Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-09-29
Work of Robbers.

meny are mehgieo.
Work of Robbers.
Amlllion dollars IN currency.
That was the prize for which Kansas
train robbers strove. An appalling loss
of human life was the price they were
willing to pay for 1t.
Passenger train No. 8. on the Atchi-
son, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, east
bound, was wrecked early In the morn
ing three miles west of Usage City by
train robbers who hoped by that means
to plunder the express car of 81 900 900,
which was being transported from the
city Of Mexico to Boston.
A wrecked train, four men killed, and
'thirty-tive men, women, and children
injured are the only results OF the at
tempted robbery, for the robbers se-
cured not q penny of the treasure to
capture which they imperlled so many
lives.
The wreck and attempted robbery had
been carefully and deliberately planned.
To avoid the possibility OF leaving clew
behind them the robbers stole the tools
with which they did their dreadful work
instead of purchasing them. Theystole
a crow bar, wrench and sledge hammer
from the tool house at Barclay, three
miles west of the scene of the wreck,
and with them removed the fish plate
which joined two rails together, which
would necessarily derail the train. The
robbers had evidently selected with care
the spot at which 10 wreck the train.
They selected the top of q grade, up
which the train would be obliged to as
eend, thus lessening its speed and at the
same time lessening the chances OF SO
badly wrecking the train as to bury be-
meath the debris the treasure they were
seeking. These precautions were un-
avalling, and the very thing they sought
to evade thwarted their efforts.
When the train passed over the weak
ened track the entire train was
wrecked, with the exception of
the rear car, and most of the
cars were piled one on top of the
other above the express car, burying 1t,
and it's treasure so deep as torequire sew
eral hours digging to reach it. The en-
gine, when it passed over the loosened
for a second of time and then toppled
over with dreadful crash.
Four Trainmen Killed.
The engineer and fireman had no
warning OF their dreadful fate and no
chance for their lives. They must have
been killed outright when the engine
was wrecked. The express messenger
. and express guardsmen were equally
unprepated and they were killed In their
car. There were some $50 passengers
on the train, but not one was killed.
How they escaped seems miraculous.
The cars were piled one on another and
composed mass of timber and twisted
iron in which it seemed impossible for
any being TO have escaped death. When
the work of rescue was completed, how
ever, all the passengers were found to be
alive. Several were badly injured and
few may die. The 81, ,000,0 belonged
to the Mexican Central Railroad Com
pany, and was being forwarded to that
company's headquarters at Boston. It
was rescued from the wreck and turn ed
over TO the Wells Fargo company at
Topeka to be forwarded to its destina-
tion.
Reward for the wreckers.
The Santa Fe has offered $1,000 re-
ward for the train wreckers, and sew
eral posses are searching the country In
the vicinity of the wreck. Advices from
Usage City and Barclay state that in
tense excitement and indignation pre-
walls among the people there, who de-
clare broadly that the wreckers shall be
lynched when caught.
The train consisted Of baggage, ex-
press and mail car, two day coaches,
two chair cars and three sleepers. It
was thrown over an embankment three
feet high and the first six cars tele-