The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-09-22
WAS VERY DARING,
BUT VERY FOOLISH.
An Attempt to Rob the Illinois
Central Express.
TWO MEN ARE CAPTURED.
One Bandit Gives Away His Confeder'
ates.
The Negro Murderer Lynched in Roam
oke, and His Body Cremated on the
River Bank-Burial in the May
or's Front Yard Prohibited.

CENTRALIA, H., Sept. 21.-A daring
attempt was made by four masked men to
rob the Illinois Central through express
train No. 3, which left Chicago for New
Orleans at 2 O'Clock yesterday afternoon
and arrived here at midnight, two and
half hours late, with Engineer Ben
Young in the cab and Ed McDough as
fireman. The train stopped at Coal
Chute, south of the city, for fuel, when
the robbers, who arose on top of the bag
gage car swung down on the tender and
fired three shots at the engineer and fire.
man, one shot striking the engineer IN
the shoulder and coming out at the ell
bow. The other hit him in the back,
lodging in the left hip. The fireman was
shot in the shin and in the forehead, one
ball lodging in the neck. He then struck
one robber with monkey wrench, knock
ing him OF the train aud leaving him
senseless. One robber had entered the
baggage car, in the meantime and or
dered the express messenger at the point
of the revolver, to throw up his
hands and open the safe. The reply was
that the safe was already open, and when
the robber was at work there the brake
man went to the passenger car and asked
that everybody with guns should come
on; that robbers were in the express car.
An old time brakeman. Jake Sanders of
Duquoin, was just returning from a hunt
and at once went to the car and opened
fire. He had just entered the car In
which the bandit was at work when, In
trying to reach over Conductor Odum to
shoot. he caught the conductor in the
right hand, inflicting a slight wound.
The robber got the ball over the lett
eye. The man captured is a well-known
robber, who passes under the name of
Daniel L. Jones of Oxford Mills, Iowa,
and carries travelling card from the Chi
cage Order of Railway Trainmen., issued
August "a; also switchman's card
issued by the Santa Fe route at Kansas
city. After being shot he jumped from
the car and was caught by the train, his
foot being crushed. The train was in
charge of Conductor 0dum, with Ben
Young as engineer and McDough as fire.
man. When the brakeman went back
and gave the alarm, the passengers COM
menced hiding their valuables, and the
lamps in the entire train were turned
down. There was some talk of hanging
the robber caught, but wiser council pre-
vailed and he is now in the city jail I'M
der guard. The train carries valuable
express matter between Chicago and the
south and there is little doubt that the
intention was to blow up the safe.
After the robbers had fed, the train
backed up to the station and new train
crew was put on board and proceeded.
The whole city was aroused by the ring
ing of frebells, and the captured bandit
was threatened with lynching unless he
made full confession. He said the other
members of the gang were named Charles
O. Dwyer, this city; James Harding of
Danville, H., and man named Nicho-
las, and he also implicated man named
Martin of Duquoin in the plot, though he
took no part in the robbery. Dwyer's house
was Immediately surrounded and surren-
der demanded. His mother refused to sur
render and party watched till daylight,
when DWyer gave himself up and Is now
in Jail with Jones.
Searching parties are securing the
country for the other two. Dwyer bears
hard name. Jones said this morning to
an Associated Press reporter that Dryer
had learned there would be a profitable
sthoId up'' coming into the city. and ar
engagements were made to meet at Dwyer's
after the robbery and divide the swag.
Jones was to have most of it to give his
father, who is poor. Jones, the switch
man, came from st. Louis last Monday
with the other members of the gang.
This afternoon Mayor Ames Benson
was notified that there was move on foot
TO lynCn the TWO DaQQ1US at sunset. The
prosecuting attorney and police magis-
trate accompanied the mayor to the city
jail, and laid the matter before Jones and
Dwyer, who were having a preliminary
hearing. They were handcuffed, and
accompanied by tbe officers, hurried to
carriage in waiting and before any one
was aware of what was going on the con-
veyance, closely followed by the mayor
in his buggy, was speeding across the
country to Salem, the county seat. An
Associated Press correspondent held a
private interview with the prisoners Just
before they were spirited out of the city.
Dwyer positively denied completely in the
crime, but while he leaped from the train
he dropped his mask and was recognized.
James Hardin was oyerhauled near
Nashville late this afternoon and brought
to this city at 10 O'Clock on the Chicago
express. Mayor Benson went to the
train with seven resolute men to see that
the prisoner passed through unframed.
The prisoner was taken to Odin and from
there to Salem over the Ohio & Mississippi
railway and landed in Jail with Dwyer
and Jones.