The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-09-29
BANDITS KILLED.
Train Robbers Attack a Dummy
Sent on Ahead.
THE CARS FILLED WITH POLICE.
The Robbers Nevertheless Commence Hos
tilities-Two Of Them Killed and
Three Captured-One Makes
His Escape.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo-, Sept GA bold
attempt at train robbery was cleverly
frustrated here just after midnight this
morning. AS result two would-be
train robbers are dead and three are
behind the bars in the Jail. Of six men
who attempted the robbery only one
escaped.
The robbers who were killed are Ed
ward Kohler and Hugo Indall. The
three men captured are named Freder-
ick, Hirsch and Harvey.
The train which the bandits had at
tempted to rob was passenger train
No. 8, on the Kansas City, St Joseph
& Council Bluffs railroad, which left
Kansas City at 9:O5 p. IN Sunday night,
and which arrived here at 1870 this
morning.
The officials of the road had been
warned that the robbery of the road
had been planned 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 aboard. In or
der to thoroughly deceive the robbers
the train was made an exact duplicate
of train No. 8 and consisted of an en-
CINE and tender.and express and bag
gage car and the usual coaches and
Pullmans.
When the dummy reached point
two miles north of st. Joseph the en-
gineer's attention was arrested by a
lighted lantern moving two and fro
between the rails He obeyed the sig
nal and soon six masked men surround
ed the engine. One of the bandits
mounted the engine, and, presenting
one revolver at the engineers head and
another at the fireman's held them in
subsection while the other five men
hastened to rob the express car.
They ordered the messenger to open
the door, which he did forthwith. Three
of the bandits at once entered the car,
leaving two without to keep guard.
The policemen who guarding the train
were distributed in the various cars,
the majority of them being concealed
in the express car.
immediately the three bandits who
had undertaken the work of robbing
the car entered the door the police
within ordered them to surrender.
The robbers were taken completely by
surprise, but they opened fire at once
upon the police.
The police returned the fire and
general fusilade followed. about
twenty-five shots were fired on both
sides When the smoke cleared away
the lifeless bodies of Kohler and In
dali were lying on the floor of the car.
Both had been shot through the head.
The bullet which pierced Kohler's
head produced instant death. He
never stirred after he was hit. Indall
was still breathing, but he died shortly
after he was brought here. None Of
the officers were injured
While the fight was going on in the
car those of the police not engaged in
it were looking after the two robbers
who had been left outside to keep
watch. The police quickly took them
in and placed them under arrest
The bandit who had been detailed to
guard the engineer and fireman quick
ly realized the situation when he heard
the battle going on in the express car
and promptly made his escape. A de-
tail of officers was put on his track and
quickly took up the pursuit with every
prospect of capturing the fugitive be-
fore dawn.
A remarkable feature of the fight in
the express car was the escape of all
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 Indall were
brought here on the dummy train,
which returned to the city soon after
the encounter.
They were taken to an undertakers
The prisoners, Frederick, Hirsch and
Harvey, were brought here on the same
train with their dead comrades and