Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-11-28
COOL ONES WITH REVOL VERS.
A Bold Express Robbery in the Indian
Territory.
Professionals Take Charge of the Train
With Familiarity.
They Make the Messenger Hand Over
About $4,000.

OswEGo, Kas., Nov. PA train rob-
berry of extraordinary boldness was accom-
plished In the Choctaw Nation. Indian
Territory, last night. The Missouri, Kan
sas q Texas express train, north bound for
st. Louis, was held up ON Prior Creek,
near Perry station and the express car 70 b.
bed of about $4,000. The robbers dis
played great GOODNESS and went about their
work IN such a familiar manner as to con
vince the trainmen that they were old-time
professionals.
The road agents were only twosin num-
Der. They had concealed themselves in a
clump of bushes near the water tank on
Prior creek, and when the train stopped
for water they boarded the engine one ON
either side, and, covering the astounded
engineer and fremen with their revolvers,
explained to them their design of robbing
the train. One of the robbers climbed
into the tender, and from that point of
vantage was master of the engine The
men in the cab were at his mercy and were
compelled to obey his commands
The other robber In the meantime had
gone back to the express car and had I'M
coupled 1t from the rest of the train En-
tering the car he inundated the express
messenger by presenting a brace of re-
y0lvers at his head and ordering him to
disarm himself. The messenger obeyed
and the robber possessed himself of the
messengers weapons and through the win
dow called to his confederate in the
tender: ''All right; let her go. The lat
ter repeated the order to the engineer,
who had nothing to do but obey. He
opened the throttle and the engine and
express car sped away from the rest of the
train.
Meanwhile the robber in the express
car had not been idle He compelled
the messenger to open the safe by a
threat of death, and to transfer the
safes contents to a large gunny sack
which the robber had brought along to
convey the booty In. The messenger
again obeyed. The robber then made a
hasty examination of the safe to see that
nothing valuable was overlooked, and
giving the signal to his confederate the
latter ordered the engine to slack up.
This done, the robbers disembarked
and made their escape in the darkness
All this was done so quickly that
the engine had proceeded only mile and
a half from Prior Creek and the robbers
had completed the robbery and effected
their escape before the surprised trainmen
knew what had occurred. No attempt was
made to pursue the road agents, and the
engineer ran back to the Creek, picked up
his train and pursued his trip.
The train was the regular express which
always carries large amount of express
matter and the robbers could hardly have
selected a better one for the
robbery. When the train arrived
here Express Messenger Johnson had
just completed footing up his loss. The
total figures were between S45, 900 and
$4,000. This loss must be borne by the
Pacific Express company which operates
on the line of the Missouri, Kansas &
Texas road.
An attempt to rob the Santa Fe train
was made at nearly the same point in the
territory the past week, but the officers of
the road somehow got wind Of the plan
and prevented its execution although they
were unable to capture the robbers 1t is
thought they are the same men who COM
mitted the robbery last night, although
nothing definite is known as to their
identity. The train did not arrive at St.
Louis till late this afternoon.
SFDALIA, Mo-, Nov. 25.-Express Mes
senger Johnson, says, in his account of
the robbery, that there were five robbers,
and one of the robbers compelled him 10
open the company S safe at the point of a
pistol. One thousand dollars was all that
was secured as he had secreted the other
valuable packages. Johnson accompanied
by the express company officials left for
st. Louis this afternoon the former praC
tIcIaIlV llDanr arrnSt