, 1888-06-21
MONEY OR YOUR LIFE!
A NORTHERN PACIFIC TRAIN HELD UP
NEAR CUSTER STATION.

day night train which was held up and
robbed near Custer Station, a reporter
CLEANED the following particulars OF
the transaction. Mr.. Folsom was not
on the train when the robbery oc-
CURED but boarded it at Helena and
as the affair was still fresh in the
minds of the passengers and officials,
the account which they gave him Is
doubtless trustworthy. 1t was about
IL o'clock Saturday night when the
engineer saw a lantern waving on the
track in front of him, and at once
stopped the engine. No sooner had it
come to u standstill than two masked
men sprang on board and presenting
pistols ordered the engineer aud fire.
men to throw up their hands. AS it
was useless to show fight the order
was obeyed but not before several shots
had been fired by the robbers stationed
alongside. The engineer was then di-
rected to take the pickaxe from the
tender and with it to break down the
door of the express car. AS he was
about to obey, the agent inside was in.
a.
train hand the engineer corroborated
this information and then began to
work on the door The agent did not
like to shoot but was not idle for in
the few minutes of grace allowed him
he concealed the large timelock safe,
in which were all the valuable parcels,
by pilng baggage in front and
over it. 1t did not take long to make Il
hole in the door and then the engineer
was compelled to crawl in closely
followed by two or three OF the rob-
bers. They at once forced the clerk
TO open small safe standing in plain
sight and thoroughly ransncked the
contents but secured only about $50.
AS they picked up one package which
looked as if 1T contained bank notes
they asked the clerk what was in it,
but he replied that they better open it
and see. This they did but much to
their disgust found only n box of lead
pencils. A. moment later they picked
up package containing S6O but as
the clerk again advised them to open
it, they threw it aside in disgust.
1t was now nearly half an hour
since the train had been stopped and
all this time the passenger coaches
had been left unguarded. The con-
ductor went through the train and in.
formed the passengers of what was
going on, but when he called on those
who were armed to help resist the
robbers nobody happened to have any
weapons, only two revolvers appear
ing. Seeing that it was hopeless to
S&tht he then advised the terrified peo-
Die to conceal their valuables.
BY this time the robbers had reach
ed the coaches. Several shots were
fired into the roof OF the smoking car
and then the much suffering engineer
was compelled to open the door and
enter, closely followed by one
of the outlaws whose face was
muflled in black cloth. At the
thrust through the doors, and the rob-
bers outside walked by the side of
the cars firing their guns. The
masked gentleman who appeared to be
a rather humorous individual, in
formed the passengers that the devil
often compels people to do what they
do net like to do, and added that it
was his disagreeable duty to take up
collection, AS most Of the people in
the two front coaches were poor and
as the robber haughtily refused to take
silver, or any donation less than 81,
they received only about 800.
Coming to the door of the first-class
coach he made his little speech about
the devil, much to the editication of the
the passengers, and added that the la
a ,nl N nd pb III s., Il ,1
ed as they would not be injured. Then
pushing the conductor ahead, he ap-
preached the occupant OF the first seat
who dug up $3.50. Looking sternly
at him, he of the mask demanded
" Are YOU going west?"
YES" was the answer"
"Do you mean to tell me that you
are going west on ~ so? / am afraid
/ will have to kill somebody; if / find
on seaching that anyone has failed to
give up all his money I'll shoot him ;"
and to emphasize the remark he dis
charged his pistol close under the nose
of the man in the next seat, who
was so affected by this appeal to his
conscience: like the"father of his coun-
try" he disdained to tell lie, and
handed over $40. So the robber went
through the car, as a rule receiving
only small donations. One man
tucked $l 300 in his shoe and gave up
y1l}. No one was searched and like the
DO Robin Hood, the desperate was
extremely gallant, as els indicated by
the fact that when one man handed
out pocketbook with the remark,
"Y on are not taking my money. 1t
belongs to my wife and children" it
was eturned to him unopened. Again
when the bandit came to young
bride, who was begging her husband
to give up everything rather than run