brakeman F. A.
TiIiman.

- 49, 1@
tramping of feet, a flash, a pistol shot,
then another and another, shouts of deli
ance, curses, imprecations, then the flash,
flash, flash, and reports in rapid success.
sion of more than thirty shots, the glimpse
of receding forms in the darkness and
through the tangled shrubbery of the
alkah plain. Then silence again, followed
by sharp calls and orders mingled with the
screams of the now frantic passengers and
the groans of wounded men, was what
some Of the passengers on yesterday
mornings easternbound passenger train
experienced at Dana tank, eight miles
east Of Edison station, shortly before 3
a. m.
Cheyenne was filled with wild and ex-
travagant rumors early yesterday morning
to the effect that the eastbound passenger
train on the Union Pacific, usually known
among railroad men as No. ., had been
held up and robbed between Medicine
Bow and Rawlins, and 1t was said that
one or two of the trainmen, and one, at
least, of the robbers had been killed.
To point out and ascertain the exact
facts OF the reported robbery became the
duty of THE LEADER reporter to which
task he at once applied himself. The
facts of the occurrence are as follows: At
about 2:45 yesterday morning the eastern
bound passenger train which had been
running at a good rate of speed through
the darkness rolled up to Dana tank,
eight miles this side of Edison station
between Carbon and Rawlins, and made
a halt there for the purpose of taking
water. The engine, which was being
run by Engineer Dan Breese of Laramie
City, needed oiling as well as water and
Breese therefore alighted and with him
his fireman, Charles Mallon, also of Lara
mic City, and the two turned their atten-
ton to the oiling of the engine. As they
did so Brakeman f. A. Tillman of Chey-
enne came along and held up his lantern
so that his companions could the better
see how to do their work. AT this instant
two men, both masked, one with a red
and the other with a white handkerchief
over the face, in which were eye holes,
made their appearance so suddenly and
unexpectedly that neither of the three
train men had any idea from what direc-
ton they came. Tillman was the first
man to whom either of the mysterious
intruders turned his attention. Indeed,
Tillman asserts that the first noticehe had
that anything was wrong was that a revol-
vcr was showed into his face with the ex-
clamation Throw up your hands you
d He did so and in the movement
dropped his lantern to the ground.
Pick up that lantern and come with
me- sternly commanded the masked rob
Der. Tillman, who was unarmed, stopped
to pick up his lantern, and as he did so
his hand touched a big lump of coal.
Quicker than a fash of lightning Hllman
hurled it with great force at the head Of
the robber who fell like a log to the
ground. In an instant Tillman was on
top of him and got hold of his revolver
which he e~ndeavored to wrench from the
hand OF the robber, and in the struggle
both men rolled down the bank which
ran alongside the railroad track.
All this occurred in less time than it has
taken to write it, and at this iuncture the
masked robber, who all this time had his
revolver drawn on Breese and Mallon,
turned TO go to the assistance of his com
panion who was struggling desperately
with Tillman and was getting the worst of
it. Tillman while more than a match for
either one was not able to cope with two
armed men, and by a desperate effort
broke loose from them both, Then the
firing began. Breese and Mallon, who
were close on the track to assist Tillman,
received the first shot which took effect in
Mallon's right arm inficting an ugly
wound, and the gallant Tillman whose
prompt and heroic action was what saved
the the train from robbery, was twice hit,
once through the right arm above the
elbow and once through the right thigh.
By this time, rallied by the loud cries of
of the conductor: Get your guns, boys
several Of the trainmen and with them two
or three of the passengers, came to the
rescue and opened fire. Then it was that
from a semi circle in the brush and shrub
bury near the track flashes began to emin-
ate in quick succession, and shots to the
numbel of thirty or more, which were
promptly responded, were fred from the
balance of the robber crew, which must
have been composed of ten or a dozen
men, The battle was short aud decisive,
and in three minutes after the firing
opened the bandit gang retreated, and
their receding forms were just discerned
sinking away into the darkness. As
they disappeared one of them was seen to
fall bat he gathered up and vent on.
Strange to say, although the missels
struck all around the troiumen and pass
engers engaged in the melee only Tillman
and Mallon were hit.
nur,nr III. t,,,. H. gv,,,..