The Indianapolis journal., 1892-01-25
Train Held Up Twice.


KANSAS CRY. Jan. 23.-Last night was
thrilling one for the crew and passengers
of the south bound Missouri Pacific train.
The train was held up twice: once by a
lynching party that was escorting muir
derer Robert Hepler from Nevada, Mo-, to
Lamar. Mo-, where they hanged him, and
q second time by train-robbers. who robbed
the express car and It's inmates.
The train had hardly left Nassau juno
tion, where the lynching party took pos
session of ii, when danger signal induced
the engineer to slow mp again. When the
train came to stand-still two masked men
entered the express car and ordered
the occupants to hold up their
revolvers while the train travelled
twelve miles to Lamar. The robbers rifled
the pockets of the trainmen, taking S75
from the baggageman. Hull. and small
amounts from Express Messenger Houck
and Travelling Agent Barrett. of the Mis-
car to escape annoyance from the mob of
lynchers in the rear car The express mes
senger was compelled to reveal the combi-
nation of the Pacific Express Company's
safe, and that was also ritied. the amount
secured, however. being of an insignificant
amount, less than S75.
When the train arrived at Lamar, the
destination of the mob, the bandits min
gIed in the crowd of lynchers and for o
time were lost sight of. One of the train
men, however, soon discovered them board
ing passing north bound freight train on
the Memphis road. and sent a dispatch to
the sheriff and city marshal of Fort Scott.
Kan., saying: Watch for two men, no
baggage, rough appearances; one somewhat
taller than the other. They are wanted for
robbing Pacific express, Missouri Pacific
train here this morning. Are coming
toward your city on freight"
At MRmi station the freight was over
taken, bnt was Just pulling out for Pleas
anton when the passenger train arrived,
the crew of the former train having no
knowledge of the dangerous freight they
were hauling. Detective Chester and his
companions. however. succeeded in board
ing the freight and took possession of the
car Immediately behind the one in which
the bandits had taken refuge The latter
had seen their pursuers enter the car and
Immediately opened fire upon them. The
officers returned the fire. and shots were
changed through the ends of the cars all
the way to Pleasant0n. o 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 on 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 returned
the fire with Winchesters and revolvers.
The fuslllade Lasted nearly an hour.
Finally q shot from the Winchester of one
OF the posse struck one or the robbers in
the head and killed him. The other bandit
then surrendered. He was seriously
wounded in the side He gave his name as
Charles Myers, of Kansas City, Kan, but
declined to reveal that of his dead COM
panion. The coroner held an inquest on
the body of the dead robber and returned a
verdict in accordance with the facts.
Myers was taken back to Fort Scott.
The freight train arrived at Fort Scott at
o'clock this morning. Policeman s. Il. Nc
Lemore, colored, was on duty at the sta
tion. and saw two suspicious looking char
acters of the description given in the dis
patch get off the train. He halted them.
when one of the men drew his revolver and
fired. The bullet pierced the policeman's
heart. and he dropped dead on the spot. 1t
so happened by this time the freight train
was Just pulling ont, and the robbers
boarded an empty box car and locked them
selves In. Shortly afterwards the passen-
ger train from Lamar arrived, and on It
was detective Chester. of the Missouri Pa
citic road. who was in pursuit of the bandits
Accompanied by United States Marshal
Ma pes and City Marshal Abbott, of Fort
Scott. he boarded the passenger train
which pulled out Immediately In pursuit of
the freight.
The police of Kansas City. Kan, received
the following telegram to- night from
Charles Myers, the wounded robber, now at