The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-10-02
TWO TRAINS HELD UP.
BOLD WORK OF ROAD AGENTS IN
MISSISSIPPI AND TEXAS.

BOLD WORK OF ROAD AGENTS IN
MISSISSIPPI AND TEXAS.
A Mobile and Ohio Passenger Train Cap
tured at the Point os the Pistol by Three
Disguised Robbers.
MOBILE, Ala, September 25.--The
Mobile and Ohio Southbound mail and
passenger train was held up at $40
O'clock this morning by train robbers at
Buckatunna, Miss, station seventy
miles North of Mobile. The train was
due here at 6 a. m.
Just before the train left Buckatunna,
two men mounted behind the tender OF
the train, and, climbing over, covered
Engineer Sack Therrel and Fireman
Thomas Hust with their revolYers. The
robbers were disguised with red ban
dapna handkerchiefs over the lower
part of their faces. The leader ordered
the engineer to pull out and stop at a
bridge two miles below Buckatunna, and
to place the train so that the express
and mail car should be on the iurtner
side of the bridge from the rest OF the
train. the bridge being trestle over
deep creek. You obey instructions, or
it's death, !" they said.
The engineer looked down the barrel
of the pistol and slowly pulled the lever.
The train ran rapidly down to the spot
indicated and the engineer ran the tram
lust where the men with pistols wanted
it.
Then there appeared a third roober,
disguised like the other two. These
three made the engineer and fireman
come with them to the express car, and
the engineer had to call the expressman,
J. ". 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 SShlen he, turned round ne
looked down the muzzle of three revoly-
ers. The command was given and Dun
min. opened the barred door, and IN the
chief robber jumped. The other two re-
mained outside to guard the engineer
and fireman.
The leader made the messenger dump
the contents of the safe into a canvas
sack, but noticing that he was not closely
watched, Dunning showed some OF the
money aside, so that about $1,000 was
hidden. the robbers getting 81, 700. All
this, money belonged to the Mobile and
Ohio Railroad Company. Alongside the
ex. ress car door was pile OF SIc,Ooo
government money, en route to Florida,
which the robbers failed to notice.
Then the robbers made the express
man get out of the car and 60 With them
to the mail car. W. G. Bell, the mall
agent, had suspected that robbery was
going on, and tried to get into the bag.
cage car with a number OF registered
packages of mail. Just as he stepped
to the eud door of the car he saw through
the glass that the ROBBERS had inter-
cented him. The robber leader. sup
posed to be Bunch, faced him, pistol IN
hand, and finding Bells arms full OF
packages, said, dump those here on
nv left arm" 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 robber
carried the pouch eff with him. The
pouch was made up at Meridian, and It's
contents and their value are unknown.
Just then Billy Scholes, the conduc-
tor. who had been trying, TO hhareut'
the trouble and had armed himself with
Winchester, came out OF the rear OF
tue train, having his lantern, and
shouted, whats the natter" Inc
robbers fred 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 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 at once,
which it did, the robbers disappearing
in the underg growth on the West side OF
the track. The train pulled down to
Citronelle and snapped time with the
accommodation tram engine and one
car vas sent back to the scene OF the
robbery with detectives and an armed
posse.
Tue leader of the robbers is a man six
feet high, of about ITO pounds weight,
dressed in common clothes and slouch
hat. His assistants wore common
clothes and had nothing to distinguish
them. When the handkerchief slipped
down a little off the leaders face, the
express messenger says he saw he had
a black moustache, and thinks he had
beard.