The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-11-13
MADE A BIG HAUL.
Train Robbers Get Awny with n Hundred
Thousand Dollars.

MILWAUKEE, Nov. l2.-The midnight
train from Chicago, on tho Milwaukee
q St. Paul road, was robbed near West
ern Union junction at o'clock this
morning. The robbers arc supposed to
have boarded the train ut the junction.
AS soon rs it was well away from tho
station, in the open pra ric, they stop.
ped 1t and broke into tho express car.
1t is probable the total amount OF booty
will amount 10 100000, and possibly
more, as the train which was held up
was the one which generally carried all
the money received by Milwaukee
banks in the morning.
About q hall u mile from the junction,
when the fireman, Edwin Avcrill, who
was putting some coal into the furnace,
was startled 10 hear n noiscbehind him.
lie turned around and discovered two
heavily masked men clambcrins over
the engine tcudcr. Both levcllcd their
double barrelled muskets at the fire.
man and the engineer, "Bili" Mckay,
with the injunction: "Don't move M
inch till we tell YOU, or VIC will blow the
tops OF your Id heads off,"
Engineer Mackay was directed TO run
the train to point within about one
mile from Western Union junction.
Here the engineer was directed to stop.
10th the men were ordered to step out
They were marched to the express car
under cover, and then the work of
blowing open the express car began.
Several bombs, the tiremen thinks they
were, were thrown into the car, and the
explosions were terrific and must have
awakened every passenger OIL tho train,
but nobody appeared on the scene.
The robbers undoubtedly were not
less than six or seven in number, judg-
ing from the manner in which they con-
Quoted operations. The trainmen be-
Iicvc they had team close ut hand with
which to cart away the safes which were
taken bodily out OF the car.
Fireman Avcrill's story is the most
comprehensive: "They made me walk
ahead OF them to the express car" he
said, "and they gave me jimmy 10 pry
open the boxes. had to move all the
dead matter off the boxes and do their
dirty work generally, but l was glad TO
get oil with whole skin. They got the
messengers keys, though he was in no
hurry 10 give them up, and they will
have 10 trouble in getting away with all
the money"
The train was held for hall an hour,
and ii the plans OF the robbers had been
perfect they would not have been de-
laycd much. Their entire efforts were
ccntered OIL the express car, and not Il
passenger was molcstcd. The fireman
thinks there were half dozen men
guarding the coaches, however.
Less than five minutes out oil West
ern Union Junction." said Messenger
Murphy, "thc train slowed up suddenly.
\ musket was poked through top win
dow of the car, and Z second later 4 ter
rife explosion occurred that knocked
both myself and Mr.. Cook in 4 heap.
Halt Il dozen more explosions followed
and both doors flew off the bolts. The
two men wearing big black masks clam
bored quickly into the car and covered
us with double barrclled muskets.
Alter glancing hurriedlv about the
car the robbers fastened their eyes on
the two iron boxes OF the American Ex-
press Company. The robbers brought
the fireman in little later and went
throught all the boxes. They compelled
us TO hand over the keys. They dumped
the boxes out on the road bed. One OF
the robbers kept us covered with his
musket all the time while the other rob-
Der superintended operations OF the fire.
man.
Messenger Murphy stated that he
had secured all the bills oi the money
contained in the safe. and that the sum
was undoubtedly a very large one. 1t
is probable that the total amout OF the
robbers booty will amount to 100000,
and possibly more.
Some OF the passengers who were
asleep did not wake up until the train
arrived at Milwaukee. Some passen-
gers thought there were twenty-five or
thirty robbers, others thought they SAW
only dozen, while others say there
were more robbers than passengers.
When the train started up again the
passengers saw the safes lying beside
the track, but tho robbers had disap-
pearcd. When the train arrived at the
union depot, at 2:20 O'Clock, the ex-
press car presented an appearance that
would indicate it had been attacked by
heavy artillery. Every door and win
dow had been blown out and the plat
form and walls wcro shattered in hall a
dozen places, while the contents were
piled in one imdiscrim;Hate heap in the
centre OF the car. Messenger F. G. Muir
ply and his assistant, c. II, Cook, were
found gathering up fragments OF way
bills and looking over the remnants LETT
by the robbers. The first news OF the
robbery was brought TO the Western
Union junction by n lagman. The Mil
waukco and Racine police were tclc-
graphed for Immediately and Detective
Hansen was provided with special
train, on which he lett at $40 o'clock.
LATER-oNLY $1,000 STOLEN.
The most experienced dctcctirein the
employ OF the Chicago, Milwaukee & St.
Paul railroad, assisted by the sheriff
OF Racine county and large posse OF
men, up TO late hour tonight were
unable to track tho robbers, who stole
about 81 COO from IN American Express
Company's car near Western Union
Junction l2stnisht.
hBOLD ROBBERY.
a Now Yorker. Neatly Eualiocd by