St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-13
A Dozen Armed Robbers Hold
Up a Train on the hill
Waukee Road.
They Make Things Intensely
Interesting for Several Of
the Tpainmen.
Safes Dumped Out at the Road
side, but Are Finally Left
Unopened.
General Belief That the
Amount Of Money Secured
Was Very Small.

MINIATURES, Nov. 10. = While the
through passenger train from Chicago
was rolling over the prairie, near West
ern Junction, on the eastern border, this
side of Milwaukee, at about l a. m, a
band of masked men sprang out of the
bushes and reinforced two of their col
leagues who had secreted themselves on
the train several miles below. With
revOlvers the two men commanded
the engineer and fireman to check
the speed of the train, in order
to permit the rest of the band to
get aboard. When the gang had pos
session of the engine, the work of rob-
bling the train began. The express car
was the first to be attacked, and, al
though the train was running at good
speed, three of the robbers climbed
over the tender and entered the car.
while their cOnfederates held revolverS
at the head of the engineer and fireman.
1t is reported that the express messen-
ger made a desperate resistance, and
that several shots were fired. The safe,
it is said, was broken open after the
messenger had refused to deliver his
keys. Western Union Junction Is a
small village at the junction of the main
line of the ST. Paul, and spur of the
same road which runs to Racine.
It's Lonely Place
and must have been especially so last
night, for snow storm has been raging
in the southern tier of counties of the
state ever since midnight. kilograms
from the junction being nieager details
or the robbery are unsatisfactory, the
company having taken charge of the
wires III an effort to bring all the avala-
bic police force 10 the place as quickly
as possible. At 2:25 a special train filed
with officers left the st. Paul depot here
for the scene of the robbery. They are
heavily armed, and will be met at the
junction by horses supplied by the viii
layers. These will be used in chasing
the bandits, for it is known they have
struck for the North. There is is a great
forest near the junction. and it may be
that being hard pressed the robbers may
seek this as hiding place. Still
later adviceS from Western Union
junction are to the etlect that when the
train was stopped the robbers immedi-
ately threw a dynamite bomb at the
door, wrecking the whole end of the car.
They then removed the safes from the
car and opened them. They secured
$1,000 in local money, which was in
packages outside the safes. The safes
themselves were sealed, and the mes
sengers do not know the exact amount
in them. Some of the passengers who
were asleep did not know ANYTHING
about the "hold-up" until the train ar
rived in Milwaukee. Some passengers
thought there were twenty or thirty of
the robbers; others thought they
Saw Only Dozen.
while others said there were more rob-
berS than passengers. When the train
started up again the passengers saw the
safes lying beside the track, but the
robbers had disappeared. When the
train arrived at the union depot at 2:2O
o'clock the express car presented an ap-
pearance that would indicate it had
been attacked by heavy artillery. Every
door and window had been blown out,
and the platform and walls were shat
tered in half dozen places, while the
contents were piled in an indiscriminate
heap in the center of the car. Messen-
ger j. &. Murphy and his assistant, G.
II. Cook, were found gathering up frag-
mentS OF way bills and looking over the
remains left by the robbers. The first
news of the robbery was brought
to Western Union Junction by flag
mau. The Milwaukee and Racine po-
lice were telegraphed for Immediately,
and Detective Hansen was provided
with special train, on which he left at
2:40 a. NJ. The express car on reaching
Milwaukee was unloaded and taken to
the shops for repairs. Among the goods
taken out, a bale of cloaks was fairly
blown into ribbons, having the appear
ance of being put through a threshing
machine. A number of hats, known
among the ladies as shapes" were
torn and riddled into a shapelesS mass.
Messenger Murphy'S clothing was
stripped into threads, and it is a miracle
how he escaped with his life.
Several Holes in His Hat
and coat sleeve were probably made by
stOnesin the dynamite bombs. as there
are a large number of these sticking
in the sides of the car where they have
penetrated half way through the heavy
boards at the side of the car. The re-
port 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 on the express car was made
The report that the train robbed was
the one that carried the largest amount
of money for the express company is
denied by Agent Dodsworth, who
declares that the money is not
entrusted TO the night train. MIR.
DOdsworth will not give out the amount
of money secured by the robbers. but
says it is very small. This he has ascer-
tanned by checking up the messengers
report. 1t is ascertained from railroad
men that the safes of the Adams Ex-
press company were in the baggage car
Ell route for Milwaukee, where they are
turned over to the company's meSsen-
gers. The Fire and Marine Insurance
bank had a sealed safe on the train,
which came through all right and was
delivered this morning. About 1000
money packages are received from sta
ton agents here daily, and there were
some thirty of these on the train that
was robbed, but they were not in the
express car, and were therefore not