The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-24
BULLETS FLY ON A TRAIN
EXPRESS ROBBERS Make A DES-
PERATB RRsISTANCE.

EXPRESS ROBBERS MAKE A DES-
PERATB RESISTANCE.
A Colored Policeman Shot Dead In
His Tracks The Robbers Lock
Themselves In q Freight Car and
Exchange a Shower OF Bullets With
Detectives - One of the Bandits
Finally Killed and the Other Then
Surrenders.
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Jan. 23-Last night
was thrilling one for the crew and passen-
gers Of the south-bound Missouri Pacific
train. The train was held up twice, once
by the lynching party that was escorting
Murderer Robert Hepler from Nevada, No.,
to Lamar, Mo-, where they hanged him,
and the second time by train robbers, who
robbed the express car and its
inmates The train had hardly
left Nassau Junction, where the lyme hing
party took possession of it, when danger
signal induced the engineer to slow up
again. When the train came to a stand-still
two masked meu entered the express car
and ordered the occupants to hold up their
hands, keeping them covered with revolvers
while the train Travelled twelve miles to
Lamar.
ROBBED THE TRAINNEN. a
The robbers riflsd the pockets OF the train
men, taking $75 from Baggageman Hull.
Small amounts were taken from Express
Messenger Houck aud a travelling passenger
agent, Mr.. B0rdett, Of the Missouri Pacific,
who had gone TO the eX-
press car to escape annoyance by
the mob Of lynchers in the rear cars.
The express messenger was compelled
to open the combination Of the Pacific Ex-
press Company's safe. and that was also
ritied. The amount secured, however, was
of an insignificant amount, less that S75.
When the train arrived at Lamar, the des.
tination OF the mob. the bandits mingled in
the crowd Of lynchers and for time were
lost sight Of.
SEEN BOARDING A FREIGHT.
One of the trainmen, however, soon dis
covered them boarding a passing north
bound freight train on the Memphis road,
and sent the following dispatch to the sheriff
ard city marshal at Fort Scott, Kan:
watch for two men, no baggage, rough
appearance, one somewhat taller than the
other They are wanted here for robbing
the Pacific express, Missouri Pacific
train here this morning Are coming
toward your city on freight The freight
train arrived at Fort Scott 1t O'Clock this
morning. Policeman s. B. Clemore (col-
ored) was on duty at the station. Two sus-
plcious looking characters Of the descrip-
tion OF the robbers given in the dispatch ar
rived. He halted them, when one Of the men
drew his revolver and fired.
THE POLICEMAN KILLED.
The bullet pierced the policeman's heart,
and he dropped dead on the instant. BY
this time the freight was just pulling out,
and the robbers boarded an empty box car
and locked themselves in. Shortly after
ward a passenger train from Lamar ar
rived, and on it was Detective Chester of
the Missouri Pacific, who was in
pursuit of the bandits He,
accompanied by United States Mar
shal: Mapes=s.and Marshal Abbott Of
Fort Scott, boarded the passenger train,
which pulled out Immediately in pursuit of
the freight. AT z O'Clock a m. the freight
was overtaken. but was just pulling out for
Pleasanton when the passenger train ar
rived, the crew Of the former train having
no knowledge Of the dangerous freight they
were hauling.
A FUsILLADE ON THE TRAIN.
Detective Chester and his companions,
however, succeeded In boarding the moving
freight and took possession of the car i'm
mediately behind the one in which the
bandits had taken refuge. The latter had
seen their pursuers enter the car and i'm
mediately opened fire upon them. The Of
ticers returned the fire and shots were con-
tinuously exchanged through the ends of
the cars all the way to Pleasanton, a
distance Of five miles, A dispatch had been
sent to Pleasanton asking that posse meet
the train, and when the freight pulled in the
robbers car was surrounded and the inmates
were called upon to surrender. They
answered with shots from their reyolvers
and tha roft1rnaI ha Rrn
ONE OF THE ROBBERS FINALLY KILLED.
The two imprisoned men fired through
the side of the car at random and the posse
returned the fire with Winchesters and
revolvers. The fusillade lasted nearly an
hour. Finally shot from Winchester of
one OF the posse struck one Of the robbers in
the head and killed him. The other
bandit then surrendered. He was
seriously wounded in the side. He gave his
own name as Charles Meyer Of Kansas City,
but declined to reveal the name of his com
however, that it is S. G. Francis, Meyers
brother-in-law.
NO DOUBT OF THEIR IDENTITY
KANSAS CITY, Jan. 23.-The police of
Kansas City, Kan. received the following
telegram tonight:
FORT SCOTT, KAN, Jan. 49,
Tell my wife it is us. Tell her not to come.
am wounded CHARLES MEYER.
The ''us" evidently includes C. Francis.
Francis and Meyer married sis-
ters, and were professional gamblers.
Francis was a cousin OF Gov. Francis, who
he greatly resembles, and nephew Of
Judge Cowan of st. Louis. He was heir to
an estate near Baltimore, Md, bequeathed
him in trust by his father, the proceeds of
which he received. Myers father is a
wealthy stock man living near Versailles,
Mo.