Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-22
THE WORK Of TRAIN ROBBERS,
A Santa Fe Express Wrecked
in Kansas.
Four Trainmen Killed and Thirty
five Passengers Injured.
The Train Deliberately Derai1cd for the
Purpose of Robbery The Thieves
Unable to Get at tho
Treasure.
By the Associated press.l

KANSAS CI1Y, Mo-. Sept. 21.-rassen-
ger train No. 8, on the Atchison, Tope-
ka and Santa Fe railroad. east-bound,
was wrecked early this morning, three
miles west of Usage City, by train rob-
bers, who hoped to piunder the express
car of $l,o00,0o0, being transported
from the City of Mexico toBoston, for
the Mexican Central railroad. A
wrecked train, fouv men killed and 30
men, women and children injured, are
the results of the attempted robbery.
The robbers stole tools from section
house at Barclay, three miles west OF the
of the wreck, and removed tsh-
plate which Joined two rails together.
The robbers selected the top OF grade,
going up which the train was likely to
slow down, lessening the chances OF SO
badly wrecking the train as to bury be-
meath the debris the treasure they were
seeking. The precautions were unavail-
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 max
ing an awful wreck. The express car
was buried go that it required two hours
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, rs many injured in that
event would have perished before the
rescuers could reach them.
The engineer, fireman, express mes
senger and guardwere crushed to death
in the wreck. There were about $50
passengers on the train, but not one was
killed. Several were badly injured,
however, and few may die.
The 81 ,000, 900 was rescued from the
wreck by Major Llewellyn of the Santa
Fe road, and turned over to the Wells
Fargo company. The Santa Fe has
offered $1,000 reward for the train wreck
ers, and several posses are searching the
country.
A special from Topeka says the
wrecked train consisted of a baggage,
express and mail car, two day coaches,
two chair cars and three sleepers. 1t
was thrown over an embankment three
feet high, and the first six cars
telescoped. Four persons were
killed outright and 25 seriously in
jured. The killed were Express Mes
senger Frank Baxter, of Kansas City;
Express Guardsman Bloomenthal, of
Mexico; Fireman James Chaddicks, of
Topeka, and Engineer Ed Mayer, of To-
peka. Most of the injured were western
people, but among the number was
Mary Lyman, of Bloomington, H., who
is badly injured and bruised about the
head and lace G. 7. Wordlaw, of Eli
oft. ILL.,, was also badly bruised.
The wreck occurred at small bridge
where there was a down grade. The
train was running 40 miles an hour and
it was impossible for the engineer to sec
the misplaced rails in time to check the
speed of the train. The coaches were
piled one on the other, until the bag
gage and express cars were completely,
hidden from view. Men, women and
children were piled over each other,
caught in seats and thrown through
windows. Relief first reached the train
from Emporia.
An examination of the track shows
that the fish plates had been carefully
removed, bolts taken out, and eplkes
drawn from ten ties, and the rail set
over to the inside.
Robbery was questionably the OBJ
ject, as the train carried 100000 in
currency en- route to Mexican Central
headquarters in Boston. A spot was
found where three men had lain con-
cealed in the grass. and tracks were dis
covered leading from this spot to the
track.
The passengers were brought to To-
peka, at 10 O'Clock this morning Some
OF the wounded could not be removed,
and several will probably die.