The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-02-22
A DARING TRAIN ROBBER
He Shoots a New York Central Ex-
press Messenger Who Re-
sisted Him. w.
Trying to Escape on One Engine,
He Is Pursued on An
other. ".
After Thinning Fight steam Gives Ont,
He Takes to the Woods and Is
Mu Cuught.

.u Cunght.
RocHEsrER, N. Y. Feb. 2l.--The shooting
of an express messenger on New York
Central train. the rifing of the safes tho
flight Of the Iobber on the engine Of another
train. from which he had driven the crew at
the point of a revolver. q running fight
from tho engine for miles, followed by
another engine filled with rairoad men.
and the final CAPTURE of the desperado by a
sheritfs posse in a swamp, after wild pur-
suit across country, are some OF the sensa- :
tional features Of the most desperate
attempt at train robbery in the history OF
the Central railway, and which cast in the
shade as an exhibition OF cooness and
nerve the famous exploits of the Jesse
James band or other outlaws OF western
fame.
The American Express company's special
between New York and Buffalo carry only
goods shipped BY that company. Nearly
ell the cars run through to Chicago and
contain most valuable express matter.
One car, known as the money car,
contains specie from the United States
treasury for western banks and money
in process of exchange between banks OF
New York and the west The load of
wealth sent out from New York on this
train is usually greater on Saturday even
ing than on other days and often amounts
to more than million dollars, in addition
to jewelry and other valuables. The most
trusted messengers are placed in charge Of
this car. Only one messenger, Daniel L.
Mclnery, was assigned to the money car
Saturday night, rs the work OF billing was
light. The other cars had two passengers.
The train left Syracuse at five O'Clock this
morning in charge of Conductor Emil
Laass with Caleb Cherry as engineer. The
coach was in the rear of the train and
money car just ahead.
When the train was near Weedsport the
conductor thought he heard the air whistle
sound very family. It aroused him to be-
lieve that something was wrong on the
express Car. Going out on the platform he
climbed on to the car and looking through
the hole into which the bell cord runs, he
saw the upper part of a man whose face
Lslow Was concealed by red flannel mask,
The messenger be could not see. He went
back, set the air break and called his two
trainmen. Suddenly a mans form ap-.
peared 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
tine consequences. The trainmen were un-
armed. he conductor told one of the men
to jump off, run back to Jordan ana tele-
graph along the line to Rochester that they
had train robber on board. This was
done and the conductor siRnalled the en-
glneer to go ahead at full speed, thinking
the Tobber would not dare jump, and that
he would be captured at the next stop.
The train went to Fort Byron. Here the
brakes were set again and the conductor
and tfainmen went to the express car. The
Money packages and jeweIry we're lying
scattered about. everything in the car
stained with blood. and Messenger Mcln-
e:y was lying bleeding from several
wounds and almost unconscious. The
robber was nowhere to be seen in the car.
The train went on to Lyons. fhe news
had spread all along the line by this time,
and the station at Lyons was all alive.
Among Others in the crowd was Il we'll
dressed young man wearing gold eye
glasses and carrying a satchel sung over
his shoulder. 1t happened the trainmen
noticed the young man at Syracuse before
the train started. and they had not seen
doing at Lyons at once suggested itself.
An attempt to arrest him was made, but he
pulled two revolvers, held tho crowd back
and backed across the yard until he
reached coal train, the engine of which
mac nag t' steam .A up resdy !, to pull
The pin holding the tender to the frst car.
climbed over the coal into the cab, drove
The engineer and tremen out with revolvers,
pulled open tho throttle and started the
engine. Conductor Laass and one of the
procured shot gun, freed the
sngine of the express and with the fireman |
and engineer started in pursuit of this tuai-
tive. The New York Central is four
tracked road and the engines, though going
west, were not on the same track. The
express engine soon overlook the rohber, !
who suddenly reversed his engine and let |
his pursuers pass him, pouring perfect
shower OF bullets into the cab as the pur-
,uers went by, Then the pursuers stopped |
and the pursued went ahead.
Another artillery duel ensued, the shot !
gun taking part this time. No one was
lurt in either battle. About seven miles
further on tho robber found the steam
going out of the engine. lie dropped OFF at
GROSS road and started across country,
yoinR south. He managed to terrorize a |
ode on about two miles. Here he procured
mother horse. The party i'll the express
'ngine had returned to Lyons where tho
heritf of Wayne county organized
posse, which, under command of
deputy. started i'll pursuit.
Meantime. farmers along the robbers
inc of retreat also turned out fully armed
II pursuit. Tho runaway was sighted
bout five miles south of Newark The
oads were bad and he made very poor
peed. He abandoned his ho SO and ran
cross lots to Benton's swamp, but the
waup proved too full OF water to be pen
trated and tho fugitive took up Il position
ehlnd a stone wall and faced his pursuers.
.fter some parley he surrendered to Deputy
herltf Collins. lie was taken back to
ama of William Cross, no said he was
rom New Mexico and had been boarding
i Syracuse some time. He admitted he
ns the man who attempted the train rob-
cry. The admission was made to Chief
I Detectives Hayden, of this CITY, who had
con wired for. He is believed to be the
,uoh- wanted Oliver Curtis Perry, who
,bbed Express Messenger Moore near
ticn last fall,
Tho story of what occurred in the ex-
ress car, as far M. it can be gathered is as
blows: Cross boarded tho train when il
ulled out of Syracuse, climbing on top of
le express car. He WAS provided with
ooked rope. Fastening the hook in the
,of on the side of the chr he Let himself
own on the other side and resting his toes
II Il ledge that runs across the car, looked
trough the glass of tho side door and saw
10 messenger in front of one Of the safes
hich was open. Smashing the glass with [
'volser. no covered the messenger. order
~ him to hold up his hands. Instead
nI RAM Tnr l, nj ,,itI tI,I 4.