The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-08-22
EXPRESS ROBBED.
Exciting Robbery Of the Pacidc
Express Car.
The Place Where the Younger Boys Robbed
Train I'm '73-A Large Amount
Believed to Have Been
stolen.

The Place Where the Younger Boys Robbed
Train In '73-A Large Amount
Believed to Have Been
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Aug. 1s-Missouri
Pacific express No 8, due from St Louis
in Kansas City at 7:10 yesterday morn
ing, came in five minutes late. 1t had
been held up by highwaymen at Otter
vile water tank, thirteen miles east OF
Sedalia, and the thieves had robbed the
safe of the Pacific Express Company OF
every thing valuable therein contained.
When the train passed Upton at 2:2o
that morning two passengers who at
tracted no attention boarded 1t and for
about eight miles rode between the
front end of the mail car and the ten
der As the train was flying down grade
west of Syracuse at fifty-mile rate the
robbers climbed over the tender and be-
fore the engineer and fireman knew that
they were to entertain unceremonious
callers they were covered with pistols
that looked to them to be four feet long.
The robbers had no sooner satisfied
themselves that they were in command
of the situation than they proceeded to
unfold their little scheme to the engi-
neer. Frank Drayer is known to be a
cool-headed and reliable engineer with
all the nerve required to fill such po-
sition, but when the spokesman of the
twain remarked: "We want this train
stopped at Otterville water tank,
Drayer merely nodded assent. He
knew that he was in for it and so did
the fireman, who soon after gently
asked his guardian to stand apart from
him sufficient distance to permit him
to shovel some coal into the fire
box. The robber very generously ac-
coded to his request, and when the
coal had been shoveled again stood the
fireman up in the corner OF the cab and
set him to looking into the muzzle of a
44-caliber revolver for the remainder of
the run to Otterville water tank. Ar
irving there the train was stopped ac-
cording to instructions and the engineer
and fireman were ordered to get down.
With guns held against their hearts by
the robbers, the enginemen were
marched down along the train until
they came to the side door of the eX-
press and baggage car, when he who
had ordered the train stopped said to
the engineer: Now you call the bag
gagemaster to open the side door. He
knows your voice and will open it quick
er for you than for me-"
just then five more masked men,
armed with double-barreled shotguns
and Winchesters, joined the crowd, and
at the same time, in response to Eugi-
neer Drayer's call, the baggagemaster
slid the side door open and looked into
a double-barreled shotgun that had
been so arranged that he need not stir
to get good view of it Several others
held their guns at the messenger and
baggagemaster and the engineer was al
lowed to stand near by and see the
work done. The fireman had been re-
leased and was, when met by Conductor
Al Marsh, doing his very best to get
back to the sleeping car before shooting,
which he regarded as being a necessary
adjunct, commenced.
At this juncture nimble sort of fell
man with gun informed Messenger
Sam Avery that his active partner
wanted to look through the safe and
that it must be opened at once. The
messenger produced the keys and mo-
ment later the band of robbers were in
undisputed possession of all they asked
for. Accounts of the amount of money
and valuables secured by the robbers
differ, but it is believed that the loss to
the express company will foot up
at least $4,000 and perhaps as much
as SIS, 1000. A number of packages
of jewelry is included in that amount,
and the fact that they contained a
large number of watches. all of which
are registered, is believed will yet fur
nish clew to the identity of the thieves
They stayed but moment after that,
all vanquishing in the darkness as sud-
denly as they appeared, leaving the
train men to wonder how it happened.
1t was done so quickly and so cleverly
that the passengers aboard the
train suspected nothing and
even the conductor would not
have been surprised at the delay but for
the fact that Otterville tank was not a
regular stopping place for his train.
The robbers had planned their work
carefully and executed it in the most
artistic and faultless manner. When
the train rolled into Otterville it was
pitch dark and light rain was falling.
A stout breeze was blowing across the
prairies and altogether it was the best
night imaginable for Industrious high
waymen to get in their work. Otter
vile was where the Younger boys
robbed train in 1873. ----s--