New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-05
STRUCK WITH A LANTERN.
TRAIN ROBBERS RETREAT FROM A PLUCKY
CONDUCTOR

CONDUCTOR
ONE OF THE RUFFIANs DIsMAYED BY SUDDEN
BLow-SEyERAL PASSENGERS GIVE UP !
THEIR MoNEY-THE TRAIN ENTERED
BY THE THIEVES AT KANSAS CITY.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE rRBUsE.J
St. Louis, Aug. A bold attempt was made
last night by two bandits to rob express train
No. the Wabash Railway The train left
Kansas City at S:2O p. m, in charge OF James
Richards, conductor, and was scheduled to arrive
here at 40 a. m. The train made up OF
the mail, baggage and express car, two st. Louis
coaches, ST. Louis sleeping. Des Mones and
st. Paul coach and a sleeping car. After the train
had crossed the river to Harlem the robbers
walked back to the OF the ST. Faul sleep-
ing-car They were young men, apparently about
twenty-five years of age. They put masks ON
their faces, and, drawing couple of murderous-
looking revOlvers, began work on the st. Paul
passengers One man stood guard at the forward
door while the other made the passengers hand
over their vauables. The seeping-car conductor
and porter forced into closet and ordered
not to step out on pain CT instant death The
passengers were frightened so badly that they
handed over their valuableS without murmur.
One or two pleaded in vain. An old Edy, whd
had only $50, asked that portion of it be left
TO her, but the thieves were ineXOmblc There
were seven people in the cOach-iive passengers,
the sleeping-car conductor and the porter OF
the passengers, one was lady. At the first
command her face bhnched with fear her hands
went up for a moment then fell lGelessly into
her lap. She had tainted.
The robbers went into the ST. Paul coach, where
the same tactics repeated. Many of the pas
sengers at first believed that the affair
Joke, but the stern command " Hand out your
stuff, or III shoot the head off you!' soon con-
vinced them of their error. Not single passen-
ger made any resistance, although the coach was
well filled with men.
AS the robbers reached the end Of the St Paul
coach, they confronted by Conductor Rich-
ards, who was making his first trip through the
tram. As he opened the door of the coach hs
was confronted by one of the men. The fellow
placed his weapon close to Richardss head and
said:
Hold up your hands quick"
The conductor made the mistake which some Oh
the passengers had made He thought it was an
attempt at humor on the part of some
of his friends. lie began laughing
and then the gun went closer TO
his head and the order was repeated
d" Hold up your hands, - you
Richards then realized that it was no joke
As quick as a fash he struck the robber power'
full blow with his lamp, knocking him backward.
The conductor then Jumped to the platform ana
the robber fired three Shots all of which missed
Richards ran into the st. Louis sleeplng-car anu
the robbers retreated TO the rear OF the ot. Faui
coach. Although the train was running thrtg
miles an hour they did not hesitate, but jumped
off and escaped. They secured perhaps sl,ooV
from the passengers
The conductor swung outside Of the car, how
ever and saw the robbers rise and make with all
haste for the dirt road that leads TO Kansas City.
That was the last seen of them. The passengers
| in the St. Paul coach had been so completely
! terrorized that they did not regain their senses
till they heard the firing on the platform Ihen
one of them pulled the cord that connects WIN
the air-brake and the train came TO a standsulls
| BY this time the train had run a mile oeyonu Una
place where the robbers escaped. ,
| w IL Bonnell special agent of the road, was
| a passenger In the smolting-car. When the train
came to n sudden stop, he rushed out TO ascertain
| the cause. Learning from the conductor OF ohe
robbery, he at once set 10 work To pesn IIo clhse
| for the robbers. fe ordered the engineer 70
| run the train to Randolph, a few miles ahead, ana
there he uncoupled the engine and ran It back to
Harlem There he found Deputy Sheriff T1mln.
| son Guards were stationed at the approaches OF
| tbe bridge to prevent the robbers entrance INTO
Kansas City. and Two posses were org'fnnzeo 70
scour the country for the fugluveS. Mr; Iomiin~ l
i
| at 3 80 o'clock this morning, and reported thd
case to the police who set lookout IN the .t S,y
for the road-agents. The police OF the nelghpor-
inc towns have also been asked to arrest any one
| answering the description of the robbers
The robbers are described as not over twenty
five years of age, of slight build and dressed some
thing like farmers boys. No one saw their races m
pxceI,t the conductor, and by the dim light or ms
| lantern he received no definite impression OF tner
| features -. ,
Sheriff TomlinsOns posse returned tins morn
| in1 They traced the men to a farmhouse on the
| dirt road where il is known they stole a horse
from a farmer named Evans. The animal was
| traced TO a bend in the river, where the I9p.-
| prnts in the sand show that two men PROBABLY
! dismounted IL is likely they crossed the river
and boarded train for Leavenworth on the han-
| sas City and Northwestern road and escaped oy
! that means to Ieavenworth, and thence TO some
point in Nebraska. - Ar.
| Two of the passengers were Mr. ana nus.
| Charles p Denhan, Of this city. Mr. Denham
! teoqra pbed to a business associate here that hs
and his wife were among the losers Dy tue roo'
| berry, and asked for money
!