The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-09-28
DITCHED BY DEMONS.
AWFUL WRECK ON THE SANTA
FE RAILROAD.
Human Life Held as Naught by Plumber
ers, Who Wreck Train Carrying a MILL
lon Dollars of Treasure--Four Killed,
Many Are Mangled.
Work of Robbers.
On dollars I'm currency.

A million dollars in currency.
That was the prize for which Kansas
train robbers strove. An appalling loss
of human lie was the price they were
willing TO pay for 1t.
Passenger train No. &, on the Atchi-
son, Topeka q Santa Fe Railroad, east
bound, was wrecked early in the morn
ing three miles west OF Usage City by
train robbers who hoped by that means
to plumber the express car OF $1,000, COO,
which was eng transported from the
city Of Mexico TO Boston.
A wrecked train, four men killed, and
thirty-five men, women, and children
injured are the only results OF the at
tempted robbery, for the robbers Sc
cured not a penny of the treasure TO
capture which they imperiled 80 many
lives.
The wreck and attempted robbery had
been carefully and deliberately planned.
To avoid the possibility of leaving a clew
behind them the robbers stole the tools
with which they did their dreadful work,
instead of purchasing them. They stole
a crow bar, wrench and sledge hammer
from the tool house at Barclay, three
miles west of the scene Of the wreck,
and with them removed the fish plate
which joined two rails together, which
would necessarily derail the train. The
robbers had evidently selected with care
the spot at which to wreck the train.
They selected the top OF a grade, up
which the train would be obliged to as
cend thus lessening its speed and at the
same time lessening the chances OF so
badly wrecking the train as TO bury be-
meath the debris the treasure they were
seeking. These precautions were I'M
availing, and the very thing they sought
to evade thwarted their efforts.
When the train passed over the weak
ened track the entire train was
wrecked, with the exception Of
the rear car, and most Of the
cars were piled one on top of the
other above the express car, bu ying it,
and its treasure so deep as torequire sew
eral hours digging to reachi 1t. The en-
CINE, when it passed over the loosened
rail, left the track, swayed to and fro
for a second of time and then toppled
over with a dreadful crash.
Four FRA IN Killed.
The engineer and fireman had no
warning of their dreadful fate and no
chance Tor their lives. They must have
been killed outright when the engine
was wrecked. The express messenger
and express guardsmen were equally
unprepared and they were killed in their
car. There were some $50 passengers
on the train, but not one was killed.
How they escaped seems miraculous.
The ears were piled one on another and
composed a mass of timber and twisted
iron in which it seemed impossible for
any being 10 have escaped death. When
the work of rescue was completed, how
ever, all the passengers were found TO be
alive Several were badly injured and
a few may die. The 81 ,000, 000 belonged
to the Mexican Central Railroad Com
pany, and was being forwarded to that
company's headquarters at Boston. 1t
was rescued from the wreck and turned
over to the Wells Fargo company at
Topeka TO be forwarded TO its destina-
ton.
Reward for the Wreckers.
The Santa Fe has offered 1000 re-
ward for the train wreckers, and sew
eral POSSES are searching the country In
the vicinity Of the wreck. Advices from
Usage City and Barclay state that in
tense excitement and Indignation pre-
walls among the people there, who de-
clare broadly that the wreckers shall be
lynched when caught.
The train consisted of baggage, ex-
press and mail car, two day coaches,
two chair cars and three sleepers. 1t
was thrown over an embankment three
feet high and the first six cars tele
scoped.