The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-11-19
DYNAMITE USED.
Desperate Capture of o Chicago
Express Train.
A Small Amount of Money Taken From
the sases-A Dynamite Bomb Used
to Wrock tho Express Car.

hilbWAUhEE, WIS., NOV Io.-A11 eXs
press train on the Chicago, Milwaukee
Sc St Paul route, for Milwaukee and
the northwest, was held up by train
robbers about mile this side of Vest
ern Union junction, and the express
car was dynamited and robbed.
The robbery occurred about oclocl,
Thursday morning. Wednesday even
ing five or six men left Racine on
freight train which they left at Western
Union junction, remaining there until
the express train flom Chicago came in
SIGHT.
They boarded the train, and unknown
to anyone made their way to the tender
and lay in wait for the favorable mo-
ment. 1t soon came. About a milo
north of the station the fireman began
shovcling coal into the fire-box. when
he was startled by u noise, and, on
turning about to ascertain the cause of
the trouble, was covered by u rifle in
the hands of q masked man.
Another larrel was pointed at the
head of the engineer. The lights were
then extinguished. The conductor and
engineer were marched ahead of tho
robbers, who followed in single file to
the express car One of the robbers
raped on the door ut the side and or
dered Messenger Murray to open it.
This tho latter refused to do.
Then q tomb was thrown through
the window, and the demand was re-
newed Still the plucky messenger re-
fused to open the door, A terrible ex-
plosion followed, the force of which can
be imagined when it is known that the
heavy timber running along the side of
the car US the foundation upon which
it is built was completely torn 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 ter
rible conclusion. Even then it was
some time before Murphy would con-
sent to surrender the keys to the
safes. The explosion had thrown the
inside of the car into the greatest con-
fusion.
Two safes in the Car were thrown
out of the car and dragged off short
distance, when, with delay of about
half an hour, the train was permitted
to proceed on its way, arriving in this
city Thursday morning at 2:22
Prompt action was taken, and as fast
as special trains could be made ready
detectives were sent to the scene of the
robbery. There are to-day 22 detec-
tives working on the case, belonging to
the city forces and the companies
specials.
The express car on reaching Milwau-
kee was unloaded and taken to tho
shops for repairs. Among the goods
taken out, q bale Of cloal,s was fairly
blown into ribbons, having the appear
ance Of being put through threshing
machine. A number of hats, known
among ladies as shapes" were torn
and riddled into shapeless mass.
Messenger Murphy's clothing was
stripped into threads and it is a mira
Gle how he escaped with his life. Tho
report that he had been shot at by the
robbers is probably without founda-
tion.
Mr.. Dodsworth, the agent, will not
give out the amount of money secured
by the robbers but says it's is very
small. This he has ascertained by
checking up the messengers report 1t
is learned from railroad men that the
safes of the Adams Express Co. were in
the baggage car enroute for Milwaukee.
where they are turned over to the COM
pany's messengers.
The Fire and Marine Insurance bank
had sealed safe on the train, which
came through all right and was deliv-
cred Thursday morning. About 1000
money packages are received from rail-
road station agents here daily, and there
were some of these on the train that
was robbed, but they were not in tho
express car and were therefore not mo-
Tested.