Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-11-06
HOW 1T WAS DONE.
FIREMAN BLANCHARD GIVES A
GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF 1T.
Four Masked Men Ordered Hands to 60
Up. and They Went Up-A Regu-
lar Fusilade Kept Up.

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Nov. 5.-The Missouri
Pacific passenger train which was held up
and robbed last night at West Side, near
Omaha, arrived here this morning at 9
O'Clock, three hours late. The train looked
as if it had gone through the war.
The front door Of the express
car was broken into splinters, the front end
of the smoking car had the glass smashed
out by bullets and the other cars were more
or less perforated with bullet holes. The
Pacific express car was the only one that
was robbed. Immediately after the
train arrived here the express matter
that the robber did not take was sent to
the company's office Sam Green, the mes
senger, went TO the superintendent Office
and was closeted with the superinten-
dent some time Before he went before
his superior, he would say nothing, but
afterwards he said the robbers only
got S2S5S3. Superintendent johnson
also says the robbers got but
S2S5. So. 1t seems to be the
general belief, however, that $4,000 will
more nearly cover the loss. The story of
the robbery is told by Firemano Blanchard,
and is substantially as follows:
1--WE had got pretty near to the Fremont,
Elkhorn and Missouri Valley crossing,
twelve miles this side Of Omaha, when /
saw two masked men with guns in their
hands come crawling over the water tank.
Hold up your hands, they yelled with
an oath, and my hands went up that quick,
but the engineer did not hold up his hands
at all. He kept them on the lever and stop
cock and looked around over his shoulder"
"'Slow her up they said, and Cavanaugh
slowed her up.
stop her at the crossing was the next
we heard from under the masks, and we did
Just as they said, for we Were looking
down the barrels OF the guns
that looked like cannons to US.
Now get off they ordered. We got off.
Then there was an explosion on the front
end of the express Car. Then two more
fellows came up. They all began TO shoot
around promiscuously and did not seem
to care where their bullets went or who
they hit They shot in the express car and
smoker and all around generally. There
must have been 100 shots fired. They gave
me an ak and told me to break in the door
OF the express car l did not work
very good and they got mad and commenced
firing into the platform where | stood. One
bullet cut Cavanaugh's overa!ls and grazed
his legs, and the, then the door
told me to tell the expressman to light up
and come out. l told Sam what they
wanted. Well, Sam was lying over
in a corner hidden among some
stuff behind a coffin. The explosion
,kbsSa blown out his lights, but he lit a light
AHd came to the door. Then the men
marched up to the door and made US hold
up our hands.
"'Where is your safer they asked
"'Youre standing on it, said Sam. Then
they went through everything. After they
had completed the robbery of the car, one
masked man, who seemed to be the leader,
turned to the engineer and fireman
and said, Come ahead and the robbers
got off the train. 4 guess it is ali right
L. -
and go .ahead.' The engineer and fireman
complied and the robbers disappeared"
Several Of the bullets fired by the rob-
bers entered the sleepers and day coaches
at the rear of the train, and several passen-
gers narrowly escaped being hit.