Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-01-27
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Train Robbers S ! y
A LIVELY FUSILADE u
WERE RoUu Pure

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 1875. 4 marvel 0
bers were foiled last nighte.'5 IN ~
tempt to rob an express tram on
the Wabash W estern road at Coo
ley's Lake, twenty. four miles east Of
Kansas City. The regular Kansas
City and st. Louis express train,
No. 4, left Kansas City at the regu-
lar hour, $40 p. m. 1t was in charge
Of w. O. Beckley, the regular con.
ductor, when the train stopped at
Missouri City. On the platform OF
the little station was a band OF men
with shot guns. The conductor was
informed that they were under com.
mand of an Official OF the county
who had received word that an at
tempt would be made to rob the st.
Louis express at a lionel, spot, a lit
tie less than two miles east of Mis-
souri, City. One of the officers got
in the cab of the engine with the
engineer and fireman and the Others
distributed themselves through the
train.
Cooley's Lake, fishing resort,
one of the loneliest points on the
road in winter time, was the place
where the attack was to be made.
None Of the passengers on the train
were notified of the danger. AT
$50, as the point of attack was
neared, a red light was seen gleam-
ing ahead. AS the train slowed
up the engineer saw three masked
men with rifles standing on the
track.
"Get off there said the leader of
the three men to the engineer Nor
sey climbed down out of the cab.--
Just as he reached the ground the
officer in the cab pointed his shot
gun out of the window and fred
Whether he hit the leader of the
hand of robbers or not he could not
afterward tell, but both he and the
engineer were Of the opinion that
he had. AS soon as the shot was
fred he and Morsey dropped down
out of sight. The shot from the
cab was answered with shots from
the guns Of the three robbers, which
ratified about the engine but did no
harm. The three men retired in
demOralIzed state.
AS they moved back part ofthe
posse came up from the woods,
where they had been in conceal
ment for some time, and opened
FIRE on them. These men had been
sent ont from Missouri City in adj
vance of the train, and had con-
cealed themselves, to be in readi-
ness whenever they should be need
ed. About twenty shots were ex-
changed, the men on the train join
ing in pursuit. The posse cOntln-
ued in pursuit of the band, and
when the train reached MOberly
there was report that two of them
had been captured by the officers,
and that ln the struggle one OF
them had been killed. The robbers
are known to be farmers living In
the neighborhood of Missouri City.
One of them is said to have been a
member of the James gang at one
time.
kilograms to General Manager
Hays from Division Superintendent
McGee say that all of the would'be
robbers have been captured. Three
of them were Overtaken by the
posse, and that Barney Sweeney
the leader, who stopped the train
and received a heavy load Of shot
in the breast from the gun of the
man concealed in the engine cab,
was found IN the woods where he
had crawled after being wounded.
The plot was given away by one OF
the gang named King, who told
Grant Arnold, station agent at
Missouri City, what was going on.
Arnold IN turn informed the sheriff,
and the latter officer Immediately
organized a posse. Arnold was one
of the posse, it was he who shot the
leader from the cab. King remain
ell with the men and slgnalled the
train to stop, but took no other
part in the affair. Sweeney ls said
to be dangerously wounded. He is
a we'll known character of Thorough
Kind, and was charged with an at
tempt to bIackmail General Mana
ger Talmage two or three years
ago.