Morris tribune., 1891-11-18
ROBBERS STOP A TRAIN.
BOLD WORK OF ROAD AGENTS AT
WESTERN UNION JUNCTION, WIS.

A Through Train ON the lniiwank ee I: Dad
Help Up and Robbed-Dynamitc Do.,bs
Used to Gain Admission to the Expire
Car-Heavy Safes Thrown Out, but re-
captured Before Being Opened--A Re-
ward offered.
MILWAUKEE. Wis, Nov. 12.-An ex-
press train on the Chicago, Milwaukee
and st. Paul road en- route for Milwau-
kee and the Northwest was held up by
train robbers about a mile this side of
Western Union junction and the ex-
press Car was dynamited and robbed.
The sum secured by the robbers was not
large, as the larger portion of it was in
the form of drafts, payment on which
will be stopped. The robbery occurred
about o'clock a. IN About mile north
of the station the fireman began shovel
ing coal into the fire-box, when he was
startled by noise, and on turning
about to ascertain the cause
Found Himself Covered
by rifle in the hands of a masked man.
Another cleaning barrel was pointed at
the head of the engineer. The fireman
was compelled to go forward and ex-
tinguish the headlight on the locomo-
tive. This accomplished both he and
the engineer were marched at the head
of the robbers, who followed in single
file, to the express car. One of the rob-
bers raped on the door at the side and
ordered Messenger Murphy to open it.
This the latter refused to do. Then a
bomb was thrown through the window
and the demand was renewed. Still the
plucky messenger refused to open the
door. Another bomb was thrown, this
time square at the door.
A Terrible Explosion Followed,
the force of which can be imagined,
when it is known that the heavy timber
running along the side of the car as the
foundation upon which it is built, was
cut completely in two. A large hole
was made in the door, and before the
echoes of the explosion had died away,
and amid the smoke and dust, one OF
the robbers sprang into the aperture
and covered the messenger and his
assistant with revolvers. Both men had
been thrown down by the terrible con-
cussion. Even then it was some time
before Murphy would consent to sur
render the keys to the safes.
Two of the three safes on the train
were thrown out of the door and
dragged off a short distance, when,
after delay of about half an hour, the
train was allowed to proceed to this city.
The express car on reaching Milwaukee
was unloaded and taken to the shops
for repairs. Among the goods taken
out, bale of cloaks were fairly blown
into ribbons, having the appearance of
being put through a threshing machine.
A number of hats, known among ladies
as ''shapes," were torn and riddled into
a shapeless mass. Messenger Murphys
clothing was stripped into threads, and
it is miracle how he escaped with his
life. Several holes in his hat and coat
sleeves were probably made by stones
in the dynamite bombs, as there. are a
large number of them sticking in the
sides of the car, where they had pene-
trated half way through the
heavy boards at the side of the car. The
report that he had been shot at by the
robbers is probably without foundation,
as the only reports heard, aside from the
two explosions, were those of the pistol
shots fired in the air before the assault
was made.
The Safes Unopened.
It is now learned that the two safes
thrown from the train were not opened.
They were provided with combination
locks and one was a through safe for
Milwaukee and the other for Mime
apolis. They were picked up by "a
freight train and carried toward Chi
cago until passenger train was met, to
which they were transferred and
brought to this city. The only
plunder the robbers secured
was contained in what is
known as the messengers private safe,
of which he carried the key. In this he
deposits money packages picked up
at stations along the road and at times
has few with him when he leaves Chi.
cago. There are often times when this
safe comes through to Milwaukee
empty, as the midnight train only stops
three times between the two cities.
TO- D oY.l