The evening world., 1893-09-25
WALKED into A TRAP
Two Would-B Be Train Robbers
Killed and Three Captured.
They Held Up a Dummy" Train
Filled with Police Officers.
Fought Fiercely When Called Upon
to Surrender.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo, Sept. 25.-The Kan
sas City, 81. 10 and Council Bluffs
road foilcd an attempt to rob a passen-
ger train at Francis, one and II half
miles from this city, carly this morn
ing.
Fred Kohlcr and Hugo Engel, two of
the robbers. were killed. Three others.
named Charles Fredericks. n. A. Hurst
william Carver, were captured.
Train No. 3 left Kansas City at 9N
last night and arrived here at 1870 this
morning. Officials of the, road had been
warned of the Intended robbery, and
they notified the police.
When the train arrived here a dummy
train was made up and sixteen police
officers, under command of the chief of
Police. were put on board.
In order thoroughly to deceive the
robbers the train was made an exact
duplicate of the train No. .; n CON
sisted of AN engine and tender, an eN-
press and haggage-car and the usual
coach and Pullmans.
When the dummy reached "A point two
attention was arrested by a lighted Ian
tern moving to and fro between the
rails. He obeyed the signal, and six
masked men surrounded the engine.
and. presenting one revolver at the en-
gineer's head and another at the fire
mans. held them in subsection while
the other five men FASTENED to rob the
They ordered the messenger to open
the door. Three of the bandits at once
entered the car, leaving two without to
keep guard.
The policemen who were guarding the
train were distributed in the various
cars. the majority of them being con
three bandits entered the, police ordered
them to surrender. The robbers were
completely taken by surprise. but
opened fire at once upon the police.
The police returned the fire ana n gen
eral fuslllade followed. About twenty
five shots were fired OF both sides,
When the smoke cleared away the life.
less bodies of k9hler and Engel We're
Both men had been shot through the
head.
The bullet which. pierced kohler's head
produced instant death. Engel was still
breathing, but he died shortly after he
was brought here.
Fredericks, the third robber engaged
in the fight in the car, was uninjured
and was placed under arrest. None OF
the ofic7T- was injured.
While the tight was gong on the, po'
after the two robbers who had been left
outside to keep watch.
They were quickly placed under arrest
The bandit who had been detailed te
guard the engineer and fireman realized
the situation when he heard the baltic
going on in the express car, and
promptly made his escape. A detail OF
officers were put on his track, His name
Is Henry GleitZe.
A remarkable feature of the fight II
the express car was the escape of al
the officers from injury. The three rob
bers in the car were each armed with a
brace of revolvers and used them freely
but still they did no damage.
The bodies of Kohler and Engel were
brought here on the dummy train, which
returned to the city soon after the en-
counter. They were taken to an under
taker.
The prisoners. Fredericks. Hurst and
Carver, were brought here or the same
train with their dead comrades and were
locked up at the police station. All o
the train-robbers lived here.
The members of the gang all belonged
in this city. Kohler married an cstima
BILE young lady a short time ago.