The state herald., 1892-01-29
LYNcHeRs AND TRAIN ROBBERS
A Missouri Pacific Train Held up
Twice In One Night.

A Kansas City dispatch says: Last
Friday night was thrilling ono for the
crew and passengers Of tho south bound
Missouri Pacific train. Tho train was
held up twice, once by o lynching party
that was escorting Murderer Robert
Helper from Nevada, Missouri, TO Lamar,
Missouri, where they hanged him, and "
second time by train robbers. who robbed
the express car and It's inmates. The train
had hardly left Nassau Junction, where
the lynching party took possession of It.
when danger signal induced the engineer
to slow up again. When tho train came TO
. stand still two masked mon entered the
express Cur and ordered tho occupants TO
hold up their hands, keeping thom covered
with revolvers while the train travelled
twelve miles TO Lamar.
The robbers rlaed tho pockets OF the
trainmen, taking $40 from Baggagoman
Hull, small amounts from Express Mes
senger Houck and Travelling Passenger
Agent Barrett Of the Missouri Pacific, who
had gone 10 tho express car to avoid. an
noyance by tho mob Of lynchers In the
rear cars.
The express messenger was compelled TO
reveal the combination Of tho Pacific Ex-
press Company's safo and that was also
rificd, tho amount secured, however,
being Of IN Insignificant amount, loss than
s75.
When tho train arrived at Lamar, tho
destination OF tho mob, tho bandits min
gled in tho crowd of lynchers md for o
time were lost sight OF. Ono Of tho train
men, however, soon discovered them
boarding north bound train on tho
Men.i'h!e roaa, and scnta dispatch to tho
sheriff and city marshal Mt Fort
Scott to arrest tho men. A colored police
man ut the depot tried to do SO
but was shot through the heart
BY this timo tho freight train was pull
ing out md tho robbers boarded an empty
box car and locked themselves In. Shortly
afterward the passenger train from Lamar
arrived and on II was Detective Chester
Of the Missouri Pacific, who was In pursuit
Of tho bandits. He, accompanied by
United States Marshal Mapes and City
Marshal Abbot, Of Fort Scott, boarded tho
passenger train, which pulled out imme.
diately in pursuit of the freight. At
Miami station tho freight was overtaken,
but was Just pulling out for Pleasanton
when the passenger train arrived, the crew
Of the former train having no knowledge
Of tho dangerous freight they were hauling.
Detective Chester and his companions,
however, succeeded in boarding the NOV
ing freight and took possession OF the car
Immediately behind that in which tho ban
dts had taken refuge. The latter had seen
their pursuers enter the ear and imrsedi
ntely opened fire upon them. The officers
returned the fire and shots were continu-
ously exchanged through the ends Of the
cars all the wny to Pleasanton, distance
OF five miles. A dispatch had been sent to
Pleasanton asking that posse meet the
train, and when the freight pulled In tho
robbers car was surrounded and tho in
mates were called upon to surrender They
answered with shots from their rcvolvers
and tho posse returned the fro. Finally u
shot from tho Winchester OF ono of tho
pesse struck ono Of the robbers In the head
and killed him. Tho other bandit then
surrendered. He was seriously wounded
IN the side. He gave his own name as
Charles Myers OF Kansas City, Kansas, and
1t was found that tho other train robber
was S. c. Francis, his brothcr-in.law.
They had been professional gamblers.
1t is learned that Francis Is the fourth
man of the Glendale gang, whose namo had
been persistently kept from tho public.
The police had been after him for three
weeks, knowing his name. but ho had,
through ignorance Of their pursuit, kept
away from thcm until yesterday, when he
was killed by posse in pursuit OF him for
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