The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1893-06-06
THE M. p. TRAIN ROBBER.
A Telegraph Operator Supposed
To be the Culprit.


souri, Pacific train robbery at Pacific
last Wednesday night: samuel A.
Wilson, telegraph operator, is sup
posed to have been the lone robber,
who, on last Wednesday night. single
handed, held up and robbed the Pacific
express car attached to the west-bound
Missouri Pacific train near Pacific.
He is being searched for, but no trace
of his whereabouts as vet can he found,
although detectives are hunting every
where, 18th in the city and state for
him. Wilson answers the description
As now given of the lone robber. The
clew that links him with the robbery
is this: James waters is Missouri
Pacific switch-engineer that runs
his steam horse in the vicinity where
the robbery occurred. At an early
hour Saturday morning he espied a
well-wOrn valise lying in a gully
alongside of the railroad tracks and
near by where the robber took the
road that led him toward the river.
He brought his engine to a standstill,
and, upon picking up the valise. found
that it was weighted down with some
thing. Upon examination the valise
was found to contain clothes. He at
once made his findings known to the
express officials who were ON the
scene, and the valise and its contents
were brought to the police headquar-
tiers in this city tor inspection. In the
satchel were found a lot of cartridges
used in a 3S-calibre revolver, a box
of 30 blank cartridges, several sticks
of dynamite with fuse, a new white
shirt and one slightly soiled, a coat
and vest and red plush cushion to
chair. There were also some papers
signed S. \ Wilson.
The name Of Wilson was a familiar
one to both the city the railroad de-
tecrive>, and all began scratching Their
heads to try and place or couple that
came on to some piece of robbery that
had occurred in st. Louis or its Vi
entity in recent years. One of the
wise heads in the group had it. and he
at once SAID Dink Wilson, as he is
known to have taken part in one sue
cessful and one unsuccessful robbery.
The unsuccessful one was at Glendale
a year ago, his confederates being
Hedgepeth, Slye and Francis. Slye
is now serving a twenty-year term in
the penitentiary for the part he took
in the robbery. Hedgepetb is now in
the st. Louis Jail awaiting trial.
Francis was shot and killed while at
tempting to hold up and rob Mis-
souri, Pacific train with Others at
Lamar, Missouri, and Wilson is the
only one now at large, and, as train
robbing IS his business, consequently
he is the man who did the last Job.
He did not, however, answer the de-
scription OF the robber, and for time
his name did not figure in it. One of
the older detectives recalled a plot
that had been made by one Wilson
and four Others about a year ago to
hold up and rob St. Lnr:s and San
Francisco train within few miles of
last Wednesday nights robbery. In
some way the officers received an ink
ling III what was going to happen, and
the result was the robbers got out of
the way. Detectives who were work
ing on the case at the time secured in
formation that Sam Wilson, who an
swers the description of the lone rob-
Der. but then telegraph operator on
the Frisco road, was one of the gang. |
Wilson disappeared, and nothing more |
was ever traced to him until the find
ing Of the valise near the robbery
which contained papers bearing his
name. 1t is supposed that he has
been at work in some telegraph office
under an alias, and had given !
up to his work to take part in the
robbery, which the latter did single
The red plush cushions are
used a great deal by telegraph opera
tors. and especially by operators at
small stations along a railroad line.
At first it was supposed that Wilson
was in this city, but. at a late hour
asst night several officers left for the
nome OF Wilson, which is about $50
niles west Of St. Louis, and in Mis-
ouri. His house and all of his
'aunts will be carefully guarded from
low on until his capture. and when his
'apture Is effected he will have to give
IN account az to where he was on the
hight of the robbery, and how it
vas his valise and its contents came to
Ne on the right of way of the railroad
'ear the robbery.
1.-The above clew is the only plausible
me 60 far obtained, and the one which
he nOIice hnvo onou0h ~ouSIocno -