Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-09-27
FILLED WITH ARMED MEN.
Attempt to Hold Up a Train in Missouri
F0iod After a Battle.

O6 tram ROBBERS were CttuSHG Ill d Trap
this morning, and two of them were
killed and three captured. One es
capped. The Kansas City, st. Joseph &
Council Bluffs road was the intended
victim A dummy train was sent ahead,
filled with officers who opened fire
upon the robbers. The men who were
killed were Fred. Kohler, aged 10, who
lived with his young wife at 1915 North
Tenth Street; and Hugo Engel, step
son of Henry Gleitze, proprietor of the
Occidental Hotel. The man who es-
capped is supposed to be Henry Gleitze,
a brother of the man who was killed.
Three other men, n. a. Hearst, Charles
Fredericks and Will Carver were
captured, but they were decoys and
were not connected with the robbery.
The officers of the road have known
for some time an attempt would be
made to rob the train and preparations
were made to capture them. Detective
z. I. Locke first received information
about the proposed robbery August II,
and he has been in constant commune
cation with the railroad officials since
then. The regular train on the Kansas
City, St. Joe & Council Bluffs road leaves
the Union depot at 11:40. General
Manager Brown got word early in the
evening that last night was the time
that had been fixed for the robbery.
He instructed Supt Hohl to make up
a dummy special and run it out
on the time of the regular train,
No. 8. This consisted of a mail
car, express car and six coaches,
IL, 4
the appearance of sleepers. Engineer
Lee Wright and Fireman Victor Wise
were in the cab, and Conductor John
Hardenstein had charge of the train.
In the mail car were Sheriff Carson,
Deputy Brown and a number of police.
In the express car were Chief of Police
Broder and portion of his force, wnlIe
the rest of the officers were scattered
through the other cars. Engineer Cal
Hcote was pressed into service as an eN-
pressman. He wore overalls and an
empty safe and some empty boxes were
put in his car to give it the appearance
of an express car. In the first coaches
were w G. Brown, Mr.. Hohl and MIR.
Sanford, superintendent of the Adams
Express Company.
When the train reached SchutZen
Park, a short distance this side of the
water works, a man stepped out on the
track and swung a red lantern. En-
gineer Wright stopped his engine and
he and the fireman were at once COW
cred by a masked man with a shot gun
They were ordered to go back to the
express car. When they reached the
car, two of the robbers pounded on the
door with their guns and ordered the
messenger to open it. After a 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 messengers to open the door
they threatened to blow up the car with
dynamite. One of them said: ''Open
UP here and be - quick about it,
or we will blow the car up with
dynamite-open up or We'll kill you"
They had two large sticks of dynamite
and each was wrapped up in two or
three copies of a newspaper. To each
of the sticks was attached fuse about
three feet long. This fuse connected
with a Illuminating cap in the end of the
stick, and would burn up and explode
the dynamite in about two minutes. 1t
was known to the officers that dyna-
mite might be used and it was at first
proposed to let the robbers explode
some of it before firing upon them.
Before leaving St. Joe, however, Chief
gerous risk ana he concluded to take no
chances. He instructed the bogus mes
Senger to open the door before the rob-
bers had a chance to explode the stuff
Chief Br0Ger says there was enough
dynamite to blow the car into splinters,
and his action now proves to have been
a wise one.
Four of the men Ieaped into. the car,
the other two remaining outside. One
of these was Henry GIeitze and the
other was Fredericks. When the men
entered the car, the officers raised up
end covering the men with their guns
ordered them no throw up their hands.
Instead of doing that, the robbers be-
gan firing at the officers, and in a min
ute deadly battle was on. At the first
fire, Fredericks and Carver dropped to
the ground and laid down to prevent
being shot. Engel leaped from the
car and ran for the brush on the east
side Of the train, where he continued
to shoot till discovered. kohler, whose
job was to stand outside and keep the
passengers from coming out of the ears,
was on the east side of the track also,
and be poured a deadly fire into the
express car and coaches. Henry
Gleitze, who was on the west side of
the train, fired several shots at the Off
GERS IN the express and mail cars and
then ran. Kohler proved himself to
be a most desperate man. He con-
tinued to shoot until he fell over dead.
Engel fell soon after Kohler was killed,
and when picked up 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 1876, and the regular passenger
train went on its way The passengers
did not know what had happened. 1t
was quick work, and the train bearing
the officers was back at the Francis
Street depot in just forty-five minutes
from the time it left. The body Of
hohler was sent TO Sidenfallen's under
taking shop and Engei was taken to the
baggage-room at the Francis Street de-
pot In short time his mother was in
formed of the tragedy and ran down to
the depot. When she returned to the
baggage-room in company with two
no 4 Il he, IL,