Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1892-02-22
Train Robbery on the
New York Central.
A DUEL WITH REVOLVERS.
The Flight, Pursuit and Capture Of
Bold Desperate.

Hudson train, the rif1ing Of q valuable
safe, the flight Of the robber on the engine
of another train, from which he drove the
Drew Mt the point of u revolver, a running
fight from the engine for miles, chased by
another engine filed with railroad men,
and the final capture Of the desperate by
sherfi's posse in swamp after wild
pursuit across the country, are some of
the sensational features of the most des-
perate attempt at train robbery in the HIS
tory Of the Ccntral-Hudson railway.
Train No. 81 on the Central Hudson Is
known M the American Express COM
paDy's special. 1t runs every day in the
year between New York and Buffalo
and carries only goods and property
shipped by that company. The train leaves
New York at o o'clock each evening and
is due in this city at 705 in the morning.
Nearly all the cars are run through tO
Chicago and contain the most valuable ex-
press matter. One car is known as the
money" car, and In IL is sent the specie
from the United States treasury for west
ern banks as well as the money In process
of exchange between the banks Of New
York aud the west.
The load Of wealth sent out from New
York OH this train Is usually greater on
Saturday evening than on other day, and.
Often Amounts to sIors Than . Z 900, 900.
in addition to jewelry and other valuabies.
So great Is the secrecy observed in regard
TO the car and its contents, that often the
crew OF the train do not know in which
car the money is carried. Daniel Nc
rnerny was in charge OF the money car on
the trip Saturday night The tram was
nade up of eight express cars and one day
coach for the accommodation OF the regu-
hW.l.
assigned TO the money car. The other
cars had two messengers. The train left
Syracuse at o'clock yesterday morning
in charge of Conductor Emil Laass Of this
city. The train was drawn by engine 69a,
with Caleb Cherry engineer. The coach
was in the rear of the train, aud the
money car just ahead.
When the train was near Wecdsport the
conductor, who was In the coach with
his two trainmen, thought he heard the
air whistle sound very family. II was
enough TO arouse him to be belief that
something was wrong in the express car.
Going out on the platform of the coach he
climbed on the rail, and looking through
the hole where the bell-cord comes
through. he saw the upper part of a man
whose face below the eyes was concealed
by a red flannel mask. The messenger he
COuiu uot stt Ilc WenJ DICK, SET INC d1r
brakes, and called the two trainmen. The
three men stood leaning out from the plat
form, looking forward along the sides Of
the express car. Suddenly man appeared
at the side door Of the express ar,revolver
bullets whistled past their ears, and q
voice was heard commanding them to sig
nal the engineer to
Go Ahead or Take the Consequences
no
ductor told one Of his men to jump of, run
back to Jordan and telegraph TO Rochester
that they had train robber on board
This was done and the conductor signalled
the engineer to 20 ahead full speed. think
ing that the robber would De captured at
the next stop. The train went to Port
Byron. Here the brakes were aeet again,
and the conductor and the trainnian went
20 the express car. The car showed signs
OF desperate struggle. Money packages
and jewelry were lying scattered about,
everything in the car seemed stained with
blood and Messenger McInerny was lying
bleeding from SEVERAL wounds and almost
unconscious. The robber was nowhere to
he seen and was supposed to have jumped
and escaped. A telegram for an am
bulance was sent to Rochester.
The news had spread all along the line,
and the station Mt Lyons was alive with
people. Among others in the crowd was
well-dressed young man wearing gold eye
glasses and carrying satchel slung by
strap over his shoulder. The trainmen
had noticed this young man at Syracuse be-
fore the train pulled out, and had not seen
him since The question of what he was
doing at Lyons, and how he got there, at
ouce suggested itself An attempt was
made to seize him, but he pulled out two
revolvers, held the crowd back, ard
backed across the yard until he reached n
coal train, the engine of which, with steam
up, was ready to pull out for the west
He.pullcd the pin holding the tender to
the first car, climbed over the coal into the
cab, drove the engineer and fireman out
with revolvers and started the train. Con-
ductor Laass and one OF the switchmen
procured a shotgun, freed the engine Of
the express, and with the fireman and en-
gineer
Started In Pursuit. of tho Fugitive.
The Central Hudson Is a four-tracked
road, and the two engines, though both
going west, were not on the same track
The express engine soon overlook the rob-
Der, who reversed his engine and let his
pursucrs pass him, pouring perfect hail
Of pistol bullets into the cab az his pur.
suers went by. Then tie pursuers stopped
and the pursued went ahead. Another
artillery duel ensued. the shotgun taking
part this time. No one was hurt. Two
miles beyond the robber found his engines
steam was giving out. So he jumped OF
nj cross-road aud started across tho
country, going south. lie terrorized .
farmer into letting him have a horse and
rode two miles further south. Here he pro
cured a horse and cutter, by firing on
their owner, German farmer.
The party on the express engine re-
turned 90 Lyons, where the sheriff OF
Wayne county had organized a posse,
which, under Deputy Sheriff Collins,
started in pursuit. The farmers along the
robbers line Of retreat also turned out,
fully armed. The runaway was sighted
Ave miles south of Newark. Hc aban-
doned his rig sild ran across lots to Hen.
tons swamp. Here the fugitive halted be
hiud stone wall, and
Faced His Pursuers.
After some parleying he surrendered