The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-09-26
Dummy Train Loaded with Armed OFF,
GERS Held Up by Three Decoys and
Three Would-Be Robbers.
TWO OF THE BANDITS SHOT
And the Others Captured, One
with Three Fingers Missing.
Scene of the Fight Near st. Joseph, No.,
on the Kansas City, st. Joseph &
Council Bluffs Railroad.

ST. JOSEPH. Mo-, Sept. 27.-Two would.
be train robbers were lured TO their death
last midnight. Another escaped, but was
soon captured. The robbers were killed
By policemen of this city. who were aboard
q dummy. train. The dead bandits are:
Fred. Kohier. aged nineteen, who lived
with his young wife at No. 1915 South
Tenth street. this city. and Hugo Engle.
also of st. Joseph, stepson of Henry Gleitz.
PROPRIETOR of the Occidental Hotel. The man
who escaped shooting was Henry Gleitz,
a step-brother of the man who was
Killed. Three other MEM. A. Hearst.
Charles Fredericks and Will Garver-were
captured, but they were decoys and were
not connected with the robbery.
For some time the officers of the Kansas
City, ST. Joseph & Council Blaffs railroad
have known that an attempt would be
made to rob north bound train No. g. and
preparations were made to capture the
bandits. Detective. p. II. Locke first re.
ceived information about the proposed
robbery, Aug. Ii. and he has been In con.
slant communication with the railway Of
ficials since then. Tie regular night train
leaves the Union Depot at 1l:40. >eral
Manager Brown got word early the
evening that last night was the tin.e thas
had beer fixed for the robbery. and his
fret intention was to send out the regular
train and place q number of armed officers
upon it. He decided later that it would be
unsafe to risk the passen gers IN q battle
with the robbers. and changed his plans.'
He instructed Superintendent Hohl TO
make up dummy special and run it out
on the time of the regular train No. 3.
This consisted of q mail car. express car
and elk coaches. two Of the latter being
darkened to represent the appearance Of
sleepers. Engineer Lee Wright and fire.
man Victor Wise were in the-cab and con.
ductor John Hardenstein had charge of the
train. In the mail car were Sheriff Car
son. Deputy Brown srt a number of police.
In the express car were Chief of Police
Broder and a portion of his force. while the
rest of his officers were scattered through
the other cars. Engineer Callicote was
pressed into service as an expressman.
He wore overalls and an empty safe and
some empty boxes were put IN his car to
give 1t the appearance of an express car.
general manager of the Burlington. Super-
intendent Hohl and Mr.. Sanford. superin.
tendent of the Adams Express Company.
THE ATTEMPTED "HoLD Up"
When the train reached Schuetzen Park.
q short distance this side of the water
works. a man stepped out on the track and
swung a red lantern. Engineer Wright
stopped his engine and he and the fireman
were at once covered with q shotgun in the
hands of masked man. They were or
darad IN on hack N the uress When
they reached the car. two of the robbers
pounded on the door with their guns and
ordered the messenger TO open It. After
q short parley, Callicote threw open the
door. Chief Broder and his men were con.
cealed behind the safe and empty boxes.
When the robbers ordered the express mes
senger to open the door. they threatened to
blow mp the car with dynamite. One OF
them said:
"Open up here and be blanked quick about
It, or we will blow up the car with dy.
Mantle. Open up or we will Kill you"
They had two large sticks of dynamite,
each of the sticks was attached q fuce
about three feet long. This fuse connected
with O Illuminating cap IN the end OF the
stick, and would burn up aud explode the
dynamite In about two minutes. 1t was
known to the officers that dynamite mighs
be used. and it was at first proposed to let
the robbers plode come of it before firing
upon them. Before leaving st. Joseph.
however. Chief Broder decided it would DO
a very dangerous rick. and he concluded to
take no chances. He instructed the bogus
messenger to open the door before the rob-
bere had o chance to explode the stuff.
Chief Broder say there was enough dyna-
mite to blow the car into splinters. and has
action now proves TO have been wise. Four
of the men leaped into the car. the other
two remaining outside. One of these was
Henry Gleitz and the other was Fred
erIcks.
perate man. He continued TO shoot until
he fell over dead. Engle fell soon after
Kohler was killed. and when picked mp was
found TO be mortAlly wounded. he was
shot twice in the back of the head and his
brains were oozing out. The men were
placed on the train, which returned TO the
Francis-street depot at 1926 and the other
train went on it's way, The passengers did
not know what had happened. lt was
quick work. and the train bearing tue off,
GERS was back at the Francis-street depot
In Just forty-tive minutes from the time it
left.
MOTHERS GRIEF.
The body of Kohler was sent TO Siden.
faden's undertaking establishment and
Engle Was taken to the baggage room at
the depot. In q short time his mother was
Informed of the tragedy and ran to the
depot. When she entered the baggage
room she threw herself upon her sons
body and shrieked his name again and
again. She clasp ped his bloody head in her
arms and moaned over him for some min
utes. She was finally induced Co go home,
and the dying man was sent TO the Occi-
dental Hotel. Enge died at A.. VI. He
never regained consciousness from the mo-
ment he was shot.
Superintendent Hohl tells the following
account OF the attempted robbery: "On
Aug. IL heard of a scheme to hold mp the
Burlington IL Missouri River train No. g.
which left here at 1920 A. NJ. on Aug. III.
This plan was frustrated by somebody kav-
ing driven oil the horse ana buggy which
was hired by the Kohler brothers. who left
IL hitched on Felix street / next heard OF
q proposed hold up of the Kansas City. ST.
Joseph * Council Bluffs train No. !. at
Nashville last week. but the location was
afterward changed 10 point between ST.
Joseph and Amazonia. l was next advised
that an attempt wouid be made
to hold mp train No: last
Friday night. The robbers were
all on hand. bnt they expected fast freight
No. II ahead of No. g. and intended 60 let
that train pass. No. IL was late. however,
and No. s went ahead of IL. and before the
robbers realized that the passenger train
was coming. they were unable TO flag ie.
and they returned TO the city and scattered.
Train No. 8 carried $4,000 in the express
company's safe. The next that heard
Was that on attempt would bs made 70 keh