The Washington bee., 1892-06-11
A BATTLE FOR $4,000
Train Robbers Fight Desperately and &c
the Treasure.

|
Train Robbers Fight Desperately and Ge
the Treasure.
The frequency of desperate train rob
berries is attracting the attention of the
whole country. The brigands who re-
Gently robbed the Southern Express had
hardly been shot down or captured in
Florida, when news was flashed over the
country of the robbery of the south
bound Sante Fe passenger train, near the
station of Red Rock, in the Cherokee
Strip.
The train was tagged and the engi-
neer and firemen taken prisoners. The
robbers then entered the express car,
broke open the safe and secured its con-
tents. The amount obtained has been
reported at $5O,O0O The passengers
were not molested.
The robbery was doubtless committed
by the notorious Dalton gang. for whom
large rewards are still standing and who
were even then being tracked by de-
tective and his posse, who were behind
them not days journey, on horse
back.
1t was 10 o'clock when the train
reached Red Rock, in the northwestern
corner of the Otoe and Missouri reserva-
ton in the Indian strip. Just as it vas
pulling out a few minutes later two
men with black masks covering their
faces, jumped suddenly in the engines
cab from the tender and covering the en-
gineer and fireman with their revolvers,
commanded them to run the train down
to the stock yards and to stop at given
signal Carl Mack, the engineer, and
Frank Rogers, the fireman, obeyed. To
have resisted would have meant their
death. When the train stopped the two
robbers were joined by five masked COM
panions. Their leader commanded the
engineer and fireman to walk back to
the express car and commanded the fire. |
man to break open the door with his coal |
pick.
F. c. Whittlesey, the messenger, and |
J. A. Riehl, the guard, anticipating what
was going on when the train came to a
had blown out the lights in
the car and refused to allow anyone to
enter. The bandits then opened fire upon
the car from all sides, but the two men
within responded promptly aiming all
their shots at the door. The highway,
men shot into the car from all quarters,
even getting under it and shooting
through the floor. Their firing, how.
ever, was all to nc effect for the messen.
gers bravely stood their ground.
In the meantime one of the robbers
lad chopped a hole in the door of the
'ar. large enough to admit mans body
md the fireman was told to crawl through
into the car. This placed him liter
lily between two fires and engineer Mack
eeing that it meant death to his COM
'anion, explained the situation to the
within and told them to
ease firing.
When the robbers at last entered the
xpress car they covered those within
nth their guns and with sIedge ham, ,
ler and chisel broke open the way and :
trough safes and robbed them of every
hing of value. They also took $50 and :
gold watch from the guard of the ex-
ress car. Messenger Whittlesey had
ldden his money and watch aud the ,
'bbers got nothing from him. The
'bbers are described by several of the
who talked with them as be-
g well-dressed and of gentlemanly ap.
earance and bearing. The leader apol-
5lzed to the engineer for a rough re.
ark made by one of his crowd, and
'omlsed him that it should not occur
Jain. :
After the robbery the men mounted
cir horses and rode off to the south
est.