The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-09-22

Four Men Killed, Thirty five Persons In
jurcd Near OsAge City, Kan.

rOuH Wen Allleus 1nifty-nve PERSONS In
jurcd Near Usage city, Kan.
KANSAS Cry, Sept. 2l.-Passenger train,
No. 8, on the Atchison. Topeka & Santa
Fe railroad. eastbound. was wrecked early
this morning three miles west of Usage
City. Kan, by train robbers, who hoped to
p!under the express car Of 81. .OOO, 900, which
were being transported from the City of
Mexico to Boston for the Mexican Central
railroad. A wrecked train, four men
killed and thirty-five men. women and
children injured are the terrible results of
the attempted robbery. The robbers stole
tools from q section hose at Barclay, three
miles west of the scene of the wreck, and
removed the tishplates which Joined two
rails together. The robbers selected the
top of grade going up which the train
would likely slow down. lessening the
chances of so badly wrecking the train as
to bury beneath the debris the treasure
they were seeking. The precautions were
unavailing, as everything they sought
TO avoid occurred. When the train reached
the spot the engine left the track, and
most OF the cars followed it, piling
one on top of another, and making
an awful wreck. The express car was
buried so that it required two hours Of
digging TO get at it. Fortunately, although
the engine was at the bottom of the pile.
the debris did not catch fire, and thus an
awful horror was averted. as MANY of the
injured would in that event have perished
before the rescuers could reach them. The
engineer, fireman, express messenger and
guard were crushed TO death in the wreck.
There were about 2oS passengers on the
tram, but none oil them were killed
Several were badly injured and some NAV
die. The money was recovered from the
wreck by Maj. Llewellyn, of the Santa Fe
road, and turned over 10 the Wells Fargo
company. The Santa Fe has offered
$4,000 reward for each train wrecker. and
several posses are searching the country.
The wrecked train consisted of baggage.
express and mail cars, two day coaches.
two chair cars and three s.eepers. The
cars were thrown over an embankment
three feet high and the first six cars tele
scoped. The killed are: Express Messen.
ger Frank Baxter. of Kansas City: Ex-
press Guardsman Bloomenthal, of Mexico.
No.; Fireman James Chadwick, of Topeka,
Kan, and Engineer Ed Mayer, of Topeka.
Kan. Most of the injured were Western
people, but among the number was Mary
Lehman. of Bloomington, ILL.,, who il
badly injured and bruised about the head
and face, G. T. Wordiaw, of Elliott. ILL.,.
is also badly bruised.
The wreck occurred at a small bridge.
The train was running forty miles an
hour. and it was impossible for the engi.
neer TO see The misplaced rails in time to
check the speed Of the train. The coaches
We're piled one over the other until the
baggage and express cars were completely
hidden from view Men, women and
children were piled over each other.
caught in their seats or thrown through
the windows. A spot was found where
three men had lain concealed in the grass
and tracks were discovered leading from
this spot to the railroad track. The mas
sengers were brought to Topeka at 10
O'Clock this morning. Some of the
wounded could not be removed, and sew.
erai will probably die.