The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-15
WAITING TO BE ROBBED.

| The Passengers We're All Ready for
| tho Bandits, But They Game Not.
From the Neg Orleans Times Democrat.
A gentleman from Kansas, who reached
! the city by the Mississippi Valley train
which arrived here Wednesday morning
| tells rather interesting story Of a sensation
| 10 which he and his feliow-passengers were
treated Tuesday night short distance from
Nicksburg. The train was tagged at Cleve-
land a small station in comparatively I'M
inhabited section, at which passenger trains
| are not scheduled to stop. The station off,
Gals boarded the train with badly fright
| ened negro, VINO informed Conductor Clark
that as he was walking along the track
about two miles below the station he had
seen six masked men working at the
track with crowbar, evidently
bent on displacIng the rails and
ditchiug the train. They had their ponies
tied to trees near the track and every saddle
had Winchester rifle slung across IL. The
darkey did not care to disturb them, but as
he was trying to steal away unobserved one
OF the WOuld-be train wreckers called out to
him, commanding him to halt. This was
just what the negro did not wish to do and
plunging into the thicket. he scrambled
through the thick underbrush and over fallen
logs as rapidly as his legs would carry him.
De had just reached Cleveland IN time to
warn the station agent to flag the down ex-
press.
This was startling news, and Conductor
Clark at once made preparations to guard
his train against attack. Every light, even
to the headlight of the locomotive was ex-
tinguished and Winchester rifles were
placed in the hands Of the train officials,
while the negro porter was armed with
revolver aud placed in the baggage car to
guard its contents
Before the lights could be extinguished In
the passenger coaches it was necessary to
inform the passengers Of the reason why
such an extraordinary precautiOn had been
rendered necessary, and then it was that
some curious scenes were enacted. Some put
their money in their boots; others, pulling
of their coats, stored away small rolls OF
bills iE their shirt sleeves. Others appeared
to think that the lining Of mans hat made
snug little pocket in which to stow away
small sums OF paper money. But the dis
posal of their vauables did not appear
to the passengers a matter Of such
vital importance as the defense of the
train and the lives OF those upon it,
Money, jewelry and watches we're quickly
hidden away, but when it came to fish
ing their pistols out of their valises, grip
sacks" aud hip pockets the business of
hiding away valunbles was mot in it." The
Kansas man who told the story said that in
his day he had seen a great deal of rough
me on the frontier, but he had never seen
anything approaching such show Of fire.
arms as was suddenly displayed on that
passenger train in peaceful and prosperous
Mississippi. All the money, he seid, on the
train would not serve to make the first pay
ment on that grim array OF firearms, even
on the weekly installment plan. One man
had no weapon, but he WAS promptly sup
piled by a MississipDian, who had three
44-calibre Colts in his valise. The stranger
accepted the loan rather timidly and walked
to the door of the car with it In his hand.
He put mis- head out into the darkness, and
the first object that met his eyes
were three solemn-looking men with
Winchesters. 1t was dark and he took
them for robbers. Fortunately he did not
open fire. On the contrary he dropped his
pistol, and running back TO the middle of
the car tried to crawl under a seat. In the
meantime, all being ready, the darkened
train ran slowly down the track to within
100 yards Of the spot indicated by the negro
and stopped. No robbers appeared, and
then lanterns were lighted and a party of
armed men went ahead to search for them
but they had made their escape The ad-
vance guard found the hoof prints of their
horses in the thicket where the negro had
seen them tied to the sapplngs, and the
track, though left in good order, gave evil
dence of having been tempered with. Some
thing had evidently disturbed the wreckers
possibly the escape of The negro, whom
they knew to have seen them-but, at all
events, the train reached VicSsburg in
safety.