The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-21
TRAIN ROBBERS.
What Can be Done to Protect Corporations
in the Future.

what Can be Done to Protect Corporations
in the Future.
The express company has not yet sue
ceefaed in capturing the train robbers who
helped themselves to something over $780,
600 d short time e on the Frisco line. 1t
they are not eventually brought to Justice
they will be the first of their kind who
have escaped punishment in Missouri since
the James and Younger gangs were dis
posed Of. These fellows, so far as the pub
lie knows, at least. have been very adroit 80
far in escaping detection, but it is perfectly
safe to say that ut least one of the gang is
a spendthrift who will dispose of his share
of the plumber promptly and then call on
his partners Tor a moiety Of their share; he
refused, and give the whole thing away
under promise of immunity for himself, or
that at least one of the party will drink
too much or gamble too openly, or display
his wealth too layishly, or confce his secret
to a 'lady friend, +" who will give it away.
At any rate, these arc the weaknesses Of
ably resulted in their detection. and
the public can reat assured that the
express "a is relentlessly following
up every clew and sparing no expense in it's
efforts to discover the perpetrators of the
crime. In the meantime it is becoming
more and more apparent that something
must be done by ths railroad and express
companies to protect themselves against
future robberies. Train robberies are no
longer confined to sparsely settled states;
they occur with increasing frequency all
over the country, and, generally speaking.
the attempt is successful in the first in
stance. Here is a suggestion which a cor
respondent of the New York Times offers
in this connections:
~ (Nn~arnl1- uyaaIirr on 0cdorIf nrNr or
express car would be defeated by a half
hours resistance. / would suggest some
thing like the following:
/. Strengthen the express cars and pro-
vide l%oopholes through which an armed
guard NAV shoot. Provide a turret in the
fore part of the car where the armed guard
may perch and protect the engineer and
fremen, as we'll as the express car. One
man always on duty would be sufficient.
2. Have the express safes built in the car
80 that removal would be difficult and pro-
tracted.
3. Have the keys of the safe. if a key is
used to open it, kept at stations of the road
only. Few robbers would STAY the express
messengers in cold blood if they were salts
fed that the key of the safe was never in
his possession. If safes were locked by @
combination. the combination should be
known only by some Office: at the road
stations.
4. Have all trains provided with means to
telegraph for assistance.
s.. So that. though the armed guard and
messengers should be ]overpowered and ac-
cess to the ear obtained, the treasure might
still be protected for a time. Provide in
each express car suitable appliances to fill
the car with steam, the guard and messen-
gers escaping. Even should this cost more
than the amount stolen, the whole senti-
mont of the country, the interest of the
express companies and those of railroads
demand that express matter should be
better protected, and the express messen-
gers relieved of the alternative of opening
the safe or meeting death.