The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-02-10
DESPERATE TRAIN ROBBERS.
Locked in a Box Car, They
Fight Their Pursuers.
A Battle With Winchesters on
a Moving Train.

The crew and passengers Of the south
bound Missouri Pacific train had thrilling
trip through Missouri few night ago. The
train was ''held up" twice. once by lynch
ing party that was eseorting Murderer Rob-
ert Hepler from Nevada, Mo-, to Lamar,
Mo-, where they hanged him, and a second
time by train robbers, who robbed an e1-
press car and its inmates.
The II ain had hardly left Nassau juno
tion, where the lynching party took pos
session Of it. when danger signal induced
the engineer to slow up again. When the
train came to staudstill, two masked men
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. The robbers rifed
the pockets of the trainmen, taking
from Express Messenger Houck and Travel
ing Passenger Agent Bardett, Of the Mis-
souri, Pacific, who had :gone to the express
car to escape annoyance by the mob Of lynch
ers in the rear cars. The express messenger
vas compelled to open the combination of
the Pacific Company's safe and that was
also riled. The amount secured, however,
was less than SIS.
When the train arrived at Lamar, the
in the crowd oflynchers and for a time were
lost sight of. One Of the trainmep, however.
soon discovered them boarding a passing
north-bound freight train on the Mem
phis Road, and sent the following
dispatch to the Sheriff aud City Marshal at
Fort Scott, Kansas: Watch for two men;
no baggage; rough appearance; one some
what taller than the other. They are
wanted for robbing Pacific express, Missouri
poo;6o baro fhic y,orpipp. ara c0nino
toward your city on freight"
The freight train arrived az Fort Scott at
7o'clock next morning. Policeman S. B. Gle
more, colored, was on duty at the station.
Two suspicious looking characters Of the
description Of the robbers given in the dis
patch arrived, He halted them, when one
of the men drew his revolver and fired. The
dropped dead ON the instant. It so hap
pened that by this time the freight was just
pulling out and the robbers boarded an
empty box car and locked themselves in.
Shortly afterward the passenger train from
Lamar arrived, and on it was De.
tective Chester. Of the Missouri Pacific, who
was in pursuit OF the brandits. He, accom-
panied by United States Marshal Mapes and
Marshal Abbott, of Fort Scott boarded the
passenger train, which pulled out immed1-
ately in pursuit Of the freight
AT A, NJ. the freight was overtaken, but
it was just pulling out for Pleasanton when
the passenger train arrived, the crew OF the
former train having no knowledge Of the
dangerous freight they were hauling. De-
tective Chester AMI his companion, how
ever, succeeded in boarding the moving
freight, and took possession Of the
car Immediately behind the one in
which the bandits had taken refuge The
latter had seen theft pursuers enter the car
and Immediately opened fire upon them. The
officers returned the fire, and shots we're
continually exchanged through the ends Of
the cars all the way to Pleasanton, dis
tance of FIVE miles.
A dispatch had been sent to Pleasanton,
asking that q 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 revolvers and
the posse returned the fire. The two
imprisoned men fired through the sides
of the car at random, and the posse re-
turned the fire with Winchesters and revolv-
ers. The fusillade lasted nearly an hour.
Finally shot from Winchester of one of
posse struck one Of the robbers in the head
rendered. He was seriously wounded
in the side. He gave his own
name as Charles Myers, OF Kansas City. Kan.
His friend, s. c, Francis, the bandit
who was killed, was 4 cousin Of Governor
Francis, whom he greatly resembled, emo g
nephew Of Judge Cowan, of St. Louis. He
was heir to an estate near Baltimore, Md,
beqaeathed him in trust by his father, tbs
proceeds of-.which he received. Myers's father
, is q wealthy stockman living near Yer
: sailles Mo.