Omaha daily bee., 1889-08-05
WHIPPED WITH A LANTERN,
A Brave Conductor Puts Two Train
Robbers to Flight.
NOT AFRAID OF THEIR GUNS.
They Fired at Him Several Times, But
Miss the Mark and Jump
From the Train with
Parting Shots.
Con usid erabIe BOOTY Secured.

KANSAS CITY, August 4.-"Hold up your
haudsp' such was the command that aston
ished the passengers on the ST. Paul sleeper,
attached to the rear of the Wabash western
express as it pulled out of Harlem at $3.50
last evening. The command was spoken by
one OF two armed men whose faced were
concealed behind handkerchiefs, and who
had entered at the rear of the coach.
The hands went up. There were seven
people in the coach, five passengers and the
sleeping car conductor and porter.
OF the passengers one was q lady. At the
first command her face blanched with fear,
her hands went up for moment, then fell
lifelessly into her lap. She had tainted.
~ guess they won't bother u.s." remarked
one of the robbers, and satisfied that no re-
sistance would be offered they commenced
their work Of depreciation. One man "went
through" the passengers one by one, while
the other with his revolver in his extended
hand, kept watchful lookout for signs Of
opposition In this way the plunderer &C.
cured all the booty he could IN his haste, and
when it. was all over and the robbers had
escaped the passengers found they had been
relieved of S116 in cash aud two gold watches.
The train left Kansas City at 30 o'clock
last night. When it reached the Missouri
forward end of the baggage car and dis
appear behind lumber pile. The train
hands thought that they were tramps who
had stolen ride from Kansas City and paid
no attention to the incident. They are now
convinced they are 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 Harlem the robbers entered the
car and went through the passengers as de-
scribed. 1t was evidently their intention to
roh a "a N pnachpa II
ingn the train from the rear, for as they left
the St. Paul sleeper they aguin cautioned
| the passengers to not give the alarm under
penalty of being shot by the man on the
PLATFORM
Leaving the St. Paul coach they started
| for the next one ahead. On the platform
| they met the conductor of the traiu, John
| Roach. One of the robbers pushed his re-
| volver under the conductors nose and or
dered him to hold up his hands. The con-
ductor supposed. from the nature of their
| disguise. that a number of railroad men who
| had taken passage on the train were playing
| n practical joke Oh him, and with laugh he
| attempted to push past them and enter the
| sleeper. just then gust of wind swept the
| masks of the robbers aside and then he un-
| derstood the affair. He 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 the other robber fired a shot at
| him. The saim was bad and the bullet
| missed the mark. The first robber had by
| this time recovered himself, and he, too,
| took a shot at the conductor His aim was
no more precise than his partners. The
| robbers thens 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 tag'' on
| them. The train was running at the rate of
| twenty-five miles an hour. Conductor
| Roach swung out beyond the slde of the car
| and saw the robbers arise and make with all
| L.. T. T.t,,
| That was the last seen of them. In the
| meantime the passengers in the sleeper had
been so completely terrorized that they didn't
regain their senses until they
orm rhee see one nnns of on tnem sne pulled pn
the cord that connects with the air brake
and the train came to a standstill about a
mile from the place where the robbers
| jumped off. A special agent Of the Wabash
| road, who was on the train, ordered the en-
| ahead, and there uncouple the engine and
| run it back to Harlem, wnere posse was
organized and started back at once Guards
| were stationed at the approaches of the
| bridge to prevent their entrance into Kansas
| City. The police of the neighboring towns
| have also been warned.
The robbers are described as rather youth
| full, not over twenty or twenty-three years o1
| age, of slight build, and dressed something
| like farmers No one saw their faces except
| the conductor, and by the dim light of his
lantern he received no definite impression Of
| their features.
The sheriff IS posse returned this morning
| after an almost fruitless search for the rob
| bers. They succeeded in tracing the men II
| farm house where 1t is known they stole
horse from a farmer named Evans. 1t is
supposed they forced the horse to carry
double. Tho tracks Of the animal were
traced to a bend in the river, where the
| footprints in the sand showed that the mer
| probably dlsmounted. At this place al
traces of the bandits was lost. 1t is likely
they crossed the river and boarded the trair
| for Leavenworth on the Kansas City &
| means to Leavenworth and thence to some
point in Nebraska. Two passengers in the
sleeper were Mr.. and Mrs. Charles p. Den
ham, of this city.