Connecticut western news., 1888-03-07
TRAIN ROBBERS WORK.
They Scare the Railroadors and
 Make . Large Haul.

PINE BLUFF, Ark.-The train robber has again appeared in Arkansas, this time on the St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas Railroad, about twenty miles below this city. As train No. 3, north bound, stopped at Kingsland, about o'clock this morning, three men stepped on the platform of the baggage car, next to the engine. About mile from Kingsland the train suddenly came to . standstill and Con. see what was wrong. As he opened the door bullet whistled by his head, and he at once retired inside the car, where he remained dur ing the trouble, The robbers went to work in a cool and systematic way. They boarded the Rue, and Fireman Ed Hacknett to hold up their hands.
 Haoknett was just in the act of putting shovel of coal in the hrebox, and, supposing 1t was one of the trainmen trying to perpetrate joke, held up his shovel, exclaiming, "Ah, there" The robbber with grim humor, drop ped the muzzle of six-shooter against the f1remans cheek with the words, "Stay there, you!" The fireman quickly climbed down from the box. Taking the fireman and engi- neer with them, the robbers ordered them to call on the messenger to open the car. They did as ordered, but he refused to show up. Then began fusillade, which lasted while at tempts were being made to force way into the car. The fireman was ordered to take the slash bar from the engine aud break in the door of the car. He obeyed but as he could not get in after ten minutes delay, the rob bers proceeded to set the car on fire This forced the messenger to open the door, and the engineer and Rremen were made to get into the car first, their bodies protecting the robbers as they climbed in. The messenger opened the safe without further trouble, and the contents were quickly transferred to 8 sack.
 The exact amount taken is not known, though it is believed to be large. The mail car and passengers were not molested. The engineer and fireman of this train were in charge of the train robbed at Genoa, Ark, a | few weeks ago. The messenger received note | at Texarkana warning him to look out, but he | paid no attention to it, believing it to be 8 | joke. The robbers were thirty five minutes at the work. Later reports say that between $5, 900 and | $1O, 900 was taken. The sheriff and posse are | in pursuit of the robbers.
 Gov. Hughes has offered 8 reward of $2O0 1 for the arrest of each robber. The railroad company has offered $250 reward for each intention of adding S20O for each captive, making total reward of Sl $50 for the three. Bob Rev, the engineer of the train, tells this story of the robbery.
 ''i had just put on the air brake for Kings | land when fellow came crawling over the ten der toward me, and in an instant had his re- volver pressing against the side of my head. l He said, Pull out quick, and did it, you bet. l After we had run about mile and half he told me to shut her off, and as soon as we | hind the tender, and ordered mo and my fire. man to come off that Hackett my fireman, crawled down, but 1 told them 1 wouldn't leave my machine. In about a second there were six revolvers pointing at me, and concluded that it was too warm in my engine anyway, and so l got down, too Then they told us to uncouple the mail and express car from the rest of the train, but we pretended not to be able to do it, and as the messenger, Tom Calvin, refused to open uI they commenced shooting in lively shape. Then they got can of oil from the engine and 8 lot of waste and piled it against the car door and set fire to it. Calvin began to beg them, and told them if they would agree not to hurt him hc would open up. They told him to come ahead and he threw open the door and jumped down to tho ground. The robbers then helped themselves. don't believe they got great deal, as about nine-tenths of the run was hid den by the messenger. It was the easiest thing done ever saw. We stood there for about forty minutes and not single man showed uI out of the cars except a negro, who stood on the platform and swore at the robbers all the time they were at work. They just laughed at him though and kept right on."