The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-02-26
JESSE JAMES OUTDONE.
WONDERFUL DARING or A CENTRAL
HUDSON TRAIN ROBBER.


fimIdates Trains Crew, Captures an
Engine, But Is chased, Caught in a
swamp and Locked up-A Narrative
Stranger than Fiction.
ROCHESTER, N. Y, Feb. 21.-Tbe
shooting of an express messenger on
Capitalization train, the riding of a
valuable safe, the flight of the robber on
the engine of another train, from which
he drove the crew at the point OF re-
volyer, a running fight from the engine
cab for miles, chased by another engine
filled with railroad men and the final
capture of the desperate by sheritf's
posse in swamp after wild pursuit
across the country. are some OF the sem
sational features of the most desperate
attempt at train robbery in the history
of the Central Hudson railway.
Train No. 81 on the consolidation is
known as the American Express Com
pany's special. 1t runs every day IN the
year between New York and Buffalo, ana
carries only goods and property shipped
by that company. The express com
pany pays the Central-Hudson many
thousands of dollars yearly for the use OF
this train, and it runs on the same time
and with the same privileges as the
limited expresses. The train leaves
New York at 8 o'clock each evening and
is due in this city at 7.05 in the morn
ing. Nearly all the cars are run through
to Chicago and contain the most valua-
BILE express matters. One car is known
as the money car and in it is sent the
specie from the United States treasury
for western banks, as well as the money
in process of exchange between the
banks of New York and the West. The
load of wealth sent out from New York
on this train is usually greater on Satur-
day evening than on other days and
often amounts. to more than Sl,OOO,OOO in
addition to jewelry and other valuables.
One of the most trusted messengers of
the company, and sometimes several, are
placed in charge of this car, and so great
is the secrecy observed in regard to the
car and its contents that often the crew
of the train do not know in which car
the money is carried.
Daniel McInerny of this city was in
charge of the money car on the trip
Saturday night. The train was made up
of eight express cars and one day coach
for the accommodation of the regular
train crew. Only one messenger was as
signed to the money car, as the work of
billing was light. The other cars had
two messengers,
The train left Syracuse at o'clock
this morning in charge of Conductor
Emil Laas of this city. The train was
drawn by engine 692, with Caleb Cherry
engineer The coach was in the rear of
the train and the money Car just ahead.
scENTINa THE ROBBER.
When the train was near Weedsport
the conductor, who was in the coach
with his two trainmen, thought that he
heard the air whistle sound very family.
1t was enough to arouse him to the belief
that something was wrong in the ex-
press Car. Going out upon the platform
of the coach he climbed on the rail and
looking through the hole where the bell
cord comes through, he saw the upper
part of man, whose face below the
eyes was concealed by red flannel
mask. The messenger he could not see.
BE went back, set the air brakes and
laH t,un trli OF
leaning out from the platform looking
forward along the side of the express
Car.Suddcnly man appeared at the side
door of the express car, revolver bullets
whistled past their ears and voice was
heard commanding them to signal the
engineer to 90 ahead or take the conse-
quences.
The trainmen were unarmed. The
conductor told one of his men to jump
off, run back to Jordan and telegraph
that they had a train robber on board.
This was done, and the conductor signal
ed the engineer to go ahead at full speed,
thinking that the robber would not dare
to jump and would be captured at the
next stop. The train went to Port
Byron. Here the brakes were set again,
and the conductor and trainmen went
to. the express Car. The car showed
signs of desperate struggle, money
packages and jewelry were lying scat
tered about, everything in the car seem
ed stained with blood and Messenger
McInernY was lying bleeding from
several wounds and almost unconscious.
The robber was nowhere to be seen and
vas supposed to have jumped and es-
capped. McInerny wanted to be brought
on to Rochester. A telegram for an am
bulance went to Rochester and the train
went on to Lyons, the next stop. The
news had spread all along the line and
the station at Lyons was alive with peo-
pie.
Among the Others in the crowd was
we'll dressed young man wearing gold
eyeglasses and carrying a satchel along
by strap over his shoulder. The train
men had noticed this young man at
Syracuse before the train pulled out and
they had not seen him since The ques-
ton of what he was doing at Lyons and
how he OOt there at Onca auuyaatad IL