St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-08-05
Two Robbers Go Through the
St. Paul Sleeper" on the
Wabash Western.
Five Passengers, Conductor
and Porter Frightened
Almost to Death.
A Fight With the Train Con-
duetor and a Leap in
the Dark.
The Daring Pair Elude the
Sheriff and Posse and Are
Still at Large.

KANSAS CITY, Aug. 4.-"Hold up
your hands," Such was the command
that astonished the passengers on the
St. Paul "sleeper" attached to the rear
of the Wabash Western express as it
pulled out of Harlem at $50 o'clock
last evening. The command was spoken
by one of two men whose faces were
concealed behind handkerchiefs, who
had entered the rear of the coach. The
passengers turned to ascertain the
source of the command and looked into
the threatening muZZleS of two revOlv-
ers. Hands went up. The cautionary
words that followed were not necessary:
The first ole that offers resistance will
be shot by our man on the platform"
There was no man on the platform, but
the passengers submitted as quietly as
if there had been a legion There
were seven people in the coach, five
passengers. the sleeping-car conductor
and the porter. Of the passengers one
was la( y. At the first command her
face blanched with fear. her hands
went up for moment, then fell life
lessly into her lap. She had tainted.
81 guess they won't bother u.s." re-
marked one of the robbers, and, salts
fed that no resistance would be offered,
they commenced their work of plunder.
One man ''went through" the passen-
gers,
ONE BY ONE,
while the other, with his revolver in
his extended arm, kept a watchful
lookout for signs of opposition. In this
way the plunderer got all the booty he
could in his haste, and when 1t was all
over and the robbers had escaped the
passengers found they had been re-
ieved of S175 in cash and two gold
watches. The Wabash Western train
left Kansas City at $50 o'clock last
night. 1t was composed of the baggage,
express and smoking cars, one day
coach, two Mann boudoir cars and three
Pullman cars. The last car was the
st. Paul sleeper, where the robbers
commenced their work. When the
train reached the Missouri river
bridge two men were seen to get Off
the forward end of the baggage ear
and disappear behind lumber pile.
The train hands thought they were
tramps who had stolen ride from Kan
sas City, and paid no attention to the
incident. They are now convinced that
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 rob-
bers entered the car and went through
the passengers as described. 1t was evi-
dent that their intention was to rob the
passengers in all the coaches,
WORKING" THE TRAIN
from the rear, for as they left the st.
Paul sleeper they again cautioned its
occupants 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 train, John Roach.
One of the robbers pushed his revolver
under the conductors nose, and. with
an oath, ordered him to hold up his
hands. The conductor supposed from
the nature of their disguise that num-
Der of railroad men, who had taken
passage Oh the train, were playing a
practical joke on him, and with
laugh he attempted to push
past them into the sleeper. Just
then gust of wind swept aside the
masks of the robbers, and then he
knew that the affair was one of dead
earnest. He had no weapon, but he
carried his lantern in his hand,an with
In of tho ;a:o
blow on the head, smashing the Ian
terms glass and extinguishing the light.
simultaneously with his assault, the
other robber fired shot at him from
his revolver. The aim was bad and the
bullet missed its mark. The first rob-
Der had by this time recovered himself,
and ne, too, took shot at the con-
ductOr. His aim was no more precise
than his partners. The robbers then,
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. too fast for any one. except
under desperate chances, to jump off
without risking his life, and Conduc-
tor Roach did not attempt it. He swung
out beyond the side of the car, how
ever, and
SAW THE ROBBERS
arise and make with all haste for the
dirt road that leads to Kansas City.
That was the last seen of them. In the
meantime the passengers in the St.
Paul coach had been so COM
pletely terrorlZed that they did
not regain their senses un-
til they heard the firing on the
platform. nThen one of them pulled the
| cord that connects with the air brake,
and the train came to Standstill. BY
| this time the train had run mile be-
| yond the place where the robbers had
escaped. w. II. Bonnell, special agent
of the road. was a passenger In the
smoking ear. When the train came to
a sudden stop he rushed out to ascer-
| tain the cause. Learning from the con-
| ductor the occurrence of the robbery he
| Immediately set to work to begin the
chase for the robbers. He ordered the
| engineer to run the train to Randolph,
coupled the engine and ran it back
to Harlem. There he found
Deputy Sheriff Tomlinson. Guards
were stationed at the approaches on
| the bridge to prevent the robbers ell
trance into Kansas City, and two posses
were organized to scour the country for
| the fugitives. Sheriff Tomlinson then
walked back to Kansas City, arriv-
ing here at 2:30 o'clock this morning,
and reported the case to the police, who
are keeping a lookout in the city for the
road agents. The police of the neigh
boring towns have also been asked to
arrest any one answering the descrip-
tion of the robbers, who are described