The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-01
THREE MEN ROB A TRAIN.
FoRTY-RI9HT REGISTERED PACK
AGES OBTAINED.

a Man With a Pistol Compelled the
Engineer to Haul Up On a Trestle.
His Confsderates Then Attacked the
Ksn Car-Dozs Track the Robbers
Back Nearly TO Birmingham.
BIRMINGHAM, ALA, March 3l.-The Geor.
gia Pacific passenger train which left here
at II 80 o'clock last night for Atlanta was
held up at Weems' Station, ten miles out Of
Birmingham. A young white man boarded
the engine, and, at the point of Winchester,
compelled the engineer to Sying the train to
standstill Another masked man
boarded the mail car, broke
down the door, shot once to bring the
agent to terms and went through the let
ters, taking all the registered packages. He
then coolly left. Outside the resi-
OF the gang were firing off their guns
to keep the passengers quiet, and not a
soul made q movement except thereAr flag
man, who was shot at for his trouble.
ALL DONE IN EIGHT MINUTES.
The entire job consumed eight minutes
The scene was at Striking creek, which is
crossed by high trestle. The men who
did the work got ON this side of the trestle
and brought the train up with the rear
coach on the trestle. The gang outside
were under the embankment. The extent
of the loss is not known. Dogs were pro-
cured and chase began. Packages which
had been torn open we're found 300 yards
off, near the place where the men had evil
dently been camping.
THE CHASE SUSPENDED.
The chase was later temporarily sus-
pended, though search is being made for
their trail. The robbery was northeast Of
this city. Two mules were taken from a
lpt at Trnnnala oil yuilaS {rhN
This morning the mules we're found in the
woods mile or two from this city, indi-
eating that the robbers had first fled toward
Birmingham, and it Is believed they
are in this city. There 10 no doubt about
its being the same gang that attempted to
wreck q Louisville and Nashville train five
miles out Sunday night, and with whom
Boyle's gap. The robbers got eightY-fve
packages OF registered mail and threw away
one package, which had no money in it.
ONLY THREE IN THE GANG.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala, March 81, 11:30 p.
MA detailed story of the train robbery at
Weems Station last night, shows it to have
been one of the best planned and
most successful in the history of those en-
terpriseg. There seems to have been three
men engaged In it. About half mile be-
yond the station is a little trestle, high
oD the north side and a gulch below. Before
the train had gotten up speed one man got
up on the step of the engine cab and just as
it started across the trestle he stepped
into the cab and called stop. He was
strictly obeyed and the train stopped on
the trestle itself. Robber No. 2 got on the
mail car platform aud called for the door to
be opened. Mail Agent r. P. Hughes was
slow about obeying and the door was
promptly broken in. Hughes offered re-
sistahce, but bullet through his clothing
made him quiet. There were two sacks
with registered packages, one made up to
go through TO New York and the other for
Atlanta. The robbers got the former, con-
tanning forty-eight packages. The other
contained thirty packages and was
not molested.
When the robbers got off the engineer
again obeyed orders and pulled out, leaving
Flagman Adams behind tho trestle, where
he had gotten Off only to hear a bullet
whistle by him from the gulch below.
DOGS ON THE TRAIL.
It was after l o'clock before the news
reached Birmingham, and after O'Clock
before special engine bearing Detective
Barnes and his dogs, with policemen and
reporters, reached the scene. In a few min.
utes the dogs had the trail which led
straight up the mountain side to a fence,
where the only registered package yet
found was discovered lying by the path. 1t
was addressed to Mum g. Co., Scientific
-4mericGn, Broadway, New York, and was
No. 133
1t was mailed at Carbon Hill, Ala,
March 30, and contained some drawings or
patterns, but no money. A few yards
further the dogs halted at a burning camp
fire which the robbers had left not two
hours before. The tracks showed that three
men were in the party. This point was
mile or more uorth Of the railroad, and from
the camp the trail turned almost due west,
and was followed over the hills and
hollows and across Sinking creek almost
parallel with the railroad, back to Irondale,
a suburb five miles west of Birmingham.
Here the dogs promptly went to the lot of a
citizen named Montgomery and came TO a
halt. By this time it was o'clock, and the
people were astir.
TWO MULES STOLEN.
The pursuing party were informed that
some time during the night two mules be-
longing to s. h. Smith had been stolen
from the lot. About 9 o'clock the mules
were found tied in the bushes close to the
street railroad which leads to Birmingham
In the fight between the officers and rob-
bers at Boyle's gap Monday night, it is
known thai two Of the three robbers we're
mounted on mules and they rode off in the
direction of Irondale.
On Sunday night two men we're seen in
the Birmingham suburbs, riding mules and
caused suspicion at the time by their gen.
eral appearance and conduct. The indica-
tlous are that the men who stole the mules
at Irondale are the same who figured on
muleback Sunday and Monday nights. Per-
feet tfarniliarItylof the robbers with the rough
country northeast Of Birmingham and their
selection Of mules to climb the mountains
indicates that they are local characters or
have been here studying the situation for
some time, The amount of money stolen is
not known. The United States postal de-
partment has offered the usual reward of