The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-08-06
LIKE BLACK BART.
A Hold Up On the Wabash, Pas
sengers on Sleeper Losing
Their Valuables.
The Plan Of the Robbers to Clean the
Entire Train Out FoiIed by
the Conductor.
An IntimatIon from st. Louis That IL IL
the Work of Black Bart-The
Industry In Texas.

KANSAS CITY, Aug. 6.-"H0ld up your
hands - was the command that astonished
the passengers of the st. Paul sleeper
attached TO the rear of the Wabash even
ing express as il pulled out Of Harlem at $
O'Clock Saturday evening. The command
was spoken bY one of two armed men,
whose faces were concealed behind hand
kerchiefs and who had entered the rear Of
the coach. Hands went up. There were
seven people in the coach, five passengers
and the sleeping car conductor and porter.
One of the passengers was a lady. AT the
first command her face was blanched with
fear. Her hands went up for a moment
and then fell listlessly into her lsp. She
bad tainted. Il guess they won't bother
u.s." remarked one of the robbers, and,
satisfied that no resistance would be Of
tered, they commenced their work OF plum
der. One man ''weut through" the passen-
gers one by one, while the other, with his
revolver IN bis extended hand, kept
watchful lookout for signs OF opposition.
In this way the piunderer secured ali the
booty he could in his haste, and when il
was all over and the robbers had escaped
tbey found they had been relieved OF SIS
in cash and two gold watches
The train left Kansas City at $50 O'Clock
Saturday night. When il reached the
Missouri river bridge two men were
seen to get off the forward end of the bag
gage car and disappear behind lumber
pile. The train hands thought they were
tramps who had stolen ride from Kansas
City and paid no attention TO the incident.
They are now convinced that they were
the robbers, and that they caught the rear
end Of the last sleeper as 10 passed the ium-
her pile Just as the train pulled out OF
Harlem the robbers entered the car and
went through the passengers as described.
liz was evidently their intention to rob the
passengers in all the coaches. working"
the train from the rear, for as they left the
St. Paul sleeper they again cautioned the
passengers To not give an alarm, under the
penalty of being shot 'Dy the nan on the
platform" Leaving the St Paul coach
they started for the next one ahead. On
the uplatfOrm they met tbs conductor OF
the train, John Roach, and the robbers
pushed a revolver under his nose and
ordered him 10 hold up his hands.
The conductor supposed from the nature
of the disguises that number OF railroad
men, who had taken passage on the tram,
were playing practical joke on him, ana
with a laugh he attempted TO pass them
snd enter the sleeper Just then gust OF
wind swept the masks of the robbers aside
and he then knew the affair was one OF
dead earnest de had no weapon, but he
carried his lantern in his hand, and with
that he dealt one of the men a vicious blow
on the head. simultaneously with his as
sault the other r0bber fired shot al him.
but the aim was bad and the bullet missed
it's mark. The first robber bad by this
time recovered himself and he, too, took
shot at the conductor. His aim was no
more precise than that of his partner The
robbers thu u, with one more parting shot,
swung of from the steps of the car. As
they did so The conductor hurled bis Ian
tern after them. determined to have the
last "tsg" on them. The train was run
Hng twenty-five miles an hour.
Conductor Roach swung out beyond the
side or the car and saw the robbers arise
III - g. 49, .aaA
that leads TO Kansas City, and that was the
ist seen of them. In the meantime the
passengers in the sleeper had been so COM
pleteIy terrorIZed that they did not regain
theif senses until they heard firing on the
platform. Then one OF them pulled the
cord that connected with the air brake
and the train came 20 q stsndst.l about
mile from the place where the robbers
jumped off.
A special agent of the Wabash road who
was ON the train, ordered the engineer TO
run TO Randolph, q few miles ahead, and
there uncOuple the engine and run II back
to Harlem where posse was organized
and started out at once. Guards were sta
toned at the approaches to the bridge to
prevent their entrance into Kansas City.
The police of the neighboring towns were
also warned. The robbers are described
as rather youthful-not over 20 OF % years
of age-of slight build and dressed some
thing like farmers. No one saw their ia ;es
but the conduit tor, and by the dim light OF
his lantern he received no definite impress
sion of their faces.
The sherif's posse returned sfter an
almost fruitless search for the robbers.
They succeeded in tracing the men TO
farm house, where IL is known they stole
horse from a farmer named Evans. Tracks
of an animal were traced to bend in the
river where footprints ia the sand show
that two men dismounted- At this place
all trace of the bandits was lost Ii Is
likely they crossed the river and boarded
a train for Lesvenworth on the Kansas
City 4 Northern road and escaped by that
means To- Leaven worth and thence to some
point in Nebraska