Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-12-18
TRAIN ROBBERS.
Took $4,000 from an Express Car
and Killed a Passenger.
THERE WERE TWO OF THEM.
They WOre Masks and Forced the EnGi-
ginecr to Stop tho Train mt the
Point of a PistoI-FuneraI
of the Victim.

GRENADA, Miss, Dec 1S- Passenger train
No. ON the Illinois Central road was robbed
one mile north of Duck Hill AT 1918 p m,
when the train pulled out of Duck Hill, two
men boarded the engine and commanded the
engineer, A. J. Law, to pull out fast and not
to stop until told
The engineer and Fireman George Evans,
both being covered with navy six shooters,
obeyed the command, and when one mile
north of Duck Hill the train was stopped,
and the engineer and fireman were ordered
to dismount This they promptly did. They
were then marched to the express car. One
of the robbers knocked ON the door, which
was opened by the messenger. After firing
three shots the men entered and took So, 900
all there was in the car-from Messenger
Hill
The firing of the pistol and the stopping of
the train attracted the attention of Con-
ductor Z. b. Wilkinson, who ran out, and
was Immediately fired upon. He returned TO
the train Mr.. Chess Hughes of jackson,
Tenn, then ran out with Winchester rifle.
As he stepped on the ground from the smok-
ing car he was fired upon.
One shot struck him in the left arm an
other went through his stomach, making
fatal wound. The young man was the only
support Of his widowed mother He went to
Lexington, Miss, to meet his sisters family
and younger brother all of whom were on
the train and were much distressed by his un-
timely death.
The robbery was done in the regular high
way style. Nino shots were fired by Con-
ductor Wilkinson and Travelling Passenger
Agent Roban three by Hughes, and four or
five by the robbers. During the robbery
great uneasness was felt by the passengers,
who feared for the safety of their valuables
and lives
The following description of the robbers is
furnished 10y Engineer A. j. Law; both
We're white men. One was tall and slender
and the other was of ordinary size. Both
were poorly dressed and showed themselves
to be hard characters The tall one wore
sandy chin whiskers. l don't know whether
he had moustache or not"
Express Messenger Hill gives the following
description of the robber who entered the car:
''1e was a tall man, five feet ten inches high,
and wore a white souch hat, He had no
beard ON the side of his face, and mask
covered his face below the nose He had a
large nickel plated pistol which looked un-
usually long. The bore was very large and
the barrel was rounl, apparently for cap
and ball.
1.-THE man had dark hair, cut very short
1t looked as if it had been cut by a country
barber. He wore gray suit of very ordi-
nary clothes. lie put the money taken from
the messenger in a sack larger than the one
used on the express car. but of the same ma
terial. Both of the robbers were masked.
1t is believed that neither of the men was
hit by the shots fired at them from the
train.n
The place Of the robbery was an open low
marsh, about 80 yards from the woods.
Both robbers ran eastward and into the
swamp. posse is being organized here to
join in the chase Bloodhounds will be used
to follow the trail The description OF the
tall man with sandy whiskers is a good de-
scription of the man who recently robbed
train on the Northeastern road
JACKSON, Miss, Dec. 1S-The Illinois Cen
trail train which was robbed near Duck Hill.
Miss, Saturday night, arrived here and the
body of Charles Hughes was buried here 1t
is said that the men who invaded .the engine
had two accomplices who had cut the wires
at the point where the robbery was committed
and who robbed the express car while the
others covered the eng neer and firemen with
their revolvers.
The story of the killing of Hughes is told
as follows:
When Conductor Wilkinson discovered
that robbers had stopped the train he called
to the passengers to defend the train Hughes
volunteered, and taking a Winchester rife
from negro, fired upon the robbers and
chased them out of the door, where he fell
pierced through by ball fired by one of the
robbers Conductor Wilkinson emptied every
chamber of his pistol at the robbers The
passengers were terribly frightened, but none
except Hughes was harmed.
Duck HILL, Miss, Dec 1S-One of the
train hands was sent back here Saturday
night with the news Of the robbery of the ex-
press car. The citizens were aroused and
gathered at the depot anxious to do anything
to capture the scoundrels. The night was a
wild one, the rain pouring and the wind
blowing regular gale, and as nothing could
be done owing to the darkness and rain the
crowd had to break up and wait for day
light and the bloodhounds.
The bloodhounds could not be had, as those
belonging TO the penitentiary were not in
Jackson. Some of the officials came down
on a special train and others came
later. All day crowds of men have been
searching in every direction, but With no
effect The robbers went as they came-un-
seen by any one.
CHICAGO, Dec. 1.-THE Adams Express
company which bills through from Chicago
on the Southern have heard nothing Of the
robbery. The American Express company
and Train Dispatcher Berry of the Illinois
Central, are also without information.
Dodged Detection with Death.