Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1888-06-16
ATTEMPTED TRAIN ROBBERY
Four Masked Men Boa-s! ! Big Four
Accommodation
Near Cincinnati and Attack tbe Train
- d"nds-in tho Hand-to- Hand En-
counter That Followed the Mis-
erF"nts are Ejscted--i;sg-
gage-Mastsr keichu.a
Fatally Wounded.

| 'lNlNNArT, June 9.--The L.fslyette, In.
alanapoIis and Cincinnati r. 6modaiio,
ie't Lafayette for th,scityat te o'c!oct
Noshefuay event6 The sa.e, * hich con.
s's,eo OF Tue enEtne ha-Ha Aaar, smoker
NV aides ca'ea, checked Upp i0ment at
o"o switch malt mile east OF 4 IN, about
9o'clock.' -Four mon boardefss gffront end
! q 0he baggage. No orf,ys, them
sna"a $3.50 n,',a.' hr gae ss,,,af .ssl .bn
engine, aqds it is supposed crouched down
70 escape from observation. The conductor
un'nihdlulof danger, gave the signal to Jim
noyd' the engineer, and the train sped awav
toward 'hls city, and in the baggage car
alone was Joe Kctchum, the baggage.
master, a big, brawnv handsome fellow
no trHln was running at the rate of
twenty miles an hour when the door of
INC Daggagc-car was hurled open, and
'hree masked men entered with drawn
reVolVcrs. ketchum saw them and at
once showed fight. He was not to he
1aun'ed by the villains, and raising his
lantern he broke it over the head of one
OIL MS assailants. Several pstol-shots
rang out on the air and Kctchum,
bleeding and dying from four bullet.holes
IN his brave body, sank to the floor.
The conductor, William Lelfsr. heard the
hring but he thought that torpcdoes had
ooen placed on the track rs warning to
step or run slower. He pulled the rope
mat leads to the bell of the engine but no
attention was paid to his ringing. Then
Two or three more shots were heard, and
Mr., L"lller realized that the reports came
not from torpedo but from gun. He
rushed to the scene. In the meantime the
cram began to slacken, and when the con.
ductor put his head in the rear door of the
baggage car he saw three men Jump off
the front end. While all this was in
progress an exciting scene was being
enacted Oh the engine. Jim BOYD, as
neryy a man as ever handled throttle,
occupied the cab with his partner.
Harry Fisher. They heard the noise Of the
firing, and had the same impression as the
conductor, that some one had nut torpe-
docs on the track. One Of the quartet of
masked men who had remained outside
the baggage car stole quietly over the ten.
ucr With the intention of numbering the
conductor and engineer while his confed-
crates accomplished their work of butch.
cry and ptlloge among the helpless passan.
gers and trainmen Fortunately, jim
Boyd saw tie miscrcant stealing upon
hin. II knew that it was a tiEht for life.
and had lcea in tight places
before. Boyd opan'd his too-box
and sei22d y monkey the best
and most effective weapon he had, butstlll
. very poor defense against revolver.
The highwayman, with the mask over his
eyes, dropped suddenly into the cab, and
with his revolver pointed at the engi
neer's head. mo, You don't" suid
Boyd, and in an instant he had crap
pied the arm which held the deadly
weapon, and a struggle onsued The wise
like grip told uTon the robber, and his
hand was pressed down TO his side. The
contest for the possession OF the weapon
was desperate. Once the villain, who
was a powerful fellow, almost recovered
his pistol but the agile engineer finally
captured it. Then the burly scoundrel
begged for his life. Boyd told him plainly
and firmly that he intended to throw him
Off the train. The fireman came to the
assistance of his mate, and, true TO the
promise, the ruflian was thrown out Of the
cab, with the train running twenty miles
an hour. 1t is MT known at this hour
the man was hurt or not. The