The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-26
THREE MEN ROB A TRAIN.
TIE ENGINEER AND FIREMAN
FIRST CAPTURED.

The Train Then Run Just Where the
Robbers With Drawn Pistols Or
darsd-S2,7OO Obtained From the
Fxoress Car, But $1,000 Over
looked-Registered Mail Matter Also
Carried Of.
MoR1LE. ALA, Sept. 25.-The Mobile
and Ohio south-bound mail and passenger
train was held up at $40 o'clock this MORN
inp nv train robbers at Bucatunna, Miss, a
station seventy miles north of Mobile. The
train was due here at 6 O'Clock. Just be-
fore the train left Bucatunna two men
mounted behind the tender of the train and.
climbing over, covered Engineer Sack Threll
and Fireman Thomas Hurst with revolyers.
The robbers were disguised with red ban
dana handkerchiefs over the lower part of
their faces. The leader ordered the en-
pineer to pull out and to stop at bridge
two miles below Bucatunna, aid to place
me train so that the express and mail car
should be on the further side of the bridge
from the rest of the train, the bridge being
trestle over a deep creek.
OBEY ORDERS OR DIE.
"You obey Instructions or it's death, :"
tbev said The engineer looked down the
barrel of pistol and slowly pulled the
lever. The train ran rapidly down to the
spot indicated, and the engineer ran the
train Just where the men with pistols
wanted it. Then there appeared a
third robber disguised like the
oher two. These three made
the engineer and fireman come with them
10 the express car, and the engineer had TO
call to the sxpressman. j. w. Dunning, to
open the door of the car. The wooden door
was already open, but the iron-barred door
was closed and locked. Dunning was seated
with his back to the door, and when he
turned round he looked down the muzzle of
three revolvers. A command was given,
and Dunning opened the barred door and in
the chief robher jumped. The other two
remained outside to guard the engineer and
fireman.
THE BOOTY THEY GOT.
The leader made the messenger dump the
contents of the safe into q canvas sack, but
noticing that he was not closely watched,
Dlnnlng showed some of the money aside,
so that about 81 900 was hidden, the robbers
getting $2,700. All this money belonged
Company. Alongside the express car
door was pile of $40, 900 in government
money en- route to Florida which the rob-
bers failed to notice. Then the robbers
made the express man get out of the car
and go with them to the mail car. W. @.
Bell, the mail agent, had supected that the
robbery was going on, and tried to get into
the baggage car with a number OF regis
tered packages Of mail.
THE MAIL AGENT TRAPPED.
Just as he stepped to the end door of the
car he saw through the glass that the rob-
bers had intercepted him. The robber
leader, supposed to be Bunch, faced him,
pistol in hand, and finding Bell's arms full
Of packages said Dump those here on
my left arm.n There were twenty-four
packages in all and Bell dumped them as
requested The rObber made Bell hand him
the registered pouch and ordered the agent
to open it, but Bell had no key so the rob-
ber carried the pouch off with him, The
pouch was made up at Meridian and its
contents and value are unknown.
THE CONDUCTOR FIRED ON.
Just then Billy Scholes, the conductor,
who had been trying to find out the trouble 9
and had armed himself with Winchester,
came out OF the rear of the train wavin q
his lantern and shouted, whats the
matter" The robbers fired two shots
at him, crying out, "Come up here
and you'll see what's the matter. !"
The engineer told the robber to let up on
the shooting as the train hands would open
fire and be shooting their own men. There
was no more shooting, and the train was
ordered to pull out aJ once, which it did
The robbers disappeared in the under
growth on the west side of the track. The
train pulled down to Citronelle and
snapped time with the accommodation train
ana the accommodation train engine and
car was sent back to the scene of the rob-
0ery with detectives and an armed posse
The leader of the robbers is man six feet
high, Of about no pounds weight, dressed in
common clothes aud slouch hat. His assist
anus wore common clothes and nothing TO
distinguish them. When the handkerchief
sshpped down little off the leaders face,
tne express messenger says he saw he had a
beard.
WHO THE LEADER is.
>, The leader of the robbers is believed to be
huOe Burrows noted desperado, the man
LOT whom search created SO much excite
neht In the northern part of the state a
lew lew months ago. At that time it was be-
neveu he was organizing a gang to
Hoio n1e up some train, and the Mobile and
Onlo Company, anticipating an attack,
armed all its train hands with winchester
Llnes ls This was made public, and was
uouotleSs what the ro Der referred to this
oIiig ,.,Jil ililng as he said during the process of
fOUyDolng the mail car: ''The Mobile and
'I'a Oalo dared me to hold up tram, and l
wanted to show them could do it,"
cAMPED NEAR THE SCENE.
IA "A special to the Mobile Register, from
Sssacatunna, says: Suspected parties were
9oeA camping near the bridge for severa /
lays. Three men were seen this morning q
SoUu' Soo. O'clock making their way east on
aoou. They were armed and were
TTEsoaing houses by going around them.
ICY are believed to be the train
.oopers .ors A posse was in pursuit up to last
,HCcounts, and confident of overtaking the
47l: q a. The Mobile and Ohio road offers
~ ottVO reward for the arrest and conviction