The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1893-10-01
HOW THEY HELD UP THE TRAIN
bandit Hardin. In Fear Of Being Lynched,
Makes a Confession.

CENTRALIA, ILL.,, Sept. S0.-Hardin. the
last Of the Centralia gang of train robbers,
who was captured last night In Cincinnati.
was taken from Detective Smith ut Odin
this afternoon by Sheriff Helm on q state
warrant while being conveyed to st. Louis
Oh an y. q II. train. The detective was
unwilling to surrender the prisoner, but
had no paper on which TO hold him, and
he was conveyed to the Salem Jail, where
his pals Jones and O'Dwyer are confined.
While the officers were disputin2 over
the possession of the prisoner. some ono
reported in the hearing Of Hardin that the
news Of his detention in Odin had been
telegraphed to Centralia and 800 railway
men were en- route to Odin on a special
train to lynch him. This completely un-
nerved the bandit and he begged the Of
ficcrs to hurry him OF to Jail. lie then
made full confession of the robbery.
There are three OF us implicated,
Jones, O'Dwyer and myself" he said.
"The robbery was planned at 1913 Choteau
avenue, st. Louis, more than three months
ago. Jones was too drunk to play his part
well. He held up the engineer and fire.
man before UDwyer and ] were ready to
attack the car. and our plans were thrown
into confusion. When we entered the car
! found myself in the grasp Of baggage
man Armstrong. saw n man COM
ing into the car with q gun and sup
posed we had been trapped. From
that moment my solo object was to get
out Of the car. | endeavored to keep
Armstrong between myself and the shot
gun and did SO pretty successfully until
impulsiyely reached for the bell chord to
stop the train. IL was then that Saunders
shot me in the arm. The shooting filled
the car full of smoke and l managed to
jump out at the east door. ODwyer was
few feet ahead of me. We both landed
outside about the same time.
I'VE ran until we reached ODwyer's
house, where he stopped. ] passed on in
a circuitous route until returned to the
Illinois Central track. nearly n mile from
where we held up the train. My arms
panied me 30 fcarfully that crawlcd into
a culvert and lay down. While lay there.
wild engine bound for ST. Louis on tho
Air Line pulled up to the depot and
stopped. While the engineer and fireman
were in the telegraph Office ! crawled out
and secreted myself ON the engine, on
which 1 rode into 81. Louis. ! went d.
rcctly to Mrs. kay's about Z o'clock on the
morning after the robbery. kept myself
secretcd during the day in the vicinity OF
the relay depot In East ST. Louis, and at Z
p. m. September II boarded an %. d NJ.
train and rode to Cincinnati.
No ono on the train suspected me.
have friends In Cincinnati and went di-
rect to tho city hospital. after resting a
little. and had my arm dressed. regis
tered under the name of Kay. have been
reading the papers regularly and sup
posed the detectives were searching for
me in Missouri and Indiana. IL was this
that caused mo to be of my guard when
was arrested. l think IL was the descrip-
ton Of my wound given to the press by
the st. Louis woman that caused the ciiy
hospital authorities to identify me aud
give me away"
The bandits arm is by no means in a
bad condition aud be can use il freely.
Hardin told the officsrs he left a Colts re.
volver in the culvers where he rested on
the night OF the hold-up and they could
have the Weapon.