The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1892-02-25

ed-He Took Possession Of an Engine,
and Was Followed by Trainmen on
Another, Captured and Jailed.
ROCHESTER, N. Y, Feb 22-Train
81, on the Central Hudson, is known as
the American Express Co. s special. 1t
runs every day in the year be.
tween New York and Buffalo, and car.
ries only goods and property shipped
by that company. The load of wealth
sent out from New York on this train
is usually greater on Saturday evening
than on the other days and often
amounts to more than q million dollars
in addition to jewelry and other valu-
ables
When the train was near Weedsport
the conductor, who was in the coach
with his two trainmen, thought he
heard the air-whistle sound very faint.
ly. 1t was enough to arouse him to
the belief that something was wrong in
the express car.
Going out on the platform Of the
coach he climbed on the rail- and looked
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. He
went back, set the air-brakes, and
called his two trainmen. The three
stood leaning out from the platform
looking forward along the sides
of the express car. Suddenly mans
form appeared at the side door of the
express car. Revolver bullets whistled
past their ears, and a voice was heard
commanding them to signal the en-
gineer to 60 ahead or take the conse-
quences The trainmen were un-
armed. The conductor told one of his
men to jump off, run back to Jor.
dan and telegraph along the line
to Rochester that they had q
train robber on board. This was
done, and the conductor signalled the
engineer to go ahead at full speed,
thinking that the robber would not dare
jump and would be captured at the next
stop The train went to Ft Byron.
Here the brakes were set again and the
conductor and trainmen went to the
express car.
The car showed signs of a desperate
struggle. Money packages and jewelry
were lying scattered about, everything
in the. car seemed stained with blood,
and Messenger McInenery was lying,
bleeding from several wounds and al
where to be seen, and was supposed to
have jumped and made good his escape
The news spread all along the line by
this time, and the station at Lyons was
all alive. Among others in the crowd
was well-dressed young man wearing
eyeglasses and carrying satchel
slung by strap over his shoulder.
Now, it SO happe ned that the train
men had noticed this same young man
at the station at Syracuse before the
train pulled out and had not seen him
since, and the question of what he was
doing at Lyons and how he got there
at once suggested itself. An attempt
was made to seize him, but he
pulled out two revolvers, held the
crowd back and backed across the yard
until he reached a coal train, the engine
of which had steam up, ready to pull
out for the west. He pulled the pin
holding the tender to the first car,
climbed over the coal into the cab,
drove the engineer and fireman out
with his revolvers, pulled open the
throttle and started the engine.
Conductor Laas and one of the switch
men procured shotgun, freed the en-
gine of the express, and with the fire.
man and the engineer started in pursuit
of the fugitive. 1t will be remem-
bered that the Central Hudson is
a four tracked road, and the engines,
though both going west were not
on the same track. The express en-
gine soon overlook the robber. who
| suddenly reversed his engine and let
his pursuers pass him, pouring a per-
feet trail of pistol bullets into the cab
as his pursuers went by. Then
the pursuers stopped and the pur-
sued went ahead Another artil-
lery duel ensued, the shotgun
taking part this time. No one
was hurt in either battle. About two
miles beyond the robber found his en-
gine's steam was giving out. So he
jumped off at crossroad and started
across the country, going south. He
managed to terrorize a farmer into let
ting him have horse and rode on about
two miles further south. Here he pro-
CURED horse and cutter, persuad-
ing their owner, German farmer,
to entrust him with them by firing on
! him.
The party in the express engine had
returned to Lyons, where the sheriff of
Wayne county had organized posse,
which, under command of Deputy Sher-
iff Collins, started in pursuit Mean
time the farmers along the robbers line
of retreat had also turned out fully
armed in pursuit. The runaway was
sighted five miles south of Newark.
The roads are very bad, and he made
poor speed. He abandoned his rig and
ran across lots to Boston Swamp. But
the swamp proved too full of water to
be penetrated, and the fugitive took
up his position behind a stone wall and
faced his pursuers. After some par
ley he surrendered to Deputy