The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-08-23
TRAIN ROBBERY.
Four Ameteurs Hoo Up he Frisco and They
are, i. urn, Held Up by Sheriff Nipp

Saturday night the east bound Frisco
| left this city about 1890. Arriving at
water tank at Augusta they came to
| standstiil to take water. When about tc
| move out two masked men jumped on the
engine cab and placed revolvers to the
beads OF the engineer and fireman and
| ordered them TO pull out while two more
masked men uncoupled the baggage and
express cars from the passenger coaches.
| The engine was pulled about d mile east
| when a halt was commanded aud obeyed.
| The robbers Immediately laid seige to the
express car and succeeding in opening it
| they took away the Wells Fargo
| money safe leaving the engineer to return
| and get the balance OF the train. Upon
| returning to Augusta kilograms were sent
out one of which reached Sheriff Nipp of
Cowley county who, with his character
istio Republican energy gotup posse and
started out in pursuit. About this fea-
ture of the robbery reporter of the Win
field Courier who interviewed Sheriff Nipp
mas the following to say:
At 3:30a NJ, Sunday. Sheriff j. B. Nipp
received telegram notifying him chat
train on the Frisco road one mile east of
Augusta, in Butler comfy, had been rob-
bed He quickly gathered a posse compos-
ed of the following: Unerd-Sherif T. 81.
Harrod, County Treasurer w. H. Grow,
Gus Atkinson. R. II. Nipp and d. L. Hen
derson. and securing special train from
the Sansa Fe went up the Walnut valley
to Douglas, where in a short space of time
the robbers were taken in.
1t appears that the robbers were anna
teurs. They had the job planned for some
time but nobody knew when it would take
place.
When the train left the station at Au-
gusta two men got on the tender and
compelled the engineer 10 stop. Then the
express car was cut out and robbed. There
was do trouble about 1t. These amateurs
had the experience of the DaItons to back
them and everything was easy.
This is the first crowd of train robbers
ever picked up in so short length of time,
To Sheriff Nipp belongs the glory and he
is receiving ompliments from ali sides.
The names of the robbers are Fred Liy-
ingston of Douglass, aged 81: Ezra Carter
of Hartland, aged "a; Allen Bailey of
Douglass, aged 40; Roland Moffatt of
Winfield, aged 25 Moffatt was a section
hand working in this city.
The men were placed IN Jail on Sunday
and Monday Morning Sheriff Nipp took
them to Butler county, where they must
stand trial.
The car which was robbed was combi-
nation mail and express car.
Recently this express company got hold
of this line and the messengers had not yet
received their regular complement of ar
tillery. The car was in charge of Messen-
ger Ship. The train was made up at
Burton. and contained no money, COM
paratively speaking. The few dollars the
robbers secured was taken from them and
returned to the express company. If they
had tackled the west bound passenger
train they would have secured good pile
of filthy lucre, as the company carries
good deal of money on the western trip.
being amateurs they did their
work like professionals, and made their
work seick so far as the engineer, fireman
and express messenger were concerned.
They did not attempt to rob the passen-
gers.
Kansas is bad place for express robbers.
1t is not like Missouri or Texas, where the
sheriffs are not of that political faith that
implies energy and get-up-andget.