The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-03
ROBBERS HOLD UPATRAIN
THEY GET INTO THE EXPRESS CAR
AFTER A HARD FIGHT.

Over 200 Shots Fired and No One
Wounded - One Rumor Puts the
Amount of Money Obtained at S5o,.
ooo-The Leader of the Gang Notice,
able for His Extreme Politeness.
WICHITA, KAN, June "A special tc
the Eagle says that the south-bound Santa
Fe passenger train, which leaves Wichita at
3 :45 o'clock in the afternoon, was held up
at 9:45 O'Clock last night by masked robbers
at the stock ysrds near the station of Red
Rock, in the Cherokee strip. The train was
tagged and the engineer and fireman were
taken prisoners. The robbers then entered
the express car, broke open the safe aud
secured its contents. The amount obtained
is said to be $4,000. The passengers were
not molested. Deputy United States Mar
shal Madsen, at Guthrie, was notified and
organized posse to start in pursuit of the
gang, the number of which is unknown
The money obtained is thought here to have
been intended for Indian payments.
WORK OF THE DALTON GANG.
Finally, the robbery was doubtless COM
mitted by the notorious Dalton gang, for
whom large rewards are still standing, and
who we're even then being tracked by de-
tective aud his posse, who were behind them
no more than days journey on horse
back
1t was 10 o'clock when the train reached
Red Rock in the northwestern part of the
Otoe and Missouri reservation in the Indian
strip. Just as 1t was pulling out few min
utes later two men, with black masks COW
ering their faces, jumped suddenly in the
engines cab from the tender and covering
the engineer and firemen with their
revolVers commanded them to run the train
down to the stock yards and to stop at 6
given signal. Carl Mack the engineer. and
Frank Rogers, the fireman, obeyed the
command. To have resisted would have
meant their death. When the train stopped
the two robbers were joined by five masked
companions.
THE ATTACK ON THE EXPRESS CAR.
Their leader commanded the engineer
and fireman to walk back to the express
car, aud commanded the fireman to break
open the door with his coal pick. F. G.
Whittlesey, the messenger, and J. A
R:ohl, the guard, anticipating what va!
going on when the trainlca to a stand
still, had blownout the light in the car and
refused to allow any one to enter
The bandits then opened fire on the cal
from all sides, but the two men within i;
responded promptly, aiming all their shot:
at the door. The highwaymen shot intc
the car from all quarters, even getting
Their firing, however, was all to no effect
| for the messengers bravely stood theil
| ground.
FINALLY CARRIED THEIR POINT.
In the meantime one of the robbers haC
| chopped a hole in the door Of the car larg
enough to admit a mans body, and tn
fireman was told to crawl through it intC
the car. This placed him literally between
two fires, and Engineer Mack, seeing tina
| it meant death to his companion, explained
the situation to the messengers within AM
| told them to cease firing
| When the robbers at las
| entered the express car, they covered thos,
| within with their guns, and with sledge ham
mer and chisel broke open both the way anC
| through safes and robbed them of every
| thing of value. They also took $50 and
| gold watch from the guard of the express
car. Messenger Whittlesey had hidden hii
| money and watch and the robbers go
| nothing from him. The robbers are de
| scribed by several Of the passengers whit
talked with them as being well dressed anC
of gentlemanly appearance and bearing.
THE LEADER ESPECIALLY POLITE.
This is especially true Of the leader, WHIT
apologized to the engineer for a rough re-
mark made by one of his crowd, and prom.
ised him that it should not occur again
| ger, asked for smoking tobacco. The passeu
| ger reached into his coat-tail pocket for it
when the robber told him if it was in hii
hip pocket he had better not at
tempt to get it. The amount secured b,
| the robbers is unknown. as the expires
| company has made no statement Afte
| the robbery the men mounted their horse
| and rode off to the southwest. The Dalton
are charged with the crime, ant
| judging from the description giver
Of the robbers by those whc
are acquainted with the Dalton
| it was undoubtedly the notorious gang
| The detective and his posse had been on the
| latter's track for some time. Only day
or so ago one of the gang bought eighteeI
boxes of cartridges at Oklahoma City ant
| after ward escaped the vigilancs OF his pur-
suers. A strong posse was organized here
| late last night and went up to the scene ot
| the robbery on freight train. It IL
| thought that the robbers eau be easily
tracked on account Of the wet ground.
UNEXAMPLED oUTLAwRY.
GUTHRIE, 0. T., June 2, 8 P. M.-The de
| tails of the robbery last night of the Wells
| Fargo express car OF the Santa Fe passengel
| train make a story of unexampled outlawrJ
on the part of bandits and brave resist
ance on the part of the custodians of tht
express company's property. The robbery
was an unique one in the history
of Indian Territory outlawry. Ii
the first place the robbers got
everything in sight. Again. during tn,
battle between the messengers and bandits
| in which nearly 200 shots were fired, not G
man was wounded. Then, again. the rob
| bers were of gentlemanly appearance anC
| department in their relations with the train
men who were not pressed into their service
and with the passengers, several of whom
| conveTsed with the leader of the robbers.