The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1889-09-26
THREE MASKED ROBBERS
HOLD UP A TRAIN ON THE mo-
BILE AND OHIO ROAD.


"YOu Obey INSTRUCTIONS, or it's
Death" Were the Persuasive
Words Spoken to the Engineer
and His Fireman.
MOBILE, Ala, September 25.-The Mo.
bile and Ohio southbound mail and pass
enger train was hell up this morning at
80 by train robbsrs at Buckatunna,
Miss, station seventy miles north OF
Mobile. The train was due here at 6 a.
m. lust before the train left Buckatunna
two men mounted behind the tender OF
the train and climbing over covered ell
gineer Jack Therrel and fireman Thomas
HuSt with their revolverS The robbers
were disguised, with red bandana hand
kerchiefs over the lower part of their
faces. The leader ordered the engineer o
pull out and to stop at bridge two
miles below Buckatunna, and to place
the train 50 that the express and mail car
should he on the further side of the bridge
from the rest of the train, the bridge
being trcstle over Deep creek. You
obey instructions, or it's DEATH he said
The engineer looked down the barrel Of
a pistol and slowly pulled the lever. The
train ran rapidly down to the spot indi-
Gated and the engineer put the train Just
where he men with the pistols wanted
it. Then there appeared third robber
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 to eXprcSsman j.. w. Dunn1ng
to open the door. 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
when he turned round he looked into the
muzzeS of three rCvolvers. The command
was given and Dunning opened the barred
door and the chief rObber jumped in. The
other two remained outside to guard the
engineer and fireman.
The leader then made the messenger
dump the contents of the safe into a caE-
vas sack, but noticing that he was not
closely watched, Dunning showed some
of the money aside, so that about 81 ,00G
was hidden, the robbers getting S2,70O
All this money belonged to the Mobile
and Ohio Railroad Company. Alongside
the express car door was a pile of So
900 Of government money Ell route to
Florida which the robbers failed to no
tiCe.
Then the robbers made the cXprcssman
get out of the car and 90 with them to
the mail car W. {. Bell, mailagent, had
suspected that robbery was going OH
aud tried to get into the baggage car
with number of registered packages OF
mail. Just as he s,epped to the end door
OF the car he saw through the glass that
the robbers had intercepted him. The
robber leader, supposed to be Bunch,
faced him, pistol in hand, and finding
Bells arms full OF packages said, Dump
those here on my left arm" There were
twenty-four packages in ALL and Bell
dumped them as requested. The robbCr
then made Bell hand him registered
pouch and ordered the agent to open it,
but Bell had no key, so the robber car
ried the pouch off with him. The poucl
was made up at Meridian, and the con
tents and value are unknown.
Just then Billy Schooles, the conductor,
who had been trying to find out the
trouble, had armed himself with Win
chester and came out OF the rear of the
train, waving his lantern and shouting,
"What's the matter?" The robbers fired
two Shots at him, crying out, Come up
The engineer told the robbers 10 "lct 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 il did, the robbers disappearing i'll
the underground on the west side of the
track.
The train pulled down to Citronvillc
and swapped time with an accommoda-
ton train, and the accommodation train
engine and car was sent back to the
scene of the robbery with detectives and
an armed posse.
The leader of the robbers is man six
feet high, of about 10 pounds weight
dressed in common clothes and a slouch
hat. His assistants woIe common
clothes and nothing to distinguish them.
When the handkerchief slipped down a
little off the leaders face, the express
messenger says he saw a black mOuStachc
and thinks he had beard.
The leaders of the train robbers who
held up the Mobile and Ohio train at
Buckatunna, Miss, this morning, is be-
lieved to be Rubc Burrows, the noted
desperate, the man or whom the search
created so much excitement III the North
crn part of the State fewmonthS ago. At
that time, it was believed he WAS organ
izing agang to hold upsome train, and the
Mobile and Ohio company anticipa 'inG
an attack, armed all its train haudswitl
Winchester rifles. This was made public,
and was dOubtlcs what the robhcr re-
ft'rred to this morning, as he said during
the process of robbing the mailcar. The
Mobile and Ohio dared me to hold up Il
train, and l wanted to show them
could do it.
A special to the Mobile Register from
Buckatunna says, the suspected parties
were seen camping near the bridge for
several days. Three men were seen this
morning about nine O'Clock, making their
way east on foot. They were armed, and
were avoiding houses by going around
them. They are believed to be the train
robbers. A posse was in pursuit up to
last accounts and are confident of over
taking the men. The Mobile and Ohio
road offers 81 900 reward for the arrest
and conviction of the robbers.
UnmiSyIIIR RACES.