The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-09-26
The Train Men Cowed with Revolvers and
Ordered to Assist in Robbing the Express
Car and Registered-Lette Pouches.
They Secure Large Sum of Money but
Miss $4,000 in Government Bonds.
A Similar Robbery Takes Place in Texas, by
Which the Thieves Get SO 900 in tireenbacks
and Three Bags of Mexican Dollars.
DARING DEED OF THREE MEN.

Express and Mail.Car Robbed at Bucka-
tunna, Mss, and Much Booty Secured.
MOBILE, Ala, Sept. 2j.-The Mobile e.
Ohio south-bound mail and passenger train
was held up at $40 this morning by train
robbers at Buckatunna. Miss, a station
seventy miles north Of Mobile. The train
was due here at 6 A. NJ. Just before the
train left Buckatunna two men mounted
behind the tender of the train, and climb
ing over covered engineer Jack Thorrel
and fireman Thomas Hust with their re.
volvers. The robbers were disguised with
red bandanna handkerchiefs over the lower
part of their faces. The leader ordered the
engineer to pull out and stop at the bridge
twenty-five miles below Buckatunna, and
place the 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 deep creek
"You obey instructions, or it's DEATH" he
said. The engineer looked down the bar
rel of the pistol and slowly pulled the
lever. The train ran rapidly down to the
spot indicated, and the engineer put the
train just where the man with the pistol
wanted it. Then there appeared @ third
robber, disguised like the other
gineer and fireman come with
them to the express car, and the engineer
had to call out to expressman j. w. Dun
ming to open the door of the car. The
wooden door was already open. but the
lron-barred door was closed and locked.
Dunning was seated with his back to the
door, and when he turned around he looked
down the muzzles of three revolvers. The
command was given, and Dunning opened
the barred door. and in the chief robber
jumped, the other two remaining outside to
guard the engineer and fireman. The leader
made the messenger dump the contents of
the safe into q canvas sack, but noticing
that he was not closely watched, Dunning
showed some of the money aside. so that
about 81 600 was hidden, the robbers get
ting s., 200. All this money belonged to the
Mobile & Ohio Railroad Company. Along
side the express car door was a pile of
Florida, which the robbers failed to notice.
Then the robbers made the expressmen
get out of the car and go with them to the
mail car. w. G. Bell, the mail agent, had
tried co get into the baggage car with
number of registered packages of mail.
Just as he stepped to the end door of the car
he saw through glass that the robbers
had intercepted him. The robber leader,
hand, and, finding Bells arms full of pack
ages. said: dump those here on my left
arm" There were twenty-four packages
in all, and Bell dumped them as requested.
The robber made Bell hand him then a
open it, but Bell had no key, so the robber
carried the pouch off with him. The pouch
was made up at Meridian, and the contents
and value are unknown. Just then Will
lam Scholes. the conductor. who had been
armed himself with a WINCHESTER rifle,
came out of the rear of the train, waved
his lantern and shouted: Whats the mat
teri"
The robbers fired two shots at him. cry
ing OUT Come up here and you'll see
The engineer told the robber to let up on
shooting, as the train hands would open
fire and probably shoot their own men.
There was no more shooting. and the train
was ordered to pull out at once, which it
did, the robbers disappearing in the under
growth on the west side of the track. The
train pulled down to Citronelle, where it
met the accommodation train. The accom-
mediation train engine and car were sent
back to the scene of the robbery with de-
tectives and an armed posse.
The leader of the robbers is q man six
feet high, of about 10 pounds weight,
dressed in common clothing, and SLOUGH
hat. His assistants wore common clothing
and nothing to distinguish them. When
the handkerchief slipped little off the
leaders face the expressman said he saw he
had a black mustache, and thinks he had a
beard.
Rube Burrows, a noted desperado the
man whom a search for created so much
excitement in the northern part of the
State few months ago. is now supposed to
be the leader. At that time it was believed
he was organizing a gang to rob some train,
and the Mobile Il Ohio company, antici-
pating an attack. armed all its train hands
with Winchester rifles. This was made
public, and was doubtless what the rObber
referred to this morning, as he said during
the progress of robbing the mail car: THE
Mobile d Ohio dared me to hold up a train,
and wanted to show them could do it,
The suspected parties were seen camping
near the bridge for several days. Three
men were seen this morning about 9 o'clock
making their way east on foot. They were
armed, and were avoiding the houses by
going around them. They are believed to
be the train-rObbers. A posse was in pur-
suit up to last accounts. and confident
of overtaking the men. The Mobile IL
Ohio road offers 81 900 reward for the arrest
and conviction of the robbers.