Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-09-13
HOT ON THE CHASE
OF a Most Audacious Gang Of
Train Robbers.
WHICH CAPTURES NEARLY $40. 600,
Shoots a Brave Engineer, and HES
Away with Its Ill-Got-
ter Booty.

The IL sN3-Up Accomplished in Territory
That Makes the Authorities Ask "what
Next?'-No Clue to the Criminals, But a
Swarm of Detectives on the Hunt--One
Suspect in JaiI-Experience of the Mes
senger Related by Himself-Other De-
tails.
CHICAGO, Sept. 13-If it had been in Mis-
souri,, now, or in Kansas or Colorado even,
or west of Chicago, at the least, it would
not have been much wondered at But
for train robbery to take place 40 miles
east of Chicago in the state of Indiana,
and all the robbers get away with whole
skins and leave no clue as to who they
are-thet is sumner More than that:
although the crime was committed shortly
after midnight, on line of telegraph,
only few miles from a prosperous Hoos-
Ter town, the news did not get to Chicago
until all the great dailies had their regu-
lar editions out and extras did not appear
until some time later
Got Less Than SEQ, 900.
II the news was as tardy getting to the
police authorities the robbers had time to
spare in covering their tracks. The job was
not particularly profitable, for it can be
positively stated that the total swag aggre-
gated only Sl9, 1046O. This is to be divided
among not less than ten men, and some
sIy there were twenty. This season has
not been lucky for this sort of industry,
for death or capture has followed very
closely upon the crime recently, in view of
w = ng,. l. s.
the risk. Another thing that would be
aggrayating to the robbers if they knew it
is that they missed two bars of gold that
were worth $4,000, and that the express
messenger saved 1900 more by hiding it,
One Brave Nan Was Hurt.
The engineer of the train showed true
grit and got bullet in him for the same
The train was stopped by the danger
signal, but when the robbers came aboard
and ordered the men on the locomotive to
throw up their hands Engineer James
Knapp showed fight and shot was fired
at him, the bullet tearing through his
shoulder. The robbers, having control of
the engine proceeded to the work of loot
ing the express car. 1t was found after
ward that the switch had not been turned
but the light only had been changed. If
the train had not stopped 1t would have
passed on uninjured. The train was the
Atlantic express and left Chicago at 7:45
p. II. II consisted of twelve coaches and
sleepers and was in charge Of Conductor
NJ. y. Loup, Of Chicago. IL carried large
number OF passengers many of whom
were Worlds fair visitors returning home
Locality of the Hold-Up.
The robbery took place near kessler
which is small station ont the Lake Shore
road about 40 miles from Chicago. and is
surrounded on all sides with brush The
story told by Assistant Messenger e. B.
Hamlin is as follows: M NJ Weist, the
express messenger or the ran, and myself
had just about finished checking our way
bills. 1t was nearly midnight and we had
just passed the little station of Kessler
when we felt the train first slow up and
then stop. just then there came heavy
pounding on the door of our car which
was closed. Thinking something had
happened about which the conductor de
sired to inform us l opened the door. As
l did so | saw two men standing on the
ground beside the car.
Very Ready TO Take Life.
"One of them yelled, Throw up your
hands, and before l could move he pointed
rife at me and fired. l saw the motion
of the gun and threw myself to one side,
and the flash from the gun almost blinded
me. l managed to slam the doors shut
and bolted them. Then some one on the
outside commenced smashing the doors
with sledge. They kept this up for a
minute or two, and then stopped. Sud
denly there came an explosion that seemed
to us inside as if bomb had been thrown
against the door. a moment later there
was another explosion that blew the door
tp nh he pqr. Hu
track, and knocked Weist and I down,
piling baggage ali over Us.
Robbers Go to Work on the safe.
Before we could eXtricate ourselves
several men wearing masks had climbed
into the car. One fellow covered me
with a Winchester rifle and told me that
if l moved he would blow my head off.
Another fellow kept Neist covered in the
same way They searched Weist and l for
keys to the safe, but could not find any,
and they seemed to believe us when we
told them that the safe was opened by
men from the Office at the end of the run
Then they set to work to open the safe
With a sledge they knocked the kncb of
| the door, and then they began to drill
holes in it. 1t took them what seemed
hours to me to do this.
Mighty Uncomfortable Sitting.
All Jue WHlie W tlSl anu were COM
PEELED to sit still with the muzzles of the
rifles at our heads. The drilling seemed
slow work for the fellows. They talked
but little. A small, stout man, who
seemed to be the leader, directed the work.
Finally they got through drilling and
forced the door open. The man who
seemed to be the leader of the gang took
the money packages and handed them out
to fellow who stood outside of the car
and who ran into the woods when he got
| the money.
Believes He Saw Twenty Men.
"Then the fellows who had charge of US
told us not to move, and then they backed
to the door and leaped out. The rest of
the gang that had been around the engine
and back by the passenger coaches also
ran away, firing their guns as they went.
l saw probably twenty men altogether,
blt do not know that they nll halonpad