Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-08-05
EAST OF TIE ROCKIES.
Two Young Men Undertake to Rob a
Passenger Train in Missouri.
CLOSE CALL FOR THE BOSTON.
An Old Lady's Throat Cut-Exagser-
ated Stories of Indian
0utrages-Etc.
EAST OF TIE ROCKIES.
CLOSE CALL FOR THE BOSTON.
ESPECIAL DISPATCHES TO THE RECORD UNION. |
BOLD TRAIN ROBBERY.
a Brave Conductor Puts Them to Flight
With His Lantern.


a Brave Conductor Puts Them to Flight
With His Lantern.
KANSAS CITY, August 4th.-"Hold up
your hands" Such was the command
that astonished the passengers on st.
Paul sleeper attached to the rear of the
Wabash Western Express as it pulled out
of Harlem at $50 last evening.
The command was spoken by one of two
armed men whose faces were concealed BE-
hind handkerchiefs, and who had entered
the rear of the coach.
The hands went up. There were seven
people in the coach, five passengers, the
sleeping car conductor and the porter
One OF the passengers was lady.
At the first command her face was
blanched with fear. Her hands went up
for moment and then fell listlessly into
her lap. She had tainted. $780,
Il guess they won't bother u.s." remarked
one of the robbers, and, satisfied that no
resistance would be offered, they COM
menced their work of plunder. One man
went through the passengers one by one,
while the other, with his revolver in his
extended hand, kept a watchfui lookout
for signs of opposition. In this way the
plunderer secured all the booty be could
find in his haste, and when it was all over
and the robbers had escaped, the passen-
gers found they had been relieved of Sl75
in cash and two gold watches
The train left Kansas City at $50 o'clock |
last night. When the train reached the |
Missouri river bridge. two men were seen
10 get off the forward end OF the baggage
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 they were the |
robbers, and that they caught the rear end
OF the last sleeper as it passed the lumber
pile. Just as the train pulled out of Har- |
lem the robbers entered a car and went
through the passengers as. described
1t was evidently their intention to rob
the passengers in all the coaches, working"
the train from the lear; for as they LETT the /
st. Paul sleeper they again cautioned pas
sengers to not give an alarm, under penalty
of being shot by the man on the plat
form" Leaving the S.. Paul coach thev
started for the next one ahead.
On the platform they met the conductor
OF the train, John Roach. One of the rob-
bers placed his revolver under the conduc-
tors nose and told him to hold up his
hands. ".'f -
The conductor supposed from the nature
OF their disguise that number of railroad
men who had taken passage on the train
were playing practical joke on him, and
with laugh he attempted to push past
them and enter the sleeper. Just then
gust of wind swept the masks Ofthe robbers
asiIe, and then he 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 assault another
robber fire a shot at him The aim was
bad and the bullet missed its mark.
The first robbsr had by this time recov-
cred himself, and ne, too, took shot at
the conductor. His aim was no more pre-
else than his partner ,-
The robbers then, with one more parting
shot, swung off from the steps of the car.
AS they did SO the conductor hurled his
lantern after them, determined to have
The last ia :" on them.
The train was running at the rate of
twenty-five miles an hour.
Conductor Roach swung out bevond the
side Of the car and saw the robbers arise
and make with all haste for the read that
leads to Kansas City. That was the last
seen of them.
In the meantime the passengers in the
sleeper had become so completely terror
lied that they did not regain their senses
until they heard the firing on the plat
form. Then one of them pulled the cord
that connects with the air-brake, and the
train came to standstill abouta 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, few miles ahead, and
then uncoupled the engine and ran it back
10 Harlem, where posse was organized
and started out at once.
Guards were stationed at the approaches
of the bridge, 10 prevent entrance into Kan
sas City. The police of the neighboriug
towns also have been warned.
The robbers are described as rather
youthful, and not over twenty or twenty
three years of gge, of slight build, and
dressed something like farmers.
No one saw their faces, except the COR
dactcr, and by the dim light of his lantern
he received 70 definite impression of their
features.
The Sherifs posse returned this morn
| ing after an almost fruitless search for the
| robbers. They succeeded in tracing the
men TO iarm house, where It is known
they stole horse from q farmer named
Evans. 1t is supposed they forced the
| horse to carry double. The tracks of the
an NAL were traced to the bend in the
| river, where the footprints in the sands
show that the two men probably dis
noun ed. At this place all trace of the
uauullS WAS lOsl- 1t Is likely they crossed
| the rlyer and boarded the train for Leaven-
worth on the Kansas City and Northwest
ern road, and escaped by that means to
Leavenworth and thence to some point In
| Nebraska. Two of the passengers in the
| sleeper were Mr.. and Mrs. Charles P. Dem
ham Of this CITY.
THE CONDUCTORS STORY.
ST. LOUIS, August 4th.-Tn an interview
here tonight with Conductor Roach, on
| the Wabash train robbery, he said: We
! left Kansas City last night at $40 O'Clock,
and this trouble must have occurred at
S:45, as nearly as l can judge
To tell you the truth / was so scared |
didn't know much about it. Just after
| leaving Kansas City started to 90 through
| the train 10 collect fares, and lust after
| passing Harlem | did my work in the st.
Louis sleeper and started for the rear door,
on my way to the St. Paul coach, intend
| ing to take up fares in that and the Des
| Moines sleeper, which we always bring out
OF Kansas City on that train aud leave it at
Moberly, where it is picked up and sent
north.
When | reached the door and opened it
was met by two men who had their faces